It may feel like the semester just started, but midterms are coming up soon. Don’t let your grade catch you by surprise. To save you some time, I researched and tested five trending study methods to prove or debunk their effectiveness.
Active recall
Active recall is a popular method in which you write down everything that you can remember without consulting your notes. This gives you a baseline consensus of what you know and what you need to review. This is my favorite method that I tried because I thought it was the most effective and took the least amount of time to memorize the content. Each time you recall, you remember a little bit more, until you can go over the material without even glancing at your notes.
the feynman technique
The Feynman Technique calls for you to become the teacher. You go through the material like you are teaching a beginner. (I used my roommate.) I thought this method was helpful because verbalizing your notes helps them to stick. It also allows you to explain the material in simple terms, making sure that you actually understand it yourself.
the pomodoro method
The Pomodoro Method is a way of organizing your study time for max productivity. It instructs you to study in 25-minute intervals with a five-minute break between. For me, this method did not work, as the frequent breaks just distracted me when I attempted my next round of studying. I feel that a five-minute break is too long when trying to be focused again right after.
the spaced repetition technique
The Spaced Repetition Technique is when you review material intermittently over a longer period of time, rather than all at once. This method is said to help with memorization and beating the forgetting curve. I found this method to be quite useful, as taking time to memorize small bits of material at different times not only helped with memorization but also reduced the stress of trying to cram.
flashcards
The last study technique I tested is the classic flashcard making and review method. I find flashcards to be highly effective, especially in classes where you need to memorize dates and vocabulary. Flashcards are a good study tool because they force you to rewrite the material in your own handwriting and they give you a review tool. Combining these aspects make for easy memorization and great results.