Short answer
Short answer: The two techniques with the strongest evidence are self-testing (active recall) and spaced repetition. Add interleaving (mixing topics) and explaining in your own words and retention climbs noticeably. Re-reading, highlighting and summarising are weak on their own. Pomodoro is the container: spend the last 3 minutes of every 25 recalling with the book closed.
Where this list comes from
In 2013 John Dunlosky and colleagues evaluated the ten most common study techniques across hundreds of studies and rated each one high, moderate or low utility. The result is uncomfortable: the most used methods (re-reading, highlighting) scored low; the least used (self-testing, spacing) scored high. The list below is based on that review and the research since.
| Technique | Strength of evidence | How often students use it |
|---|---|---|
| Self-testing (active recall) | High | Rarely |
| Spaced repetition | High | Rarely |
| Interleaving | Moderate | Very rarely |
| Self-explanation / Feynman | Moderate | Rarely |
| Summarising | Low to moderate | Common |
| Highlighting | Low | Very common |
| Re-reading | Low | Most common |
1. Active recall: close the book and remember
What: Pulling information out of memory instead of reading it again. Solving problems, explaining with the book closed, writing on a blank page, writing your own questions.
Evidence: In Roediger and Karpicke's 2006 experiment, students who read a passage four times remembered clearly less a week later than students who read it once and tried to recall it three times; and the re-readers believed they had learned more. The familiarity that re-reading creates gets mistaken for knowing.
In 25 minutes: Study for 20, close the book and write what you remember for 3, check the gaps for 2. This single change raises study efficiency more than anything else.
2. Spaced repetition: not all at once
What: Spreading three hours on a topic across three days instead of one sitting, then short reviews after 3 days, 1 week, 3 weeks.
Evidence: Cepeda and colleagues' 2006 meta-analysis of 254 studies showed a consistent advantage of spaced over massed practice. The best gap depends on how far away the test is: for an exam a month out, about a week between reviews works well.
Apply: Put a "Friday: review the week" block in your weekly plan. If you use flashcards, use a tool such as Anki that sets the gaps automatically.
3. Interleaving: mix the topics
What: Mixing problems from different topics instead of solving 30 of the same kind in a row (blocked practice).
Evidence: In Rohrer and Taylor's 2007 study, students who solved maths problems in mixed order made more errors during practice but scored roughly twice as high on a test a week later than students who practised in blocks. Mixing also trains the question "which method do I use here?", which is exactly what exams ask.
Apply: In a problem-solving block, 30 mixed problems from three topics instead of 10 per topic. It feels uncomfortable; the difficulty is what works.
4. The Feynman technique: explain it to a 12-year-old
What: Write or say the topic in plain language, in your own words, as if to someone who knows nothing. Where you get stuck is what you do not know.
Evidence: "Self-explanation" earns moderate utility in Dunlosky's review; its real power is combining active recall with gap detection. What you cannot explain, you have not learned.
In 25 minutes: Study a topic for 15, then write "I'm explaining this to a friend" on a blank page for 10. Mark the sentences where you stall; they are the topic of your next session.
5. Pomodoro: the container
What: 25 minutes on one task, 5 minutes off. The full guide is here.
Why it is on the list: Pomodoro is not a learning technique; it is an attention technique. But the four methods above demand attention, and Pomodoro slices attention into pieces. Put active recall in the last 3 minutes of every session and the session itself becomes a learning tool. In Pomi, linking each session to a task lets you see how many sessions each topic got, which makes spacing easier to plan.
6. Sleep: free consolidation
What: 7 to 9 hours a night, including the night before the exam.
Evidence: Most of the transfer of the day's learning into long-term memory happens during sleep, particularly in deep sleep and REM. The studies collected by Walker show that a sleepless night also cuts the next day's capacity to learn new material. Studying until 3 a.m. loses twice: what you studied does not consolidate, and you cannot learn tomorrow.
Apply: Finish your last session an hour before bed and make it a review session; what comes right before sleep consolidates best.
7. Studying together, if you do it right
What: Same time, same room, everyone on their own work. Not talking.
Evidence: Social facilitation research has shown since the 1960s that the presence of others improves performance on well-practised tasks. Review and problem sets are exactly that. Details in the study with me article.
Apply: Three evenings a week, fixed time, 4 pomodoros. If you cannot meet in person, a room in Pomi: everyone joins on their own timer and talk waits for the break.
Fitting it all into one week
- Every session: last 3 minutes recalling with the book closed (active recall).
- Every problem block: topics mixed (interleaving).
- Every day: one review session before bed (spacing + sleep).
- Every week: Friday morning review of the week and one topic explained on a blank page (Feynman).
- Three evenings a week: a room with friends (studying together).
How many sessions a day is realistic for all this is covered in how many pomodoros a day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most effective study technique?
The technique with the strongest research support is self-testing, also called active recall: retrieving information from memory with the book closed instead of re-reading. Spaced repetition comes second. Used together they produce the highest retention.
Why don't re-reading and highlighting work?
Both are passive and create a feeling of familiarity; the more familiar the text feels, the more you think you know it, but you cannot retrieve it in an exam. In experiments, students who read four times remembered less than those who read once and recalled three times.
How do I do spaced repetition?
Spread a topic across several days instead of one long sitting, then review briefly after 3 days, 1 week and 3 weeks. For an exam a month away, about a week between reviews works well. Flashcard apps set the gaps automatically.
What is the Feynman technique?
Writing or saying a topic in plain words as if explaining it to someone who knows nothing. Where you get stuck is what you have not learned, and the next session focuses there. It combines active recall with finding gaps.
Does the Pomodoro Technique improve learning?
On its own it is an attention technique, not a learning technique. But if you spend the last 3 minutes of every 25-minute session recalling with the book closed, the session becomes an active recall tool. In Pomi, linking sessions to tasks shows how much time each topic received.
Sources
- Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J. & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1).
- Roediger, H. L. & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3).
- Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T. & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3).
- Rohrer, D. & Taylor, K. (2007). The shuffling of mathematics problems improves learning. Instructional Science, 35(6).
- Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep. Scribner.
- Zajonc, R. B. (1965). Social facilitation. Science, 149(3681).
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