7 Ways to Improve Your Memory While Studying
Studying for many hours does not automatically mean you will remember everything. Effective learning depends on how you study, how often you review, and how well you care for your brain.
Instead of repeatedly reading the same information, use methods that require your brain to retrieve, organize, and connect what you are learning. Here are seven practical, research-supported ways to strengthen your memory while studying.
1. Test Yourself With Active Recall
Active recall means trying to remember information without looking at your notes or textbook. It is one of the most effective ways to strengthen long-term memory.
Rereading can make information feel familiar, but familiarity is not the same as being able to recall an answer during an examination. Research has found that retrieving information through testing can produce better delayed retention than repeatedly studying the same material.
How to use active recall
After reading a section:
Close your book or hide your notes.
Write down everything you remember.
Answer practice questions without assistance.
Check your answers.
Correct mistakes and test yourself again later.
You can also turn headings into questions. For example, change “Causes of Climate Change” into “What are the main causes of climate change?”
Flashcards are another useful tool, but you must attempt the answer before turning the card over.
Example
Suppose you are studying the parts of a cell. Instead of reading the list several times, draw an empty cell and label its parts from memory. Then compare your drawing with the correct diagram.
The effort involved in remembering is important. A difficult but successful attempt at retrieval can strengthen memory more effectively than easy rereading.
2. Review Information Over Several Days
Trying to learn everything in one long session is called cramming. It may help you remember information briefly, but much of that information can disappear quickly.
Spaced repetition involves reviewing material several times with increasing intervals between sessions. Research consistently shows that distributing study sessions over time improves long-term retention.
A simple review schedule
You might review new material:
Later on the same day
One day later
Three days later
One week later
Two weeks later
Before the examination
This schedule is only an example. Difficult information may need more frequent review, while well-known material can be reviewed less often.
During every review, test yourself before checking your notes. If you remember something easily, increase the time before reviewing it again. If you forget it, shorten the interval.
Why this works
Some forgetting between sessions is helpful because it makes your brain work to retrieve the information again. That repeated retrieval strengthens the memory and makes it easier to access in the future.
3. Explain the Material in Your Own Words
You understand information more deeply when you can explain it clearly without copying the textbook.
This method is sometimes called self-explanation. It encourages you to identify relationships, fill gaps in your understanding, and connect new information with what you already know.
Questions to ask yourself
While studying, ask:
What does this mean?
Why is it important?
How does it work?
What caused it?
What would happen if one part changed?
How is it connected to something I already know?
Can I provide a real-life example?
Use the teach-back method
Imagine that you are teaching the topic to someone who knows nothing about it. Explain it aloud using simple language.
If you cannot explain a point without looking at your notes, you probably need to study that part again. Review it, close your materials, and try another explanation.
Avoid memorizing definitions without understanding them. First understand the idea, and then learn the precise terminology required by your course.
4. Connect New Information to Existing Knowledge
New information becomes easier to remember when it is connected to something already stored in your memory.
Instead of treating facts as isolated pieces, build relationships between them. You can use comparisons, examples, stories, diagrams, categories, or cause-and-effect chains.
Practical connection techniques
Use analogies: Compare an unfamiliar idea with something familiar. For example, you might compare the heart to a pump that moves blood through a system of pipes.
Create personal examples: Connect a concept to your experiences, surroundings, or interests.
Ask why and how: If you are learning that plants grow toward light, do not memorize only the fact. Ask why this happens and how it benefits the plant.
Create concept maps: Place the main topic in the center and draw branches connecting definitions, examples, causes, effects, and related ideas.
Use mnemonics carefully: Acronyms, rhymes, and vivid mental images can help with lists and ordered information. However, they should support understanding rather than replace it.
The more meaningful connections you create, the more possible routes your brain has for retrieving the information.
5. Mix Related Topics and Question Types
Many students study one type of problem repeatedly before moving to the next. This is called blocked practice. It can feel comfortable because every problem uses the same method.
