Active recall questions on what you study

Active recall means pulling what you learned out of memory, as opposed to putting it in again. Reading notes a second time is review by recognition: the page looks familiar, and that feels like knowing. Closing the notes and answering a question is recall, and it shows what you can produce without help.

Research on learning calls the result the testing effect: people who test themselves on material remember more of it later than people who spend the same time reading it again. The effort of the search is what strengthens the memory, so a question you answer with difficulty does more for you than one you answer at once.

To use a recall sheet, close your material and answer each question aloud or on paper before you look at any answer. Then compare with the model answer and mark what you missed. Come back to the marked questions a day or two later. Another form of the same method is blurting: write down all you remember of a topic on a blank page, then check it against your notes.

Flashcards are active recall too, for facts with one short answer. Open questions fit explanations and reasons, which a flashcard cannot hold. Use both for one topic.