How to Study Effectively: 9 Science-Backed Techniques That
Actually Work
Learn how to study effectively using active recall, spaced
practice, interleaving, self-explanation, practice problems, and
other evidence-informed study methods. Includes a practical weekly
study schedule you can use this semester.
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Written by the Orderly Learning Team
· Updated August 18, 2026
Two of the most strongly supported study techniques are
practice testing (active recall) and
spaced practice. Instead of repeatedly rereading
your notes, test yourself on what you remember and revisit the
material across multiple days. Combine these techniques with
adequate sleep, focused study sessions, and a consistent weekly
schedule to build stronger long-term retention.
If you want to know how to study effectively, the
answer isn't simply to study for more hours. The way you use those
hours matters. Many students spend large amounts of time rereading
textbooks, highlighting notes, or watching lectures again without
checking whether they can actually remember the information later.
Research in cognitive psychology and educational psychology suggests
that some learning techniques consistently outperform others. In
particular, practice testing and
spaced practice have strong support for improving
retention across many learning situations.
This guide explains nine useful study techniques, why they can help,
which common habits are less effective, and how to turn the research
into a practical weekly study routine.
Why Rereading and Highlighting Don't Work as Well as You Think
In 2013, researchers John Dunlosky and colleagues reviewed ten
common learning techniques and evaluated their usefulness based on
the available research. Their review found that some popular methods
were considerably less effective than students might expect.
Rereading, highlighting, and summarization
received lower utility ratings than practice testing and distributed
practice. This does not mean these techniques are completely
useless. They can help you become familiar with new material,
organize information, or identify important ideas.
The problem is relying on passive techniques as your primary method
of learning because familiarity can feel like mastery.
A better approach is to use reading as an initial exposure to the
material and then switch to retrieval. Close your notes and ask
yourself what you can remember. That extra effort gives you
information about what you actually know and what still needs work.
The Learning Styles Myth
You may have heard that students should study according to a
preferred "learning style," such as visual, auditory, or kinesthetic
learning. However, a review by Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer, and Bjork
found no credible evidence that matching instruction to a student's
preferred learning style improves learning outcomes.
Different formats can still be useful for different subjects. A
diagram may be useful for understanding a process, while an audio
explanation may be convenient when reviewing certain material. The
important point is not to restrict yourself to a supposed
learning-style category.
9 Science-Backed Study Techniques
The following techniques can help make study sessions more active,
structured, and focused on long-term retention. The strength of the
research varies by technique, so these methods should not be treated
as equally effective in every situation.
Strong evidence
1. Practice Testing and Active Recall
Active recall means deliberately retrieving
information from memory rather than simply looking at it again.
Practice testing is one of the clearest examples.
Instead of rereading a page five times, close the book and try to
explain the concept from memory. You can also use practice
questions, flashcards, or a blank sheet of paper.
How to do it:
Close your notes and write down everything you remember.
Turn headings in your notes into questions.
Complete practice problems without looking at worked solutions.
Use flashcards as retrieval questions rather than simply
flipping through definitions.
Strong evidence
2. Spaced Practice
Spaced practice means distributing learning
across multiple sessions instead of completing all of your
studying in one sitting.
For example, instead of studying a chapter for three hours the
night before an exam, you could study it for shorter periods
across several days.
You can make spaced practice even more effective by combining it
with active recall.
Schedule your first review after your initial learning session.
Return to the material again after additional time has passed.
Use active recall during each review instead of only rereading.
Spend more review time on material you consistently struggle to
retrieve.
Moderate evidence
3. Interleaved Practice
Interleaving means mixing different topics or
problem types rather than completing every problem of one type
before moving to another.
This can be particularly useful for subjects such as mathematics,
statistics, physics, and chemistry because you have to identify
which method or concept applies before solving the problem.
For example, instead of doing ten identical calculus problems,
create a mixed practice set containing derivatives, optimization,
related rates, and integration.
