Active Recall: How to Study Smarter and Remember More

What Is Active Recall?

Active recall is a study technique that requires you to retrieve information from memory instead of simply looking at your notes.

For example, instead of reading a definition five times, you could close your textbook and ask yourself: “What does this concept mean, and can I explain it without looking?”

The goal is not to make studying unnecessarily difficult. The goal is to practice the exact skill you will need during an exam: remembering information without having the answer directly in front of you.

Why Does Active Recall Work?

Learning isn't only about exposing yourself to information. You also need opportunities to retrieve that information.

Active recall makes you pause and reconstruct what you know. That process can reveal what you actually understand and what you only recognize because it looks familiar.

This is especially useful when preparing for exams because simply rereading notes can create a feeling of familiarity without necessarily preparing you to produce the information independently.

Active Recall vs. Rereading

Rereading your notes feels productive because the information becomes familiar. However, familiarity and recall are not the same thing.

Consider this example:

• Rereading: You read your biology notes about cellular respiration again.
• Active recall: You close your notes and explain the stages of cellular respiration from memory.

The second approach forces you to identify what you can actually retrieve.

How to Use Active Recall: A Simple 5-Step Method

5 Ways to Practice Active Recall

1. Use flashcards

Flashcards are one of the easiest ways to practice active recall. Instead of putting an entire paragraph on a card, turn important concepts into questions.

For example:

The second version requires you to retrieve the answer.

2. Explain the concept without your notes

Pick a topic and explain it as if you were teaching someone who has never studied it before.

If you get stuck, that's useful information. It tells you exactly where you need to review.

3. Write everything you remember

Take a blank sheet of paper and write down everything you can remember about a topic.

Once you're finished, compare your answer with your notes and fill in the gaps.

4. Practice with questions

Practice questions are especially useful for courses involving calculations, problem solving, or application.

Don't immediately look at the solution. Give yourself time to work through the problem first.

5. Use the Feynman Technique

Try explaining a difficult idea in simple language. Avoid copying the wording from your textbook.

If you can't explain something simply, go back to the material, identify the gap, and try again.

Combine Active Recall With Spaced Repetition

Active recall and spaced repetition work especially well together.

Instead of testing yourself once and forgetting about the material, revisit it at increasing intervals.

For example, you might review important material:

• The same day
• A day later
• Several days later
• A week later
• Again before your exam

The exact schedule can vary depending on the difficulty of the material and how well you remember it.

If you're preparing for an upcoming exam, you can also use our science-backed study plan to organize your preparation.

How to Use Active Recall for Different Classes

Math

Practice solving problems without looking at worked examples. After attempting a problem, compare your process with the correct solution.

Science

Draw diagrams from memory, explain processes, define important terms, and answer practice questions without your notes.

History

Create questions about events, causes, consequences, people, and dates. Then answer them without checking your textbook.

Business

Try explaining theories and frameworks in your own words. Then create examples showing how each concept could apply to a real business.

Languages

Test yourself on vocabulary, grammar rules, sentence construction, and translation instead of only rereading vocabulary lists.

Common Active Recall Mistakes

Looking at the answer too quickly

Give yourself enough time to genuinely attempt the answer before checking your notes.

Only memorizing definitions

Try to understand how concepts work and how they can be applied. Exams often require more than repeating a definition.

Only studying what you already know

Pay attention to the questions you repeatedly miss. Those gaps are often where additional study time is most valuable.

Waiting until the night before the exam

Active recall is more useful when you have multiple opportunities to retrieve the material over time.

A Simple Active Recall Study Session

Here's an example of what a 60-minute study session could look like:

• 10 minutes: Review the material.
• 20 minutes: Answer questions without looking at your notes.
• 10 minutes: Check your answers and identify gaps.
• 15 minutes: Repeat the hardest questions.
• 5 minutes: Write down what you need to revisit later.

Frequently Asked Questions