4 Effective Study Techniques
- Isha Nandipati
- Aug 28
- 4 min read
As the school year approaches, so do tests, quizzes, finals, and more. If you want to do good on them, you have to study. You study for hours and then take that test but end up failing or falling short of the grade you want. You studied, so why did you fail? It’s because not all study techniques are actually helping you learn. Here’s a list of 4 scientifically proven study techniques that will help you succeed!
Feynman technique
The Feynman technique was created by Richard Feynman. There are 4 main steps in the Feynman technique.
Identify concept and map understanding- To put it simply, write about everything you know about the concept as well as explanations and your personal understanding of them.
Teach it to a child- Pretend you are trying to teach an elementary school kid about this concept in a way they would understand. Essentially, you have to make it simpler and get the fundamental concepts down. If you can’t simplify something or explain it fully, that is where you have knowledge gaps.
Fill the knowledge gaps- Now, take everything you couldn’t explain or simplify and go back to study it further. You can look at notes, watch videos, or use other study techniques.
Review and refine- After you finish reviewing and learning, try again to explain those concepts to someone younger and try different ways that would help them understand.
Here’s a visual example of the steps.
This technique works because you’re deepening your understanding by explaining it simply as well as identifying knowledge gaps. This process also helps you retain information by reinforcing neural pathways.
Interleaving
Interleaving is a study technique in which you switch between topics while studying. This means that while you're studying you do some of each instead of one at a time (blocked practice). For example, you would do some math problems, then study some of your periodic table for chemistry, and then go to bio and read about some cells. You do some of each and keep alternating, and in the end you finish them around the same time. Here’s a picture for reference.
You can do it with any subjects/topics, but scientists believe it is the most effective with related subjects or topics. This builds strong neurological pathways because it is challenging to switch between topics, and you are using more of your brain due to the variation. It also makes you actively retrieve information and differentiate between concepts.
Leitner System
The Leitner System is a spaced repetition technique with flashcards and boxes. The first box is the box that holds the flashcards you will practice the most frequently. The second box is less frequent, and as the boxes go on, the less you go through the flashcards in those boxes. Generally, people use 3 boxes. For example, first you would put all your flashcards in the first box and go through them. If you answer it correctly it moves to the second box and if you don’t it stays in the first box. Let's say you study the flashcards in the first box everyday, the second box three times a week, and the third box once a week. Now two days later you do the flashcards in the first and second box. If it's correct it moves to the next box. If it’s one in the second box and you get it wrong you move it back to the first box. Then you continue throughout the week and move flashcards accordingly. Here’s a visual example:
This works because it is a clear way to track your progress and provides a study timeline. It also promotes deeper memory retention with the spaced repetition technique and active recall, as well as prioritizing the things you struggle with, because they will be in the first boxes, which you do the most.
SQ3R method
The SQ3R technique is a 5 step study technique that helps with comprehension when reading. This is used when reading textbooks as a way to retain and understand information.
S: Survey- Skim the material and note headings, sub-headings, and visual infographics like charts, tables, etc. It gives you an idea about what the book is about and an outline of the concepts.
Q: Question- Now with the information you got from surveying, generate questions that you will answer through reading. For example, what does this table represent? Or, based on the heading, you could ask: what is the question this chapter is trying to solve?
R1: Read- Now, read through the text, and as you read look for answers to the questions.
R2: Recite- After each section, go and see which questions you can answer. Try to do it based on memory and reread if necessary. Once you answer the questions, you can move on.
R3: Review- Now, review the information you learned and explain it in your own words. You could write about it or act like you are teaching it.
The 3 represent the three R steps, read, recite, and review.
This can be used for reading anything, regular books or textbooks. It works because it encourages active reading with the questions, which means your brain is actually comprehending the text, not just reading. Then, making sure to review the information leads to better retention of the content, which also means you’ll remember it better.
These techniques are all proven to work. They will definitely help you succeed this school year!
Sources
Feynman-
Interleaving-
Leitner-
SQ3R-
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