The Power of Active Recall

Jun 29

What is Active Recall?

The purpose of this course is to share techniques that have been proven to outperform traditional study techniques, such as rereading or highlighting. With that said, lets talk about Active Recall.

Active recall is the single biggest technique you can put into practice to boost your grades.

It is the concept of constantly test yourself on whatever you’re working on, whether you are learning the topic for the first time or reviewing for an exam. If you were trying to learn something new, such as playing the violin, you wouldn't sit all day reading violin books and watching instructional videos. You would pick up a violin, start playing (effectively testing yourself), and then work on areas you felt needed improvement. So why should learning and studying be any different?

But Does it Work?

There’s no need to just take my word for it. Multiple researchers have studied and compared the effectiveness of various study techniques, and have empirically shown that active recall is the way to go. In fact, this study from 2011 tested the effectiveness of active recall against traditional study methods. For the test, researchers formed 4 groups of students who were given the same material to learn. The first group read the material once, the second group read it four times, the third group made a mind map during the initial reading, and the fourth group tested themselves after a single reading (Active recall).

When asked to recall both facts and concepts present in the sample material, the group using active recall significantly outperformed every other group.

Another testimonial to the effectiveness of this method is the case of Michael Young. Dr. Young is a physician who’s been featured on NPR, as well as bestselling books about memory and learning. That being said, he wasn’t always the accomplished doctor he is today. When Young first entered medical school, he lacked the basic science background many of his peers possesed. As a result, he fell to the bottom of his class while struggling to make up for the gaps in his knowledge. However, instead of giving up, Young looked for a way to boost his efficiency. He didn’t want to find “just anybody’s opinion” on how to study, choosing to instead look at methods based on solid, irrefutable evidence. After a month of research, Young began to implement active recall in every activity he could, including quizzing himself on his assigned readings and writing questions in the margins of his notes.

Within a semester, Young managed to pull himself up to the top of his class, and remained there ever since.

How Do I Implement It?

Active recall is hard to get into because it is more challenging than rereading a textbook. However, reviewing material should be challenging! Similar to working out, the harder you work (in this case to retrieve information from your brain), the easier it will be to retrieve and store information in the future. But how do you actually implement it?

Any form of testing yourself on your knowledge is far more effective than rereading your notes or textbooks. However, this doesn't mean that you should grind practice questions day in and day out. A popular form of active recall is writing a quick summary of a lesson without using your notes, then checking to see if your summary is accurate and complete. Another option is to use flashcards to review the material. Apps like Quizlet and Anki allow you to make your own flashcards for a subject, but also offer card decks made by others if you're feeling lazy.