When it comes to studying, it can feel endless; especially when nothing sticks. Most students default to the process of rereading and highlighting, however, research has shown that these aren’t the most effective. Strategies involving active recall and spaced repetition are crucial in retaining information, leading to stronger long-term memory and focus.

Five popular methods; flashcards, blurting, the Pomodoro technique, Feynman strategy, and Reward systems can cover both of these bases and help you work smarter, not harder.

1. Flashcards

This is the most classical and straight-forward way of studying. Its main advantage is that it uses active recall, which forces your brain to retrieve information on the spot. Flashcards can be the most effective when studying vocabulary, especially during the SATs. They are also very accessible and can be made both digitally, on Quizlet, and handwritten using index cards or cut-up paper.

“I use flashcards to help me remember key terms of the lesson in order to study for a test. I’ve found that my grades on tests are much higher when I use them,” senior Stephanie Anastacio said.

The best strategy for going through flash cards is to make two piles: Cards you get correct and cards you miss. Afterwards you would go through cards you missed and create a third pile for every card you get correct the second time. Combine the cards in incorrect and the third pile and go through them. In the end, you would continue this process until you place everything into the correct cards pile.

2. Blurting

Blurting is a form of self-testing where you take notes on the material and later write down what you remember without looking at the notes. This is another retrieval practice that can improve memory more effectively than re-reading.

In doing blurts, you can find learning gaps that direct future studying sessions. To make your studying more effective, review the material again after a delay. The main benefit of this practice is that you can make stronger connections in your brain and simplify topics in a way that fits you specifically.

“I brain dump usually with my classes that require heavy memorization, like bio. It helps me visualize what I know and what I need to study more,” senior Rihana Muhiden said.

3. The Feynman Strategy

This method is helpful when working on comprehension because it focuses on creating explanations for what you are studying. You would pick a topic, come up with an explanation, and teach it to someone else who doesn’t know about it. Who you teach it to could be a parent, sibling, friend, anyone.

“The Feynman strategy helps me to remember the content I’m studying. If I’m going over a process for math, I repeat the steps I learn to one of my sisters and ask them if it makes sense, or I can integrate it into a lesson for my job as an SAT tutor,” senior Hailey Ayin said.

Through this, you can simplify the source material in a way that’s easy to understand and memorize. It forces you to organize the ideas and strengthen connections between what you know and your understanding of it. Even if you don’t have anyone to talk to, simply explaining what you’re studying to yourself has the same effect.

4 The Pomodoro Method

Procrastination is common when a task seems to large to tackle. The pomodoro technique helps in getting you to start with breaks in between. It focuses on structuring what you study into short, in depth intervals followed with a small break. An example of this could be 25 minutes of studying with 5 minutes of a break.

“I like to use timers to practice the timing for tests and I use breaks in between for cool downs,” senior Abigail Villanueva said.

It’s important to make sure that your breaks are something that isn’t too distracting, like social media. A break that involves movement or relaxing is the most effective.

Pomodoro helps in keeping yourself motivated and focused because you can make the task feel finite and goal oriented. It prevents burnout, distractions and procrastination.

It can also be helpful if you have ADHD, it helps with maintaining focus and alternatively breaking hyperfocus.

The most important thing about this technique is to adjust it to how long your focus periods are. If 25/5 feels too short 45/15 can work, the general theme is that the break should be 30% of the study time.

5. Reward System

Integrating reward systems into your studying is helpful because it enforces positive reinforcement, a popular concept in behavioral psychology that associates tasks with positive outcomes.

The rewards that you give yourself after studying for a period can be a small sweet or watching an episode of your favorite TV show. Larger rewards like going out for a meal can be saved for larger milestones.

When giving yourself a reward, it should be something fixed that would encourage good habits. For example, eating a small candy after finishing taking notes for a specific unit.

You can also gamify this system by using progress checking apps or checklists. This helps in supporting motivation and encourages more progress.

It’s important to avoid counterproductive rewards. Don’t give yourself anything that would cause you to lose focus and get distracted when giving small rewards. Especially avoid using your phone, in my experience it ends up with an attentional sink that takes away the enjoyment.

A well known favorite study tip is to make sure that when you do study, it’s in an area that works for you. Try to keep your phone in a separate area and make your study space consistent and organized. Help your brain recognize where you study as a place to focus specifically and use your phone in another space.

Overall, when studying, it’s crucial that you customize it to fit your learning style. There is no single best way technique and each technique will not magically fix any grades. Studying requires dedication and structure to be effective.