How to study effectively

Many students use learning techniques that are time-consuming and give the illusion of mastery. They become familiar with ideas and information in preparation for a test but forget it a week later because their learning techniques never led to long-term learning.

Ineffective techniques include:

1. Studying for long periods of time
2. Studying a single subject for a long period of time and repeating phrases over and over to memorize them (known as massed practice)
3. Reviewing one topic repeatedly before moving onto another topic (blocked practice)

   

4. Reading and rereading a text
5. Highlighting or underlining important concepts in a text and then reviewing
6. Reviewing notes