Have you ever spent hours struggling through textbooks, study guides, and notes only to completely forget everything during the exam? Or even worse: you are forced to pull all-nighter, and sleep through your alarm! Even if you personally don’t struggle with these, implementing these 3 study methods can still provide major benefits.

1. The Feynman Technique

In simple terms, this is just explaining to someone– out loud– your study concept. Don’t use any technical terms. Think of it as explaining it to a fifth grader. This may sound weird, but it works for many reasons. Firstly, explaining a concept helps you understand and memorize it yourself. Speaking out loud is more memorable than just writing it down or reading it. Secondly, it helps you fill any gaps in your knowledge. If you can not explain a concept in simple terms, you do not know it well enough. You can also see what parts you forget to mention. This technique is best used when you have reviewed the concepts at least once.

2. Blurting

Blurting is when you write down everything you remember onto one space. This can be a few sheets of paper, a whiteboard, or even a mirror! Personally, I do not have access to a large whiteboard– so I like to write on my mirror with dry erase markers. It works just the same. This method helps with memorization, gaps in knowledge, and understanding of the concept. 

3. Spaced Repetition

This method ensures that you won’t be pulling any all-nighters! First, calculate how many days you have until your exam. Next, write the specific topics you want to review, and how long for. Then, follow these guidelines to space out your studying. 1st session: this day. 2nd session: the next day. 3rd session: a week after, 4th session: a week and ½ after. Continue this– spacing out each study session– until the day of your exam!