How to study for exams - Evidence-based revision tips

Ali Abdaal

4 Apr 201820:58

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRIn this educational video, Ellie, a final year medical student at Cambridge University, introduces a series on evidence-based revision techniques. She debunks common but ineffective study methods like rereading, highlighting, and summarizing, citing research that suggests their low utility. Instead, Ellie advocates for active recall, a strategy supported by extensive evidence for enhancing learning and memory. She provides practical tips and tools, such as the Anki app, to implement active recall effectively, aiming to make study sessions more efficient and enjoyable for students preparing for exams.

Takeaways

🎓 Ellie, a final year medical student at Cambridge University, introduces a series on evidence-based revision tips to help prepare for exams more efficiently.
📚 Traditional study techniques like rereading, highlighting, and summarizing are popular but not as effective as believed, according to psychological research.
🔍 Research analyzed by Professor John Loski indicates that rereading has low utility and is less effective compared to other learning techniques.
📝 Highlighting and underlining, while popular, are rated as having low utility and may not boost performance, especially for higher-level tasks requiring inference making.
📖 Summarization and note-making are common but have mixed evidence for effectiveness; they may require extensive training to be useful for some learners.
🧠 Active recall, or practicing retrieval of information from memory, is highly effective and strengthens neural connections, leading to better learning outcomes.
🔑 Active recall is supported by substantial evidence, including studies showing significant performance improvements in students who practice tested compared to those who did not.
📱 Anki, a flashcard app, is recommended for memorizing facts and concepts through spaced repetition, a technique that enhances long-term retention.
🤓 Making notes with the book closed is an effective strategy that encourages active recall, helping to fill gaps in knowledge and reinforce learning.
❓ Writing questions for oneself based on the material is an alternative to traditional note-taking that promotes active engagement with the content.
📈 The video emphasizes the importance of evidence-based study techniques over intuitive ones, advocating for active recall, spaced repetition, and interleaved practice for more efficient studying.

Q & A

Who is Ellie and what is her educational background?
-Ellie is the host of the channel and a final year medical student at Cambridge University.
What is the main focus of Ellie's video series?
-The main focus of Ellie's video series is to share evidence-based revision tips for exam preparation.
According to Ellie, why do students often fail to adopt effective study techniques?
-Students often fail to adopt effective study techniques because no one really teaches them how to study; they tend to rely on what feels intuitively right.
What are the three popular revision techniques that Ellie mentions as being less effective according to research?
-The three popular revision techniques that are less effective according to research are rereading, highlighting, and summarizing or making notes.
What does Ellie define as the most powerful and effective study technique?
-Ellie defines active recall as the most powerful and effective study technique.
What is the concept of active recall, and why is it effective?
-Active recall involves testing oneself and practicing the retrieval of information from the brain. It is effective because the act of retrieving information strengthens connections in the brain.
What evidence does Ellie provide to support the inefficiency of rereading as a study technique?
-Ellie cites a paper by Professor John Loski, which analyzed hundreds of papers on study techniques, rating rereading as having low utility and being much less effective compared to other techniques.
How does Ellie describe the effectiveness of highlighting and underlining in the context of studying?
-Ellie describes highlighting and underlining as having low utility in most situations, with little to boost performance, and it may even hurt performance on higher-level tasks that require inference making.
What does Ellie suggest about the effectiveness of summarizing or making notes for effective learning?
-Ellie suggests that summarizing or making notes can be an effective learning strategy for learners who are already skilled at summarizing, but many learners require extensive training to do it effectively, making it less feasible.
What are some practical strategies Ellie recommends to apply active recall in one's studies?
-Ellie recommends using an app like Anki for flashcard-based learning, making notes with the book closed to test recall, and writing questions for oneself as an alternative to traditional note-taking.
What is the significance of the studies Ellie mentions in supporting the effectiveness of active recall?
-The studies Ellie mentions show significant improvements in retention and understanding when active recall is used, contradicting the common but less effective methods of rereading, highlighting, and summarizing.
How does Ellie suggest students can make their revision more efficient?
-Ellie suggests that students should use active recall, spaced repetition, and interleaved practice to make their revision more efficient.
What is the role of spaced repetition in effective studying according to Ellie?
-Spaced repetition, which will be discussed in future videos according to Ellie, plays a crucial role in effective studying by reinforcing the learning process over time.
How does Ellie propose students deal with the habit of making notes?
-Ellie proposes that instead of making notes in the traditional way, students should try writing questions for themselves based on the material to engage in active recall.
What book does Ellie recommend for further reading on evidence-based revision techniques?
-Ellie recommends the book 'Make It Stick' for further reading on evidence-based revision techniques.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Evidence-Based Revision Techniques

Ellie, a final year medical student at Cambridge University, introduces a new series on evidence-based revision tips for exams. She points out that traditional study methods, such as rereading, highlighting, and note-making, are often intuitive but lack effectiveness according to research. Ellie promises to provide advice backed by psychological studies, aiming to make study sessions more efficient and enjoyable. The video will cover the ineffectiveness of popular revision techniques and introduce the concept of active recall as a powerful study method.

05:01

🔍 Debunking Common Study Myths with Research Evidence

Ellie discusses the ineffectiveness of three popular revision techniques: rereading, highlighting, and summarizing. She cites a comprehensive review by Professor Dan Loski, which analyzed numerous studies on revision techniques, concluding that these methods have low utility. Despite their popularity, these techniques show little to no benefit for learning. Ellie emphasizes the need to focus on effective strategies rather than continuing with these less efficient methods.