Moderate evidence
4. Elaborative Interrogation
Elaborative interrogation involves asking
yourself questions such as
"Why is this true?" and
"Why does this happen?"
rather than simply memorizing a statement.
These questions encourage you to connect new information to
knowledge you already have.
Ask why a fact or principle is true.
Ask what causes a particular result.
Connect the new concept to something you already know.
Explain the reasoning without looking at your notes.
Moderate evidence
5. Self-Explanation
Self-explanation means explaining how new
information connects to what you already know or explaining the
steps you took while solving a problem.
Instead of simply checking whether an answer is correct, explain
why the answer makes sense and why you chose that method.
Explain each step while solving a problem.
Connect new ideas to concepts you already understand.
Ask yourself why a particular step or conclusion is correct.
Try explaining the concept without looking at your notes.
Turn what you're learning into practice questions
Orderly's AI learning tools can help turn your study material
into questions, explanations, flashcards, and other active
learning exercises.
Abstract concepts can be easier to understand when you connect
them to specific examples. After learning a definition or
principle, look for a real problem or situation where it applies.
For example, when learning a mathematical formula, don't only
memorize the equation. Work through a problem that requires you to
decide when and how to use it.
Find a specific example of the concept.
Work through the example step by step.
Try creating your own example.
Solve a new problem without looking at the example.
Supporting technique
7. Combine Words With Useful Visuals
When the subject allows it, combine written explanations with
useful diagrams, timelines, charts, or labeled illustrations. The
goal is not to decorate your notes, but to represent relationships
that are easier to understand visually.
For example, when studying biology, you might combine a written
explanation of a process with a labeled diagram showing how the
different parts connect.
After creating the visual, put it away and try to reconstruct the
important relationships from memory. The visual should support
understanding and retrieval rather than replace them.
Supporting technique
8. Summarize, Then Retrieve
Summarization can help organize information, but
simply rewriting notes does not guarantee that you will remember
the material later.
Use summaries as a starting point rather than the end of your
study session. After writing a short summary, put it away and
reconstruct the key ideas from memory.
Write a short summary of the main ideas.
Put the summary away.
Explain the ideas from memory.
Use practice questions to identify what you forgot.
Supporting technique
9. Practice Applying What You Know
Understanding a concept is different from being able to use it.
Practice applying what you learned to new questions and problems
without immediately checking the solution.
This is especially important in subjects such as mathematics,
chemistry, physics, economics, computer science, and accounting,
where exams often require you to apply concepts rather than simply
recall definitions.
Attempt problems before looking at the solution.
Explain why you chose a particular method.
Check your answer after completing the problem.
Redo problems you initially got wrong.
Study Techniques Compared at a Glance
Study technique
Evidence
Best use
How to start
Practice testing / active recall
Strong
Most subjects
Close your notes and answer questions from memory.
Spaced practice
Strong
Long-term retention
Review material across multiple days.
Interleaved practice
Moderate
Problem solving
Mix different problem types.
Elaborative interrogation
Moderate
Understanding concepts
Ask why a fact or concept is true.
Self-explanation
Moderate
Concepts and problem solving
Explain the reasoning behind your answer.
Concrete examples
Supporting
Abstract concepts
Connect principles to specific examples.
Useful visuals
Supporting
Processes and relationships
Turn relationships into diagrams or charts.
Summarization + retrieval
Supporting
Organizing material
Summarize briefly, then reconstruct it from memory.
Practice problems
Supporting
Applied subjects
Solve new problems before checking solutions.
Rereading
Lower
Initial exposure
Use briefly before switching to retrieval.
Highlighting
Lower
Identifying key information
Highlight sparingly, then test yourself.
Build a Study System, Not Just a Study Session
Knowing how to study effectively is only useful if you can turn the
techniques into a routine. The easiest way to do that is to create a
weekly system for every course.
Break each course into weekly topics.
Instead of thinking about an entire course at once, identify the
topics you need to learn each week.
Schedule spaced reviews.
Plan your first review after your initial learning session and
additional reviews later.
Start each review with retrieval.
