Beyond Highlighting: Effective Study Techniques for Better Exam Recall 

The Hook & Context 

If your current study routine consists of rereading notes and highlighting entire textbooks, you are using passive review the least effective way to learn. True mastery for exam success requires techniques that force your brain to work harder, leading to better exam recall and deeper understanding. This guide will introduce you to three proven study techniques that leverage cognitive science to dramatically improve how well you remember information under pressure.

Active Recall vs. Passive Review: The Science of Memory 

The single biggest difference between A-students and everyone else is the transition from passive review to active recall.

• Passive Review: Your brain is comfortable. Examples include re-reading, highlighting, and watching lectures. You feel like you're learning because the information is right there, but you aren't actually retrieving it from memory.

• Active Recall: Your brain is actively retrieving information, which strengthens the neural connections. This forces your brain to work as hard as it will on the day of the exam.

The Key Strategy: Immediately after reading a chapter or lecture, close your book or laptop and write down everything you can remember about the topic. If you can't retrieve the information, you don't know it yet—it's a perfect gauge of what you need to study next.

The Feynman Technique: How to Learn Anything by Teaching It 

Named after Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, this technique is the ultimate test of understanding. It transforms a complex topic into simple terms, revealing exactly where your knowledge is weak.

4 Steps of the Technique:

1. Choose a Concept: Select the topic you want to master.

2. Teach It Simply: On a blank piece of paper, write out the concept as if you were teaching it to a 12-year-old. Use simple language and no jargon.

3. Identify Gaps: When you get stuck or struggle to explain a concept without using complex terms, that is a knowledge gap. Go back to your source material and study that specific gap.

4. Simplify and Review: Repeat the teaching process until you can explain the entire topic clearly and concisely, using analogies if necessary. If you can teach it, you own the knowledge.

Using Flashcards Correctly: Spaced Repetition vs. Cramming 

Flashcards are a popular study tool, but they are often used incorrectly (i.e., cramming them all the night before the exam). To truly lock information into long-term memory, you must use Spaced Repetition.

Spaced Repetition Defined: This is the practice of reviewing material at increasing intervals over time. For example:

• Review the card 10 minutes after first learning it.

• Review the card 1 day later.

• Review the card 3 days later.

• Review the card 7 days later.

By forcing yourself to recall the information right as you are about to forget it, you maximize memory retention. Ditch the marathon cramming session and integrate small, spaced-out review sessions into your daily routine for superior results.