How to Study for Tests (and Why Students Get it Wrong)

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: ​

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The Mini-Test Method 
​for Short Answer Exams

1. Make a list of key topics.
2. Time yourself while you write down everything you recall about each topic.
3. Grade your attempts (i.e., review your notes to assess accuracy and thoroughness).
4. Repeat at least once, or until satisfied.

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The Mini-Test Method 
for Computational Exams

1. Gather one example of each problem type.
2. Time yourself while you complete the collected problems.
3. Grade your answers, and write your percentage at the top of the page.
4. Repeat until you are satisfied with your percentage.

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The key to the Mini-Test Method is that it forces students to practice memory retrieval. This seemingly basic skill sometimes gets a bad rap in education circles, but the reality is that being able to recall key facts is necessary for most testing success.

The Mini-Test Method also closes the gap between perceived mastery and actual performance. I can’t tell you how many students report feeling great going into tests (and sometimes even coming out of them), only to be disappointed by their actual scores. Although grappling with the experience of “not knowing” can be uncomfortable, it is hugely valuable and should be at the center of any study approach. 

The Mini-Test Method is also great for students with ADHD, perfectionism, or testing anxiety: students with ADHD often “space out” when reading textbooks, but the time pressure inherent in the Mini-Test Method actually boosts focus and helps students engage; perfectionistic students often get sucked into creating elaborate study guides, sometimes in an unconscious effort to avoid more difficult practice in which they might make an error, and the Mini-Test Method is a helpful course-correction for this; students with test anxiety also benefit from the Mini-Test Method because it acts like a form of low stakes exposure therapy, building confidence in advance of their actual exam. 
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My favorite thing about the Mini-Test Method is that students so often tell me it’s actually kind of fun. Because traditional studying often amounts to passive review, it’s rarely challenging enough to be interesting. The Mini-Test Method, in contrast, “gamifies” studying, encouraging students to grapple with challenges, while allowing them to see their skill level gradually increase. This same combination of challenge and progress is what makes video games so engaging. It’s an ancient recipe for human motivation. 

I want to end by sharing a real example of the Mini-Test Method in action:
I had a student (I’ll call him Alan) come to me for help with math. Alan learned at a pace that was mostly normal, but he struggled mightily to remember what he’d learned. He had a test coming up on graphing rational equations, a complex multi-step process that his teacher had already walked him through half a dozen times. Though he felt comfortable with the process with his teacher by his side, it wasn’t sticking. Frustrated, Alan expected me to continue to walk him through the ideas until they eventually sunk in. Instead, I encouraged him to try out the Mini-Test Method. 

Alan and I determined that he needed to memorize 20 different details in order to make it through a rational graphing problem on his own, so for each mini-test, I had him write down as many of these details as he could remember. 

Alan’s first mini-test score was a 2/20. I had Alan correct his answers and work on something else for a while before he made his second attempt. On Alan’s second attempt, his score shot up to a 17/20. Alan was over the moon. He’d never let himself practice without notes before, because he’d never felt like he was ready. It turns out that crashing and burning on a single mini-test was exactly what he needed to jumpstart his memory machinery. Alan took another mini-test once he got home and scored a perfect 20/20. 

I fully believe that Alan’s teacher could have walked him through the graphing process another ten times without it leading to that kind of progress. Alan needed not just to hear someone else explain to him how to do these problems, but to start trying to do them himself. We learn by doing, and the Mini-Test Method is designed to take full advantage of this fact of human nature. 

As much as I love the Mini-Test Method, the truth is everyone is different. If a student is currently getting a lot out of rereading notes or creating elaborate study guides, great! If things are working well, it probably doesn’t make sense to switch things up. My aim as a tutor is ultimately to help students thrive using whatever approach works best for them. But, for those students who are struggling with how to effectively prepare for exams, the Mini-Test Method is hard to beat!