Interleaving means mixing related topics or problem types within a study session. For example, instead of solving 20 identical mathematics problems, you might alternate between equations, percentages, geometry, and word problems.
Why interleaving helps
Mixed practice trains you to recognize which method or concept should be used. During a real examination, the questions normally do not tell you which strategy to choose.
Interleaving can feel slower or more difficult, but difficulty does not always mean poor learning. Some effective study techniques feel challenging because they require more thinking.
How to use it correctly
First gain a basic understanding of each topic. Then create a mixed set of questions from several related areas.
For example:
Five questions from today’s lesson
Five questions from last week
Five questions from a topic you often forget
Two questions that combine several concepts
Do not mix completely unrelated subjects randomly. Interleaving works best when the topics are related closely enough that you must compare them and select the correct approach.
6. Protect Your Attention From Distractions
Information must receive enough attention before it can be remembered. If you constantly switch between studying, messages, videos, and social media, your brain has fewer opportunities to process the material deeply.
Research involving university students has found that phone-related distraction can reduce learning and memory performance, although the size of the effect varies between individuals and situations.
Create a focused study environment
Before beginning:
Put your phone in another room or inside a bag.
Turn off unnecessary notifications.
Close unrelated browser tabs.
Keep only the materials needed for the current task.
Choose one specific goal for the session.
Tell people around you that you need uninterrupted time.
Study in focused blocks of approximately 25–50 minutes, followed by a short break. The ideal length depends on your concentration level and the difficulty of the subject.
During the break, stand up, stretch, walk, drink water, or rest your eyes. Avoid opening an app that may turn a five-minute break into half an hour.
A useful goal is not “Study biology.” A better goal is “Learn the stages of cell division and answer ten practice questions without notes.”
7. Support Your Memory With Sleep and Movement
Your brain continues processing information after a study session. Sleep plays an important role in forming and strengthening memories, and sleep deprivation can interfere with learning both before and after studying.
Improve your sleep habits
Maintain a regular sleeping and waking schedule.
Avoid replacing sleep with an all-night study session.
Review important material earlier, then sleep normally.
Reduce bright screens and stimulating activities near bedtime.
Avoid excessive caffeine late in the day.
Prepare for examinations over several days instead of relying on the final night.
Physical activity can also support attention, memory, and other cognitive functions. Evidence reviewed for the United States Physical Activity Guidelines found that a single session of moderate-to-vigorous activity can temporarily benefit several areas of cognition.
You do not need an exhausting workout before every study session. A brisk walk, light jog, bicycle ride, or another suitable activity can help you take a mental break and return to studying more alert.
Also remember to eat regular, balanced meals and drink enough water. No special food or supplement can replace effective studying, sufficient sleep, and healthy daily habits.
A Simple 60-Minute Study Routine
Here is one way to combine these seven techniques:
First 5 minutes: Choose a specific goal and remove distractions.
Next 20 minutes: Learn one section carefully. Ask why and how, identify connections, and create examples.
Next 10 minutes: Close your materials and write or say everything you remember.
Next 10 minutes: Check your answers, correct mistakes, and explain difficult ideas in your own words.
Next 10 minutes: Answer a mixed set of questions from new and older topics.
Final 5 minutes: Create a short list of what needs to be reviewed tomorrow, later in the week, and before the examination.
After the session, take a proper break. Return to the material on another day instead of trying to master everything at once.
Final Thoughts
Improving your memory is not about discovering a secret trick. It is mainly about using your brain actively and consistently.
Test yourself instead of only rereading. Space your reviews across several days. Explain ideas in your own words, connect them with existing knowledge, and practice different question types. Protect your attention, sleep properly, and include movement in your routine.
These habits may feel more difficult than highlighting pages or reading notes repeatedly. However, productive effort is often what makes learning last. Begin with one or two methods, use them consistently, and gradually build a study system that works for you.