Rereading Notes vs Active Recall

Rereading your notes makes you feel like you’re absorbing information but in reality you are

falling behind students who know the secret of studying. Rereading your notes tricks your brain with something scientists

call, Illusion of Fluency. This is when you read something over again and again,

allowing your brain to get used to it. The content feels familiar so you naturally think,

“Yeah, I got this.” But recognition isn’t the same as active recall.

Writing an exam and trying to recall information isn’t the same as recognizing a diagram.

Crazy enough, Active Recall actually builds pathways in your brain as you practice recalling

information from memory, strengthening the connections your brain has to that