The spaced repetition study method changed my thinking regarding learning and I say so because I have tried virtually all of the study tricks available. I have worked all night. I have written and written notes till my hand aches. I have highlighted whole pages in neon colors. None of it was long lasting. I could pass a quiz, but a week later the facts were gone. So I gave myself 15 days to be tested on another method. I wanted to find out how it would go when I stopped cramming and began to plan my learning spacing.
I did not go into this as a believer. I entered as a person who was fed up with being forgetful.
Why I Tried The Spaced Repetition Study Method
I first heard about the spaced repetition study method in a podcast about memory. The concept was easy. Review information at planned intervals. Every time you remember it, you move the next review further. You do not work against your brain.
The majority of us study in a single long block. We find ourselves in two or three hours and attempt to cram the stuff into our heads. The issue lies in the fact that the brain forgets rapidly on the initial exposure. On the first day, memory decreases dramatically. If you review at the right moment, you catch the memory before it fades.
That made sense to me. I had experienced the forgetting curve. I would learn on Sunday and remember half on Tuesday.
So I did a little experiment.
One of the subjects I selected involved a lot of recall. I chose biology since it contains words, procedures and illustrations. One can easily test themselves on it. I identified 120 major ideas in one unit. I converted every idea into a question. Others were mere definitions. Others made me describe a process using my own words.
Then I made a 15-day review plan.
Day 1 was learning day.
My first review was on day 2.
The second review was on day 4.
The third review was on Day 7.
The fourth review was on day 11.
The last review and self test was on day 15.
I made each review brief. None of the sessions took more than 30 minutes. That regulation compelled me to concentrate on remembering rather than re reading.
I have marked my baseline before I started. One normal cram session had 30 random questions, which I tested myself on after the session. I scored 17 out of 30. I retested the same three days later without review. I scored 9.
I resented that drop. It also provided me with a definite beginning.
How I Structured My 15 Day Experiment
I was not using a fancy app. I was using index cards and a notebook. I desired to experience the process.
The cards contained one question and the answer on the front side and back. I rearranged them all at the start of every session. When I answered a card with ease, I placed it in a small box labeled strong. When I had trouble with it, I put it in a box marked weak.
I would tally the weak pile at the end of every group. I wrote that number in my notebook. This provided me with a daily struggle score.
I also monitored the time each session took me. Time matters. When this approach prolonged, I did not stick to it long enough.
On Day 1, learning was cumbersome. I was presented with 120 cards. I never attempted to learn them in a single session. I divided them into 30 groups. I had a short pause after every group. I attempted to recall and then turned at the back of the card. That small pause forced my brain to work.
On Day 2, I reviewed all 120 cards. I proceeded more quickly than I thought. Other responses were easily received. Others felt distant. There were 52 cards in my weak pile. I wrote that down.
On Day 4, the weak pile went down to 37.
On Day 7, it dropped to 21.
By Day 11, I had 12 weak cards.
On Day 15, I had 5.
Not only the decrease in weak cards surprised me. It was the feeling of control. I was able to feel what ideas were good and what were to be worked on. Everything was a combination in my old cramming routine.
After a midway point in the experiment I started to notice something different. I started recalling biology terms while walking or cooking. The intersession pauses provided my brain with rooms. That space appeared to assist the thoughts to descend.
It was here that I wrote in my notebook that the spaced repetition study technique did not give the impression of studying but rather the impression of training.
What Happened After 15 Days Using The Spaced Repetition Study Method?
On the 15th day, I took a final test. I drew 40 random questions out of the 120 cards. I sat on my desk with no notes. I responded to both of them in written form.
I scored 35 out of 40.
Three days later, I provided myself with another set of 40 questions. I scored 33.
I was surprised at that outcome. The drop was small. I compared it to my previous cram result and the difference was evident. Cramming left me with little less than 50 percent of the information in three days. I retained the majority of it with spaced reviews.
However, numbers were not the only change.
I experienced a reduced level of stress before studying. I was not sure I had to study it all again. I just had to reinforce weaknesses.
My sessions were perceived to be shorter in instances when they were of the same duration. Since I concentrated on recall, I was engaged throughout. There was no passive rereading.
I also realized that I managed to be deeper in explaining concepts. Constant rehearsal made me make associations. As an example, I would not simply define mitosis but would associate it with healing of tissue growth. The repetitive spacing allowed my brain time to form connections.
This is a thing that I have not heard talked about much. The technique altered my sleep. I began to take more rest.
I wanted seven to eight hours on nights preceding review days. My memory was weaker when I slept less. That correlation was evident in 15 days.
My level of focus was also monitored. On those days that I felt distracted, I did not insist on prolonged sessions. I retained the structure and minimized the cards. I got to know that it is better to be consistent and not intense.
Another insight was about difficulty. The cards I failed on on Day 2 were not accidental. They were abstract ideas with no clear image. When I put a simple drawing or a real life example to those cards, recall became better. The spacing allowed me time to sharpen the way I coded the idea.
It is true that by the conclusion of the experiment, I was not feeling that I had worked more. I had the feeling that I had been writing in sync with my head.
Conclusion
The fifteen days transformed my perception of learning. The spaced repetition study method made me understand that memory develops when we recall it intentionally and not under pressure. I observed apparent improvements in retention, confidence and focus. I also took shorter time on relearning and more on reinforcing what I knew.
When you are getting lost in the loop of memorizing and forgetting, the spaced repetition study method is a clear and peaceful way out. It does not promise magic. It creates memory progressively, and that gradual way is the one that works in my experience.