Study skills and technique
What the research on learning actually supports, and how to use it before an exam.
Most study advice is folklore. A smaller set of techniques has been tested repeatedly and holds up: spacing practice out over time, testing yourself instead of rereading, mixing problems rather than blocking them. Some popular ideas, such as matching teaching to a learner’s supposed style, have been tested and do not work.
These guides stay with the evidence, say when it is thin, and turn it into something you can do this week. Focus, procrastination and exam nerves are treated as technique, not as a diagnosis; where the honest answer is your university’s support service or a doctor, they say so.
26 guides
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
Active recall vs rereading and highlighting: what studies found
Is active recall better than rereading and highlighting?
Active recall against rereading and highlighting, study by study: what each compared and found, the effect sizes, where evidence is thin, and a week's plan.
Undergraduate
October 2, 2026 · 12 min read
Exam technique: how to answer the question asked
How do I answer the question asked in an exam and stop losing marks?
Exam technique for answering the question asked: command words as AQA, OCR and Pearson define them, the first minutes, and the faults examiners' reports name.
Undergraduate
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
How to take notes from sources without patchwriting
How do I take notes from sources without patchwriting or plagiarising by accident?
What patchwriting is, why it starts in your notes, and note formats that keep quotation, paraphrase and your own thinking apart, with a worked example.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
Reasonable adjustments at university: studying with a disability
How do I get reasonable adjustments or accommodations at university or college as a disabled student?
How disabled students get reasonable adjustments, extra time in exams and DSA in the UK, college accommodations in the US, and support in Australia.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Deep work and distraction: what the evidence says
What does the research say about deep work, attention span and distraction?
What studies found on deep work, attention residue, task switching, interruptions, flow and mind wandering, and where the 8-second goldfish attention span came from.
Undergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Group study that actually works: what the research shows
Is group study effective, and how do you run a study group that actually helps?
How to run a study group that works: what peer instruction, teaching others and group recall studies found, roles, a one-hour plan, and the collusion line.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to beat exam stress: what works and where to get help
How do I deal with exam stress and calm down before an exam?
How to beat exam stress: what the NHS, Mind and universities advise, what the studies found, where to get help, and our plan for the week before an exam.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to build a study routine that lasts the whole term
How do I build a study routine and stay consistent with it all term?
How long a study habit takes to form, what the 66 days figure means, why cues beat willpower, how to restart after a missed week, and our four-week plan.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to focus and stop procrastinating: what the evidence says
How do I stop procrastinating and focus when studying?
Why students procrastinate and how to stop, from the research: if-then plans, the phone on your desk, self-forgiveness, the Pomodoro technique, and getting help.
Undergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to learn a new subject from scratch: a self-study plan
How do I learn a new subject from scratch on my own?
How to learn a new subject from scratch: textbook, reviews, then studies; the research on novices, the Feynman technique, 20 hours, and a four-week plan.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to read an academic paper fast: the three-pass method
How do I read an academic paper quickly without missing what matters?
Read a research paper fast with Keshav's three-pass method: IMRaD, what to read first by paper type, notes, judging quality, and a worked example.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to recover from a bad semester or a failed module
How do I recover from a bad semester, a failed module or academic probation?
How to recover from a bad semester: resits, capped marks and repeat years in the UK, probation and grade forgiveness in the US, where to get help, and a plan.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to remember what you read: SQ3R and what the research shows
How do I remember what I read for my course?
How to remember what you read: SQ3R and what later studies found, why highlighting and rereading fall short, screen or paper, and a routine for a chapter.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to revise for exams: a revision plan and timetable
How do I revise for exams and make a revision plan that works?
How to revise for exams: find out what each paper asks, build a revision timetable from our template, use past papers well, sleep, and plan the day before.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to study effectively: what the research shows
What is the most effective way to study, according to research?
What the research on learning shows about studying: self-testing, spacing and mixing topics, why rereading and highlighting fall short, and a weekly plan.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to study with a job or caring responsibilities
How can I study at university while working a job or caring for someone?
How many hours students can work in term, the visa limit, support for student carers and parents, the flexible options, and our weekly plan for a 20-hour week.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to take notes in lectures: Cornell, outlines and laptops
How should I take notes in lectures?
The Cornell, outline, mapping and charting methods, what the laptop and longhand studies really found, the rules on recording, and a lecture notes template.
Undergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write an exam essay under time pressure
How do I write a good essay in an exam when time is short?
How to write an exam essay: split the time, decode command words, plan in five minutes, cite in closed-book exams, and read open-book and take-home rules.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Interleaving: how to use mixed practice when you study
What is interleaving, and does interleaved practice actually work?
What interleaving is, what studies of blocked vs interleaved practice found, where mixed practice fails, and how to use it in maths, science, languages and essays.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Learning styles are a myth: what to do instead
Are learning styles real, and does studying in your learning style help?
Are learning styles real? What the studies on VARK, visual learners and the meshing hypothesis actually found, where the evidence stops, and what to do instead.
Undergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Phone and social media while studying: what the research shows
Does using your phone and social media while studying lower your grades?
What studies found on phones, social media and grades, multitasking, laptops in lectures, notifications and music, and the phone settings that help you focus.
Undergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Retrieval practice: how to use the testing effect to study
How do I use retrieval practice to study?
How to use retrieval practice: brain dumps, flashcards, practice questions and past papers, what the testing effect research found, its limits, and a weekly plan.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Spaced repetition: how to schedule revision
How do I use spaced repetition to schedule my revision?
How to schedule revision with spaced repetition: what the forgetting curve shows, the review gaps studies found, the Leitner system, and a revision calendar.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Time management for students: a weekly study plan
How should students manage their time, and how many hours a week should I study?
How many hours a week a course expects, what universities and studies say about time management, and our weekly study plan and term plan templates.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
University reading lists: how to get through them
Do I have to read everything on a university reading list, and how do I get through it?
How to get through a university reading list: what essential, recommended and further mean, how much reading is expected, what studies found, and a weekly plan.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 24, 2026 · 13 min read
Ebooks or print for studying: what the reading research shows
Is it better to study from an ebook or a printed book?
What the paper and screen reading studies found, and did not, how library ebook licences work, citing a page from an ebook, and what each format costs.
Everyone