With finals quickly approaching, it's likely you’ll begin to hear buzz about last minute cramming and the best way to prepare for that seemingly impossible exam you’ve been worried about all semester. We know how difficult it can be to find a reliable study method, so in hopes of easing some of that pressure, we put four different popular study methods to the test. Over the past week, we set aside personal preferences and assessed each method fairly to help you study more effectively.
Interleaving:
The first study method we tried was interleaving which refers to switching between different topics or subjects in a single study session. Researchers at the University of South Florida investigated this method on a 7th grade class and saw a 25% improvement in test scores. Interleaving is typically used to help ward off boredom and encourages making stronger connections in your learning.
Laura’s Experience
During midterms, I had three exams in two days: classics, history, and sociology. At first, I was worried about finding enough time to study all of them. I decided to try interleaving, mainly to give myself enough time for each subject. I was hesitant, thinking it was counterintuitive to study multiple subjects in one study session, but I found the method extremely useful. I started seeing where certain ideas overlapped and was able to apply specific concepts to examples from other classes. I found it much easier to memorize everything as it felt like a coherent story, rather than three separate subjects. The unique connections I made between the courses helped major themes stand out in my mind. I would recommend this method for all subjects, but I think the more different the subjects are, the more the connections will stand out.
Maya’s Experience
Although I pride myself in having tried many different methods, interleaving was one I hadn’t heard of before. I was skeptical of how efficient it would be to constantly switch from topic to topic; however, I found that by doing hour-long increments, I stayed focused for longer. When I tried this method, I was studying for my dreaded Business 1220 exam and reviewing key terms from my Political Science class. When I hit a wall with one, I switched to the other instead of taking a break and getting derailed. Overall, I agree that this method effectively curbs study fatigue. That said, I would recommend picking two very different subjects when using this technique, as there exists the potential for ideas to blend and ultimately cause more confusion.
Pomodoro:
The Pomodoro method is perhaps one of the most tried-and-true methods on our list with substantial research to prove its benefits. One study conducted by the University of Insubria and University of Limerick suggested boosted productivity levels and improved academic performance. In practice, the Pomodoro method involves studying in timed increments, usually 25 minutes of focused studying followed by a five-minute break.
Laura’s Experience
While the Pomodoro method is a favourite for many, I personally struggled while using it. I find getting into the zone incredibly hard, and once I’ve found my groove, I like to stay there. The constant breaks made it hard for me to stay engaged with the material I was studying. Since a lot of my courses are social science-based, concepts tend to build on one another. Therefore, taking lots of breaks makes it hard for me to notice these connections. I see the usefulness of this strategy for STEM courses, where repeating similar problems can be exhausting, and the frequent breaks can help keep your brain engaged.
Maya’s Experience
The Pomodoro method was one of the study tools I was most familiar with and had used frequently throughout high school—even going as far to recommend it to the Grade 9s I mentored. However, this was the first time I had tried the method using increments of 25 minutes of studying followed by a 5-minute break. Typically, in the past I would attempt to tackle 50 minutes of studying followed by a 10-minute break. I enjoyed the structure that this method provided and found the scheduled breaks helped me to be more productive. Next time, I would stick to my original 50-minute study and 10-minute break routine, since I found 25 minutes to be too short to fully dive into my work.
Active Recall:
Active recall is the process of trying to recall information from memory as opposed to passively reading it from a textbook or your notes. This approach is a great way to reinforce key concepts and ensure information is transferred to your long-term memory. It boasts high levels of efficiency with a Queen’s University-based study reporting high active recall groups outperforming low active recall groups in their final exams. To test this method, we used cue cards to practice active recall, though alternatives like practice tests or explaining to a friend work just as well.
Laura’s Experience
Active recall is my go-to method for memorizing large amounts of content. It helps to reinforce what I know and highlight the topics I need to focus on. I typically use flashcards for this method and repeat them until I get them all right. Although this method is effective, it makes it hard to understand how concepts connect. Recently, I’ve started using mind maps, which I find to be more effective. With mind maps, I can visualize the connections between different concepts and understand how they work together. By recognizing these connections, remembering definitions becomes much easier. I found this method especially useful while studying sociology, as concepts fall under a broader umbrella.
Maya’s Experience
There’s a reason why active recall is widely considered among both students and researchers to be the most effective method. I used this method when I was studying for environmental science and found it incredibly helpful for remembering key terminology and major concepts. A few tips I suggest to enhance the benefits from active recall are to categorize your cue cards by difficulty and practice recalling key terms with a classmate. Having personally tested this in the past, I found that I retain information far more effectively when teaching difficult concepts to others as opposed to working through each term independently. Working with others is also a great way to curb exam stress and keep one another motivated.
Blurting Method:
The blurting method is another popular study tool which incorporates elements of active recall. It involves writing down, or “blurting,” everything you remember about a specific topic on paper without worrying about structure, coherence, or organization. When you’re done, review your notes and add any information you missed in a different colour. Repeat this process until you feel confident that you remember everything. The blurting method can be used to help summarize topics for an exam or to jumpstart an essay draft. Neurological studies suggest that continued retrieving of information from your memory helps to strengthen neural pathways.
Laura’s Experience
The receptiveness of the blurting method works very well for me, as I’m constantly interacting with the same terms. However, this constant revision is incredibly time-consuming. When taking courses with very detailed content, I found the blurting method takes up way too much time. For example, while studying for my business history course, it took me hours to get through one round of blurting. To save time, I went through the lessons, identified the ones I struggled to remember, and only applied the blurting method to those. This helped reinforce those concepts I was struggling to understand without eating up too much of my time.
Maya’s Experience
The blurting method was a study trick my Writer’s Craft teacher had recommended in the past, but I had never actually gotten around to trying it. I used this method to help me start an essay draft and found that it was a helpful way of getting my ideas on paper and reducing writer's block. Although I found it helpful from a writing perspective, the blurting method is time consuming, especially when used to review a large amount of content; for this reason I would recommend turning to active recall for those of you who may be cramming last minute or on a time crunch.
From this experience, we’ve realized that studying can look completely different from student to student and subject to subject. Ultimately, studying is not one-size-fits-all. You know yourself and your learning style best, so it’s valuable to explore different study methods with the intention of adapting them to fit your unique strengths and weaknesses. We hope that our assessment will help relieve some exam stress, cut through finals buzz, and provide you with tools that will help you study smarter (and harder!)