Why your study routine needs a refresh

Most of us still study the way we did in school: read once, highlight, cram before the exam. Research in learning science shows that spaced repetition, active recall, and interleaving beat passive rereading every time. Here’s a short, practical guide to studying better in 2026.

1. Space out your practice

Cramming feels productive, but you forget most of it soon after. Spaced repetition means reviewing the same material across multiple days (e.g. day 1, day 3, day 7). Use a calendar or an app that schedules reviews for you so you don’t have to guess when to revisit.

2. Test yourself instead of rereading

Closing the book and trying to recall key points is more effective than reading the same page again. That’s active recall. Use practice questions, flashcards, or “teach it to an imaginary friend” to force your brain to retrieve information instead of just recognising it.

3. Mix topics (interleaving)

Studying one topic for hours is less effective than switching between a few related topics in the same session. For example, alternate between two chapters or two types of problems. It feels harder, but it improves long-term retention.

4. Turn notes into questions

When you take notes from a lecture or a video, turn the main ideas into questions or flashcard prompts. Later, answer from memory before peeking. Tools like Flinote can help you generate flashcards from your notes so you spend more time recalling and less time reorganising.

5. Rest and sleep matter

Sleep is when your brain consolidates what you learned. Short, focused study blocks (e.g. 25–45 minutes) with breaks, plus a good night’s sleep, will do more for your memory than long, tired cram sessions.

Start with one change—for example, spaced reviews or self-testing—and add more as it becomes habit. For more on turning lectures and PDFs into study material, check out Flinote.