How to Study Effectively

You’ve now learned a great deal about how memory works—how information is encoded, stored, and retrieved. The good news? You can use this science to study more effectively. Below are evidence-based strategies that help information move into long-term memory and stay there.

1. Use Elaborative Rehearsal

Craik & Lockhart’s (1972) levels of processing framework shows that deeper, more meaningful processing leads to better long-term retention. Instead of repeating information over and over, connect it to what you already know.

• Example: To remember that the hippocampus helps form new memories, imagine a hippo with a great memory or relate it to a time you learned something new and felt your brain “saving” it.

2. Apply the Self-Reference Effect

We remember information better when we relate it to ourselves. Try these techniques:

• Rewrite definitions using your own examples
• Connect concepts to experiences from your life, other classes, or your job
• Explain a topic to a family member or friend

You’re creating multiple retrieval cues, making the information easier to access during an exam.

3. Space Out Your Studying (Distributed Practice)

Cramming might help short-term recall, but it works against long-term retention. Spacing helps because:

• Memory consolidation takes time
• Revisiting material over days or weeks strengthens neural connections
• It prevents “massed interference,” where studying similar material for hours makes it harder to distinguish ideas

You can create a spacing plan: study for 20–40 minutes, then take 5–10 minute breaks. Return to the same material the next day.

4. Rehearse a LOT. Practice Retrieval — Not Just Review

Every time you try to pull information out of memory, you strengthen it. This is called the retrieval practice effect.

High-yield retrieval strategies include:

• Self-quizzing
• Flashcards (but answer from memory—don’t just flip through)
• Explaining concepts without looking at notes
• Doing Try It, Self-Check, and homework questions
• Making your own test questions

Compared with passive methods like highlighting or rereading, retrieval practice produces far better long-term learning.

How Effective Are Different Study Techniques?

When researchers compared retrieval practice with other study techniques like rereading and highlighting, here’s what they found^[1][2]:

Study Technique	Usefulness
Doing practice questions (retrieval practice)	High
Spacing out your practice over time (spaced practice)	High
Rereading	Low
Highlighting	Low
Summarization	Low

So what does this mean for you? Take advantage of practice opportunities. Practice can take many forms. For example, answer the Try It and Self Check questions in this course, complete homework questions, or two of the problems at the end of a chapter in your textbook. Even making up practice questions for yourself or others after you read a page of content is effective practice!

5. Use Mnemonic Devices

Mnemonic devices help you link new information to familiar cues.

• Acronyms: HOMES → Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior
• Acrostics: Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally → Order of operations
• Rhymes/Jingles: I before e, except after c

Mnemonics work by making information more distinctive and easier to retrieve.

6. Interleave Your Practice (Don’t Block It)

Most students study by blocking—finishing all of Chapter 2, then all of Chapter 3, etc. Interleaving is far more powerful. Interleaving looks like:

• Blocked Practice (less effective): AAABBBCCC
• Interleaved Practice (more effective): ABCABCABC

Interleaving:

• Strengthens your ability to tell concepts apart
• Helps you learn more efficiently in the same amount of time
• Often feels harder, but produces stronger learning

Research by Rohrer et al. and Taylor found that interleaving was a significantly more effective learning strategy than blocked practice and helped students learn more in the same amount of time. Interestingly, students who implemented interleaving practice felt like they were learning less, but ended up doing much better than students who felt like they were learning more with blocking practice.^[3]

7. Control Distractions While Studying

Encoding suffers when attention is divided. Tips to reduce interference:

• Silence your phone or use “Do Not Disturb” modes.
• Study in a quiet space.
• Avoid background TV or conversation.

Use strategies like the “Pomodoro Technique” to stay focused in short bursts. Remember, multitasking slows learning, even if you feel productive.

8. Take Smart Notes

Mueller & Oppenheimer (2014) found that students who take notes by hand outperform laptop note-takers on conceptual understanding.^[4] Why?

• Typists tend to copy lectures verbatim
• Handwriters are forced to summarize, rephrase, and organize
• This deeper processing strengthens memory
• Laptops aren’t “bad”—they just require more mindful use. If you use one, avoid transcription and aim for meaningful summarization.

So even if you do take notes on a computer, use note-taking strategies that promote active engagement and processing of information instead of copying things verbatim. 

Memory Tips

In addition to doing the things above to help you learn and retain information, you should also consider these other health tips that help with memory:

Move Your Body

Regular aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, dancing, sports) promotes:

• Increased blood flow to the brain
• Neurogenesis in the hippocampus
• Improved attention and memory

Even a 10–20 minute brisk walk can sharpen focus (van Praag, 2008).

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is essential for memory consolidation.

• During sleep, your brain:
• Strengthens synaptic connections
• Replays and organizes information
• Moves memories into long-term storage

Skipping sleep to study is one of the least effective study strategies (Abel & Bäuml, 2013)

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