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Richard
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Feb 18, 2026
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Learn how to use active recall to improve memory, retention, and exam performance with practical, research-backed study techniques.
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How to Use Active Recall to Improve Exam Performance
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How to Actually Use Active Recall (Without Making It Overcomplicated)
There are a million study methods out there.
Color-coded notes. Highlighters. Rewriting the same chapter five times. Watching YouTube summaries at 2x speed and calling it “revision.”
Eventually, everyone figures out what works for them. But one method keeps showing up in research again and again: active recall.
Some studies even suggest it can significantly improve memory-based exam performance — in some cases by as much as 50% (Allen, 2025).
That sounds dramatic. But once you try it properly, it makes sense.
What Active Recall Actually Is
Active recall is simple in theory and uncomfortable in practice.
Instead of rereading your notes, you close them.
Instead of highlighting, you test yourself.
Instead of recognizing information, you force yourself to retrieve it from memory.
That difference — recognition vs retrieval — is everything.
When you recognize something, it feels familiar.
When you retrieve it, you actually strengthen the memory.
Passive review is easy. Active recall feels harder. That’s exactly why it works better for long-term retention.
How to Use Active Recall in Real Life
You don’t need to completely change your study routine. You just need to tweak how you interact with the material.
Here are a few ways to actually apply it.
1. Blurting (Messy but Effective)
Blurting is chaotic on purpose.
You take a blank page and write down everything you remember about a topic. No structure. No checking notes. Just memory.
It usually starts confidently. Then you hit gaps. Those gaps are useful.
Research suggests this kind of retrieval practice helps identify weaknesses and strengthens retention (Cooper, 2023).
Once you’re done, compare it to your notes and see what you missed. That’s your focus area.
Tip: Start with the topics you struggle with most. Don’t warm up with the easy stuff.
2. The Feynman Technique (Teach It Like You’re Explaining It to a Child)
The Feynman Technique is basically this:
If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.
Close your notes and explain the concept out loud as if you’re teaching someone with zero background knowledge. Break it down. Avoid jargon. Use examples.
The “Learning Pyramid” suggests that teaching others leads to higher retention compared to passive learning (Bernard, 2011).
You don’t actually need an audience. Your wall works fine.
If you get stuck mid-explanation, that’s your signal to review that section again.
3. Flashcards (Yes, They Still Work)
Flashcards are popular for a reason.
One side: question or key concept.
Other side: answer.
But here’s the important part — don’t flip them too quickly. Sit with the discomfort. Try to retrieve the answer fully before checking.
A study on medical students found that most participants reported flashcards as helpful for learning and retention (Sun et al., 2021).
Physical cards work. Digital tools work too. What matters is consistent testing, not just flipping through them casually.
4. Practice Exams (The Underrated Strategy)
Practice exams are one of the strongest forms of active recall.
They simulate the real thing. They force retrieval under pressure. And they expose weaknesses fast.
Research shows that taking practice tests before exams is associated with improved performance and increased confidence (Marlin et al., 2020).
If your professor provides mock exams, use them.
If not, create your own questions based on lecture slides or summaries.
Treat practice exams seriously — not just as something to “look at.”
5. Summarized Notes (But Done Properly)
Note-taking alone isn’t active recall. But it can become part of it.
Research shows that structured note-taking improves academic performance (Titsworth & Kiewra, 2004).
Here’s how to make it active:
- Take notes during class.
- Later, close them.
- Rewrite the main ideas from memory.
- Then check what you missed.
That small shift changes everything.
The best time to do this is within 24 hours of the lecture — while the material is still fresh.
Why Active Recall Feels Hard (And Why That’s Good)
Active recall feels slower.
It feels inefficient.
Sometimes it makes you feel unprepared because you suddenly realize what you don’t know.
That discomfort is progress.
Cramming works for short-term survival. Active recall works for long-term retention.
If you consistently apply even one of these techniques, you’ll likely spend less time studying overall — and retain more.
Final Thought
You don’t need to use all five methods at once.
Start small:
- Add blurting once per topic.
- Replace rereading with flashcards.
- Turn one study session per week into a practice exam.
Active recall isn’t flashy. It’s just effective.
And when exams come around, you’ll notice something different:
You’re not trying to remember where something was written.
You just know it.
Sources
Allen, K. (2025, September 10). What Is Active Recall? Artful Agenda. https://artfulagenda.com/active-recall/
Bernard, S. (2011, January 10). How To Retain 90% of Everything You Learn. TheLLaBB. https://www.thellabb.com/how-to-retain-everything-you-learn/
Cooper, N. (2023, April 14). Blurting: What Is The Blurting Revision Method? NCC Blog. https://www.ncchomelearning.co.uk/blog/what-is-blurting-revision-method/
Jesper, S. (2024, December 4). The Feynman Technique. University of York. https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/study-revision/feynman-technique
Marlin, S. G., English, T., Morley, L., O’Keefe-Quinn, T., & Whitfield, P. (2020). Practice tests improve performance, increase engagement and protect from psychological distress. 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’20). https://doi.org/10.4995/head20.2020.11151
Sun, M., Tsai, S., Engle, D. L., & Holmer, S. (2021). Spaced Repetition Flashcards for Teaching Medical Students Psychiatry. Medical Science Educator, 31(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01286-y
Titsworth, B. S., & Kiewra, K. A. (2004). Spoken organizational lecture cues and student notetaking as facilitators of student learning. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 29(4), 447–461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2003.12.001