Imagine a group of science students trying to absorb the information in their anatomy textbook. One group takes a traditional approach, dividing their time into four short study sessions, during which they read, and then reread, the textbook. A second group uses a concept mapping approach (favored by so many teachers), organizing information into a diagram where lines connect related facts. A third group jumps right to quizzing themselves. Without the textbook in front of them, they give themselves 10 minutes to write down as many details as they can remember. They then grade their first practice test and immediately take a second one. A week later, all three groups are given a short-answer test that assesses their recall of the information they studied, and their ability to use that information to draw logical conclusions. Which group performs best? Luckily, we don’t have to rely on our instincts here. When researchers conducted this very experiment, the students in the third group were the clear winners, performing 50% better than students in the other two groups. If you’re surprised, you’re not alone. A growing body of research reveals that the practices that make us feel like we are learning are not the same as those that actually help us learn. One reason for this is that the most effective study strategy—attempting to recall material without support—tends to make us uncomfortably aware of what we don’t know, while more traditional approaches, like rereading notes, tend to give us a false sense of confidence. There’s a great New York Times article that captures this very paradox: “The struggle helps you learn, but it makes you feel like you’re not learning,” reports Nate Kornell, a psychologist at Williams College. “You think: ‘I don’t know it that well. This is hard and I’m having trouble coming up with this information.’” By contrast, Kornell explains, when rereading texts “you say: ‘Oh, this is easier. I read this already.’” In light of this research, here is the method I encourage students to use when preparing for exams: The Mini-Test Method |