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Study & revision: a Practical Guide

Spaced Repetition

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Spaced Repetition


What is Spaced Repetition?


Spaced repetition is where you repeatedly review previously learned materials, adding increasing intervals of time between reviews, so that you're remembering the information for longer each time. It's therefore considered particularly effective for building long-term memory.


How to use Spaced Repetition when studying


Decide on appropriate intervals for reviewing your material:

  • Intervals need to increase and could be roughly exponential, so you might look to review material on the first, third, seventh, and fourteenth days after learning and revising new material.


What you do for each day will be slightly different:

  1. Initial review: Study the material thoroughly for the first time, focusing on understanding and internalising the content.
  2. First interval recall: Attempt to recall the information after the first interval without referring to your study materials. This reinforces memory retention.
  3. Subsequent reviews: You should review the material at the predetermined intervals, adjusting the frequency based on how well you can remember the information each time.

Some things to consider:

  • If certain concepts are more challenging to remember, review them more frequently. For easier concepts, you can extend the intervals between reviews.
  • Consider using flashcards, apps, or other tools designed for spaced repetition to streamline your study process.
  • Don't feel you have to stick with your original plan: track which materials or information you've reviewed and how well you're retaining the information, and adjust your study plan as needed.

An initial review is followed close after by a first interval recall which is followed at increasing intervals by subsequent reviews

Advantages and disadvantages of Spaced Repetition

Advantages

  • Enhances memory retention and recall.
  • Promotes active engagement.
  • Supports breaking large tasks into manageable sections for spaced learning.

Disadvantages

  • Requires a daily commitment for optimal results.

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