10:02

🧠 The Power of Active Recall in Learning

Ellie introduces active recall as a highly effective study technique, supported by substantial evidence. Active recall involves testing oneself and retrieving information from memory, which strengthens neural connections. Studies cited in the video demonstrate significant performance improvements when active recall is used. The video presents evidence from a 1939 study, a 2010 study, and a favorite 2011 study, all showing the superiority of active recall over passive restudying and highlighting.

15:02

🚀 Practical Strategies for Implementing Active Recall

Ellie provides practical strategies for applying active recall in one's studies. She recommends using the flashcard app Anki for memorizing facts and concepts, making notes with the book closed to test recall, and writing questions for oneself as an alternative to traditional note-taking. These methods engage cognitive effort and are supported by evidence from educational research. Ellie shares personal experiences and anecdotes to illustrate the effectiveness of these strategies.

20:03

📈 Conclusion: Embracing Active Recall for Effective Revision

In conclusion, Ellie summarizes the inefficiency of common revision techniques and the efficacy of active recall and spaced repetition. She encourages viewers to apply these strategies to their studies and provides additional resources, including the book 'Make It Stick' and podcast episodes, for further understanding. Ellie hopes the video helps viewers to improve their revision techniques and wishes them success in their exams.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Evidence-based revision tips

Evidence-based revision tips refer to study techniques that are supported by scientific research and data. In the video, Ellie emphasizes the importance of using these tips to prepare for exams more efficiently. The concept is central to the video's theme, as it challenges traditional study methods and promotes strategies backed by psychological studies.

💡Intuitive study techniques

Intuitive study techniques are methods that students naturally gravitate towards because they seem to make sense or feel right. However, the video points out that these techniques, such as rereading and highlighting, often lack effectiveness when compared to evidence-based methods. This term is significant as it contrasts with the video's advocacy for research-backed study strategies.

💡Active recall

Active recall is a powerful study technique that involves testing oneself and practicing the retrieval of information from memory. The video highlights active recall as the most effective study method, with substantial evidence supporting its superiority over passive techniques like rereading. It is exemplified through the use of flashcard apps like Anki and making notes with the book closed.

💡Rereading

Rereading is a common study habit where students revisit previously learned material. The script cites research indicating that rereading has low utility and is less effective compared to active recall. This term is crucial as it represents a widely used but inefficient technique that the video discourages.

💡Highlighting

Highlighting is the act of marking important parts of the text in a different color to remember them better. According to the video, despite its popularity, highlighting has been rated as having low utility in most situations and may not significantly boost performance. It is presented as an example of a technique that students believe is effective but is not supported by evidence.

💡Summarizing

Summarizing involves condensing information into a shorter form, often in the form of notes. The video mentions summarizing as a technique that can be effective for some learners but requires extensive training for others, making it less feasible. It is part of the discussion on why certain popular techniques may not be as beneficial as active recall.

💡Spaced repetition

Spaced repetition is a learning technique where material is reviewed over increasing intervals of time, which can enhance long-term retention. The video mentions spaced repetition as a beneficial strategy, particularly when used in conjunction with active recall, like in the Anki flashcard app.

💡Practice testing

Practice testing, also known as active testing, is a method where learners test their knowledge on a topic before moving on to new material. The script provides evidence from studies showing that practice testing significantly improves learning outcomes and is recommended as a high-utility strategy.

💡Inference making

Inference making refers to the ability to derive understanding or conclusions from the information presented. The video suggests that techniques like highlighting may not be effective for higher-level tasks that require inference making, which is a critical skill in many academic subjects.

💡Anki

Anki is a flashcard application that utilizes spaced repetition to help learners memorize information more effectively. In the context of the video, Anki is presented as a tool that can facilitate active recall and is highly recommended for memorizing facts and concepts, particularly in fields like medicine.

💡Note-making with the book closed

Note-making with the book closed is a technique where learners close their textbooks and attempt to write down what they remember about a topic. This method is highlighted in the video as an effective way to engage in active recall and is shown to improve exam performance significantly.

💡Writing questions for oneself

Writing questions for oneself is a strategy where learners create their own questions based on the material they are studying. This method encourages active engagement with the material and is presented in the video as an alternative to traditional note-taking, which can be less effective.

Highlights

Ellie, a final year medical student at Cambridge University, introduces a new series on evidence-based revision tips.

The video aims to debunk common but ineffective study techniques and promote evidence-backed methods.

Rereading, highlighting, and summarizing are revealed as popular but less effective revision techniques.

Active recall is introduced as the most powerful study technique, supported by extensive research.

Retrieving information from the brain strengthens neural connections, enhancing learning.

Studies show that rereading has low utility and is less effective compared to other techniques.

Highlighting and underlining are also rated as having low utility in most situations.

Summarization is considered of low utility, with effectiveness depending on the learner's skill.

Active recall, through practice testing, is highly recommended for its high utility in learning.

A 1939 study demonstrated a significant improvement in test performance with practice testing.

A 2010 study showed practice testing to be more effective than rereading for both facts and concepts.

A 2011 study compared different study techniques, with active recall outperforming others significantly.

Students often misjudge the effectiveness of study techniques, undervaluing active recall.

Anki, a flashcard app, is recommended for memorizing facts and concepts through active recall.

Making notes with the book closed is an effective strategy for engaging in active recall.

Writing questions for oneself is a powerful alternative to traditional note-taking, promoting active learning.

The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of active recall and spaced repetition in efficient studying.

Resources such as the book 'Make It Stick' and various podcast episodes are recommended for further understanding.

Transcripts

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Related Tags

Study Techniques Exam Preparation Active Recall Evidence-Based Revision Tips Psychology Research Medical Student Cambridge University Educational Strategies Learning Efficiency Cognitive Effort