Test yourself before reopening your notes.
Use your results to guide your next session.
Spend more time on concepts you cannot retrieve and less time on
material you already know well.
Keep your study plan organized
Orderly brings planning, tasks, grades, and AI-powered learning
tools together so students can organize their coursework and
study sessions in one place.
Effective studying is not only about what you do during a study
session. Sleep, breaks, and your environment can also affect how
effectively you learn and retain information.
Sleep plays an important role in memory consolidation. The CDC
recommends 8–10 hours of sleep per night for teenagers aged 13–17
and 7 or more hours for adults aged 18–60.
That makes an all-nighter a poor replacement for a consistent sleep
schedule. When possible, give yourself enough time to study before
the night before an exam.
Breaks
Long study sessions can become less productive as attention
declines. Experiment with focused blocks followed by short breaks.
There is no single study-session length that is ideal for every
student, so choose a duration that allows you to maintain focused
work without becoming excessively fatigued.
Study Environment
Make your study environment as distraction-free as possible. During
active recall, consider putting your phone away or disabling
notifications to prevent interruptions while you are trying to
retrieve information.
Common Study Mistakes Students Make
Cramming the night before instead of distributing
study sessions across multiple days.
Rereading without testing yourself and assuming
familiarity means mastery.
Studying only material that feels easy
instead of identifying knowledge gaps.
Using passive study methods exclusively
because they feel easier than retrieval practice.
Skipping sleep to gain additional last-minute
study hours.
Failing to schedule reviews and relying on memory
to decide when to study.
A Sample Weekly Study Schedule
Here's one example of how a student could combine active recall,
spaced practice, and interleaving during a typical week. Adjust the
schedule to your courses, assignments, and upcoming exams.
Day
Focus
Study technique
Monday
New material
Brief review + active recall
Wednesday
Monday's material
Practice questions
Friday
New material + previous topics
Interleaved practice
Sunday
Cumulative review
Self-quiz across the week's topics
Studying smarter starts with a system
Organize your coursework, plan your study sessions, track your
grades, and use AI-powered learning tools in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions About Studying Effectively
What is the most effective way to study?
Practice testing, also called active recall, and spaced practice
have some of the strongest research support among commonly studied
learning techniques. Test yourself on material and spread review
sessions across multiple days instead of relying only on
rereading.
How many hours a day should I study?
There is no universal number of study hours that works for every
student. The quality and structure of your study sessions matter
more than simply increasing total hours. Focused sessions that
include retrieval practice and spaced review can be more useful
than one long cramming session.
Is cramming ever okay?
Cramming can help with short-term recall before an immediate
assessment, but spacing the same amount of study across multiple
sessions generally produces better long-term retention. If you
have limited time, prioritize practice testing over passive
rereading.
Do learning styles like visual, auditory, or kinesthetic actually
matter?
There is no strong evidence that matching instruction to a
student's preferred visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learning
style improves learning outcomes. Choose study formats based on
the material and use evidence-informed learning techniques.
How much sleep do students need before a test?
Sleep needs vary by age. The CDC recommends 8–10 hours per night
for teenagers aged 13–17 and 7 or more hours for adults aged
18–60. Sleep also plays an important role in memory consolidation,
so an all-nighter is generally a poor replacement for adequate
sleep.
What's the difference between active recall and spaced repetition?
Active recall is a learning technique where you retrieve
information from memory instead of simply reviewing it. Spaced
repetition is a scheduling method where you review material at
intervals over time. They can be combined by using active recall
questions during spaced review sessions.
Can AI tools help me study more effectively?
AI tools can support studying when they are used to generate
practice questions, explain concepts, provide feedback, and help
organize review. They are generally most useful as learning
assistants rather than as tools that simply provide finished
answers.
Research and Sources
The recommendations in this article draw primarily from research in
cognitive psychology, educational psychology, and sleep and memory
research. Evidence strength varies between techniques, so the
article distinguishes between methods with stronger and more limited
research support.
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 .
