When I was starting out university, I had one problem that I kept running into. It was that how I learn things is by solving the problem and checking if it’s correct. I honestly didn’t know what to do after highlighting my textbook or notes, thinking I could just summarize later only to just copy the text word-by-word. I blank out way too much when it came to exams.
I learnt recently that this is called passive recognition, which is not learning.
I recently came across a term called active recall.
What is Active Recall?
TLDR: you retrieve information you shoved into your brain a while ago and try to apply that information.
Longer version
The idea is that rather than just reading something and then your brain cells dumps that memory like a goldfish. You read it, take some time to digest the information (doomscroll for a bit…) then use a studying tool like a flashcard to understand what it that you just read.
How to use Active Recall?
Flashcards
You look at a term and try to say out what the definition is before flipping the card.
I didn’t like this because all it did was just made me remember which didn’t help for questions that required a bit more critical thinking. Not to mention at the time, I had to make cards, write it out etc.
Also, with my ADHD brain, I kind of just went back to re-reading the text.
Quizzes
This was probably my most effective way to comprehension and critical-thinking. I always used past papers if I could find any, and see if I could tackle those problems.
Study Better with Quizzes
This is exactly why we built Study Better. We wanted the benefits of active recall without the prep time.
With Study Better, you can:
- Upload your slides or PDFs: We instantly analyze your course material.
- Generate Quizzes: The AI creates practice questions directly from your content.
- Test Yourself: Engage in active recall immediately, getting instant feedback on what you know and what you don’t.
You don’t need to spend 3 hours making flashcards to study for 30 minutes. Just drag, drop, and start testing your brain.
Final notes
Of course everyone studies through different methods and I really can’t tell you that this will improve your exam results all the time. However, it worked for me in most cases and I’m hoping it will at least give you a new way to study different.