9 Study Techniques That Actually Work (and 3 That Don't)

There is a huge amount of study advice online, and most of it is either vague ("stay organised!") or simply wrong. The good news is that researchers have actually tested how people learn, so we don't have to guess.

The techniques that work share one feature: they make your brain do effortful retrieval and thinking, not passive review. The techniques that don't work feel productive but ask almost nothing of your memory.

Here are nine methods the evidence supports, and three popular ones to drop.

The techniques that work

1. Active recall (test yourself)

The highest-impact technique there is. Instead of re-reading, close your notes and try to retrieve the information: write it down, answer a flashcard, or explain it aloud. Retrieving a memory strengthens it (the testing effect). Full guide: active recall.

2. Spaced repetition (spread it out)

Reviewing a topic across several days beats one long session. Spacing fights the forgetting curve and produces durable memory. Use intervals like 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks. Full guide: spaced repetition.

These first two are the foundation; everything else supports them. Dunlosky and colleagues' 2013 review rated only these two as high-utility out of ten common techniques.

3. Interleaving (mix topics up)

Rather than doing all your algebra, then all your geometry, mix them. Interleaving is harder because you have to choose the right method each time, which is exactly the skill exams test. Studies on maths practice show interleaved practice can substantially outperform blocked practice on later tests.

4. Self-explanation

As you study, ask "why is this true?" and "how does this connect to what I already know?" Explaining the reasoning to yourself builds understanding that survives rephrased exam questions.

5. The Feynman technique

Explain a concept in the simplest possible language, as if teaching a 12-year-old. Where you get stuck or reach for jargon reveals what you don't truly understand. Then go back and fix exactly those gaps.

6. Past papers and practice questions

The closest thing to the real exam. They teach command words, mark allocation and timing. Always mark against the official mark scheme; the gap between your answer and the scheme is your to-do list.

7. Concrete examples

Abstract ideas stick better when anchored to specific examples. When learning a principle, collect two or three vivid examples of it; in the exam, those examples become hooks for recall.

8. Dual coding (words + visuals)

Combining a clear diagram with words can help, because you store the idea in two complementary forms. Note: this is not the same as "learning styles"; it helps everyone, not just "visual learners." A flowchart of a process plus a written explanation beats either alone.

9. Focused work blocks

Attention is finite. Working in focused 25–45 minute blocks with short breaks (the Pomodoro Technique) keeps quality high and makes starting easier. If starting is your problem, see how to stop procrastinating.

The techniques that don't work

✗ Highlighting

Highlighting feels active but is nearly passive, and it can actually hurt, by drawing attention to isolated phrases instead of connections. It rated low in Dunlosky's review.

✗ Re-reading

The default for most students, and one of the weakest methods. It produces an "illusion of fluency": the text feels familiar, so you think you know it, but you can't reproduce it without the page. Replace most re-reading with active recall.

✗ Cramming

Massing all your study into one pre-exam session can give a short-term spike that fades within days. For anything beyond tomorrow, spaced repetition wins. (If you genuinely have no time left, read our last-minute revision guide, but don't make it a habit.)

A note on "learning styles"

You have probably been told you are a "visual," "auditory" or "kinaesthetic" learner. It is an appealing idea, but when researchers properly test whether matching teaching to a person's style improves learning, they consistently find no benefit. Don't restrict yourself to one mode; use the methods above, which work for everyone.

How to combine them

You don't need all nine at once. A strong default routine:

1. Learn a topic once and take brief notes.
2. Active recall: brain-dump what you remember; fill gaps.
3. Space the next review (1 day, then 3, then a week).
4. Interleave topics during practice sessions.
5. Finish the week with past-paper questions marked honestly.

That sequence puts the two highest-impact techniques at the centre and uses the others to reinforce them.

Let the method do the work

The reason these techniques aren't universal is that they take effort and feel harder than highlighting, so most people avoid them. Root is designed to make the effortful-but-effective path the default: it tests you, spaces what you're weak on, and turns your notes into practice instead of something to re-read. Start with the foundation, active recall, and build from there.