Active recall
Active recall means pulling an answer out of memory instead of rereading it. Try it here: read a short passage, answer 3 questions, then use 4 steps in your own study.
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Don't peek. Answer first, then check.
What is active recall?
Read these three short paragraphs once. The quiz below asks about them, so try not to scroll back up.
Active recall means pulling an answer out of your memory before you look at it: covering your notes and saying the answer, answering a flashcard, or writing down everything you remember.
In a 2006 study, students who read a passage once and then tested themselves three times remembered 61% of it a week later. Students who read it four times remembered 40%.
Rereading won on a test five minutes later (83% against 71%). That is why it feels like it works: the difference only shows days later.
Can you remember what you just read?
Three questions. Pick an answer to see if it's right.
01A week later, how much did the students who tested themselves remember?
02Which group did better on the test five minutes after studying?
03Which of these is active recall?
How do I use active recall when I study?
Four steps that work with any subject and any notes.
- 01Read or listen once, then close the book or hide your notes.
- 02Answer from memory: say it out loud, write it down, or answer a flashcard.
- 03Check against the source and fix what you missed or got wrong.
- 04Test it again after a gap: tomorrow, then a few days later. Spaced repetition picks the days for you.
To see which days a card comes back, try the spaced repetition calculator.
Where does StudyVisually use active recall?
Three study modes are built around answering before you see the answer.
| Mode | What you pull from memory |
|---|---|
| Flashcards | What you pull from memoryThe back of each card, before you flip it |
| Quiz | What you pull from memoryWhat happens next in a situation, predicted before the answer shows |
| Interview | What you pull from memoryA full answer in your own words, against a 60-second timer |
What does the research say?
Testing yourself is one of the two best-supported study methods in a large review of the research (the other is spacing reviews out).
The full experiment, its table and what it means for exams: Active recall vs rereading: what the research says.
Answer before you look.
Every flashcard in the app is active recall, spaced out on the days you're about to forget. Free, no account needed to start.
Start practisingSee you tomorrow?