The Best Study Techniques Ranked by Science

Learning researchers have tested study techniques for decades. Practice testing and distributed practice consistently rank highest in utility across subjects and age groups.

High utility: practice testing (solving past papers, flashcards) and distributed practice (spreading study over time). Build your schedule around these two.

Moderate utility: elaborative interrogation (asking why is this true?), self-explanation, and interleaved practice. Use these to deepen understanding of hard topics.

Low utility: highlighting, re-reading and summarizing without retrieval. They are fine as a first pass but should never be your main method.

A simple weekly template: learn new material Monday-Wednesday, practice-test Thursday-Friday, and review mistakes on the weekend with our free Study Planner.