Stop Rereading: Active Recall Techniques That Actually Work

Here is an uncomfortable truth: most of the time you spend studying is wasted. If your primary method is rereading notes or textbooks, you are using one of the least effective learning strategies known to cognitive science. The solution is active recall—and understanding it will transform your medical school performance.

Why Rereading Fails

Rereading feels effective because of familiarity. When you read something the second time, it feels easier—you recognize the words, the concepts seem clear. But recognition is not the same as recall. Exams do not ask if something looks familiar; they ask you to retrieve information from memory.

Studies consistently show that rereading produces minimal improvement in retention compared to active recall methods. Yet students spend the majority of their study time on passive review.

What Is Active Recall?

Active recall is any learning method that requires you to retrieve information from memory rather than passively reviewing it. When you practice retrieving information, you strengthen the neural pathways involved, making future retrieval easier and more reliable.

The testing effect, as researchers call it, is one of the most robust findings in learning science. Being tested on material produces significantly better long-term retention than additional study time.

Method 1: Practice Questions

The most direct form of active recall for medical students is practice questions.

Why It Works

Questions force you to retrieve and apply information. Getting a question wrong reveals gaps; getting it right reinforces correct pathways. Either way, you learn more than from passive reading.

How to Implement

• Start questions immediately—do not wait until you feel ready
• Use question banks like UWorld for board prep
• Generate practice questions from your lecture content using tools like MedSchool Companion
• Review explanations thoroughly, even for correct answers

Method 2: Flashcards Done Right

Flashcards are classic active recall—but only if used correctly.

Common Mistakes

• Reading the answer before trying to recall it
• Cards that are too complex
• Not using spaced repetition
• Creating cards for things you do not understand

Best Practices

• Always attempt to answer before flipping
• Keep each card focused on one fact
• Use software that schedules reviews optimally
• Understand concepts before memorizing details

Method 3: The Blank Page Test

After studying a topic, close your materials and write everything you can remember on a blank page.

Why It Works

This exposes exactly what you know versus what you only recognize. Gaps become obvious and targetable.

How to Implement

• Set a timer for 10-15 minutes
• Write freely—do not worry about organization
• Compare to your notes afterward
• Focus subsequent study on what you missed

Method 4: Self-Explanation

Explain concepts out loud as if teaching someone else. This is sometimes called the Feynman Technique.

Why It Works

Explaining forces you to organize information coherently and reveals superficial understanding. If you cannot explain it simply, you do not really understand it.

How to Implement

• Choose a concept you think you know
• Explain it without notes, using simple language
• When you get stuck, that is your gap
• Return to sources, then try again

Method 5: Practice Writing Questions

Creating questions requires deep processing of material.

Why It Works

To write a good question, you must understand what is important, how concepts relate, and how they might be tested.

How to Implement

• After lectures, write 5-10 questions covering the material
• Include clinical application questions, not just fact recall
• Exchange questions with classmates
• Use AI tools like MedSchool Companion to see how your questions compare to generated ones

Method 6: Retrieval-Based Note Taking

Take notes that require active engagement rather than transcription.

Why It Works

Notes that include questions and cues create built-in recall opportunities during review.

How to Implement

• Use the Cornell method with a question column
• Leave blanks to fill in during review
• Summarize sections in your own words
• Create mini-quizzes within your notes

Building Active Recall Into Your Routine

Make active recall the default, not the exception:

During Lectures

Pause periodically and ask yourself: what was just covered? Can I explain it?

Same-Day Review

End each day with 15 minutes of active recall on the day's material. No notes—just retrieval.

Before Starting New Material

Spend 5 minutes recalling previous related content before adding new information.

Weekly Reviews

Dedicate time to practice questions and blank page tests covering the week's content.

Overcoming Resistance

Active recall feels harder than rereading because it is harder. That difficulty is precisely what makes it effective—it is called desirable difficulty.

Students often avoid active recall because:

• It is uncomfortable to confront what you do not know
• Progress feels slower initially
• Passive methods feel more productive

Push through this resistance. The initial discomfort leads to dramatically better outcomes.

Combining With Other Strategies

Active recall works best in combination:

• Spaced repetition + active recall: Review with retrieval at optimal intervals
• Interleaving + active recall: Mix topics during practice sessions
• Understanding + active recall: Comprehend first, then use recall to retain

Tools like MedSchool Companion integrate these principles by generating quizzes from your lecture content that you can review over time using active retrieval.

The Evidence

Hundreds of studies support the testing effect. In one famous study, students who practiced retrieval remembered 80% of material a week later, while those who only reread remembered 36%.

The effect is even stronger for complex material and long-term retention—exactly what medical school requires.

Start Today

You do not need to overhaul your entire study system. Start with one change:

1. Pick today's most important topic
2. Study it as you normally would
3. Close everything and write what you remember
4. Compare to your notes
5. Focus on gaps tomorrow

That single blank page test will teach you more about active recall than any article. Try it, feel the difference, and never go back to pure rereading.