Practice Testing: The #1 Study Technique According to Science

In 2013, a team of psychologists led by John Dunlosky reviewed the evidence behind the 10 most popular study techniques. They examined hundreds of studies, spanning decades of research, across every type of learner and subject matter. Their conclusion was unambiguous: practice testing is the single most effective study technique ever documented.

Not highlighting. Not re-reading. Not summarizing. Testing yourself—even without feedback—produces stronger, more durable learning than any passive study method. Roediger & Karpicke (2006) showed that students who tested themselves retained 80% of material after one week, compared to 36% for students who spent the same time re-reading. That's not a marginal improvement. It's a fundamental shift in how well the brain encodes information.

What Is Practice Testing?

Practice testing (also called retrieval practice or the testing effect) means actively retrieving information from memory rather than passively reviewing it. The key distinction:

• Passive review: reading notes, watching lecture recordings, highlighting textbooks. You're taking information in
• Practice testing: closing the book, writing down what you remember, answering flashcard questions, doing practice problems. You're pulling information out

The act of pulling information out of memory—even if you fail—strengthens the memory trace in a way that passively seeing the same information again does not. Bjork (1975) called this a "desirable difficulty"—it feels harder, but the effort is precisely what makes it effective.

Why Practice Testing Works: The Neuroscience

Three mechanisms explain why retrieval practice is so powerful:

Three Mechanisms Behind the Testing Effect

Mechanism	What Happens	Why It Matters
Retrieval strengthening	Each time you successfully retrieve a memory, the neural pathway becomes stronger and faster to access	Memories you retrieve often become "highway" connections—fast and reliable
Elaborative retrieval	When you search for an answer, you activate related information too, creating additional retrieval cues	Testing builds a richer network of associations than re-reading, giving you more ways to access the same information
Transfer-appropriate processing	Testing mimics the conditions of an exam—producing answers from memory under time pressure	You practice the exact skill the exam tests, not a different skill (reading) that you hope transfers

Karpicke & Blunt (2011) published a pivotal study in Science showing that retrieval practice outperformed both restudying and concept mapping for fact recall AND conceptual understanding. This killed the argument that testing only works for simple memorization. It works for deep comprehension too.

7 Ways to Practice Test (With Examples)

1. The Blank Page Method

After studying a topic, close all materials. Take a blank sheet of paper and write everything you can remember about the topic. Don't filter—just dump everything. Then open your notes and identify what you missed.

Best for: lecture-based courses, history, biology, any content-heavy subject.

2. Flashcards (Digital or Physical)

Put a question on one side, the answer on the other. The act of seeing the question and trying to produce the answer is the active ingredient. Making your own cards is better than using pre-made decks—the creation process forces you to identify what's important.

Best for: vocabulary, definitions, formulas, dates, anything with discrete question-answer pairs.

3. Practice Problems

For STEM subjects, worked examples followed by independent practice problems are the gold standard. Study a solved example, then solve a similar problem without looking. Mix problem types (interleaving) for maximum effect.

Best for: math, physics, chemistry, programming, economics.

4. Past Exams Under Timed Conditions

The closest simulation to actual test conditions. Take old exams or practice tests with the same time constraints, same isolation, same pressure. This builds test-taking skill alongside content knowledge.

Best for: exam preparation, standardized tests (SAT, GRE, MCAT, bar exam).

5. The Feynman Technique

Explain the concept as if teaching it to someone who knows nothing about the topic. Where you stumble or resort to jargon, you've found a gap in your understanding. Go back and fill it, then explain again.

Best for: conceptual understanding, complex topics, anything where you need to explain "why" not just "what."

6. Closed-Book Summaries

After reading a chapter or attending a lecture, write a one-paragraph summary from memory. Include the main idea, 3 key supporting points, and one practical application. This combines retrieval practice with synthesis.

Best for: reading comprehension, college courses, any subject requiring conceptual integration.

7. Question Generation

After studying, create exam-style questions about the material. This is a dual-benefit technique: creating questions forces you to identify what's important, and answering your own questions later is retrieval practice.

Best for: any subject. Especially useful for study groups where members quiz each other.

Practice Testing vs Other Study Methods

Study Methods Compared: Evidence from Dunlosky et al. (2013)

Method	Effectiveness	Why	When to Use
Practice testing	High	Forces retrieval, strengthens memory traces, matches exam conditions	Always—this should be your default study method
Spaced practice	High	Leverages the forgetting curve—review before you forget	Combine with testing. Space your test sessions across days
Interleaving	Moderate	Forces discrimination between problem types	STEM subjects—mix problem types in practice sessions
Self-explanation	Moderate	Forces deeper processing of "why"	Combine with testing: explain the answer after retrieving it
Highlighting	Low	Passive—doesn't require retrieval	Only for marking what to test yourself on later
Re-reading	Low	Builds familiarity (recognition), not recall	Only for initial exposure. Never for review

How to Build a Practice Testing Habit

Daily Practice Testing Schedule

When	What	Time
After every class/study session	Blank page recall: write everything you remember	3-5 min
Before studying new material	Test yourself on yesterday's material first	5-10 min
End of each day	Flashcard review (spaced repetition)	10-15 min
Weekly	Practice test on the full week's material	20-30 min
Before exams	Full-length practice exam under timed conditions	Exam duration

The 3-5 minute post-session recall is the highest-ROI habit you can build. It takes almost no time, it catches gaps while the material is still fresh enough to fix, and research consistently shows it outperforms 30+ minutes of re-reading.

Common Mistakes With Practice Testing

• Only testing what you already know. The brain gravitates toward easy wins. Force yourself to test on the material you're weakest at. Retrieval failure is not a sign of the method failing—it's a signal of where to focus
• Skipping feedback. Testing without checking your answers is still effective, but testing with feedback is significantly better. Rowland (2014) showed feedback after testing increased the effect by an additional 25%
• Testing once and moving on. A single test helps, but multiple tests with spacing produce the strongest retention. Test yourself on the same material across days—each retrieval makes the memory more durable
• Using recognition instead of recall. Multiple-choice questions test recognition. For maximum benefit, use free recall (blank page) or short answer (flashcards). If you must use multiple choice, cover the options and try to produce the answer first

The Research

• Dunlosky et al. (2013) rated practice testing "high utility" in the largest review of study techniques ever published, in Psychological Science in the Public Interest
• Roediger & Karpicke (2006) showed testing produced 80% retention at 1 week vs 36% for restudying, published in Psychological Science
• Karpicke & Blunt (2011) demonstrated retrieval practice outperforms both restudying and concept mapping for factual and conceptual learning, published in Science
• Rowland (2014) meta-analyzed 159 studies on the testing effect, confirming a robust medium-to-large effect size with feedback boosting results by 25%, published in Educational Psychology Review
• Bjork (1975) introduced the concept of "desirable difficulties"— learning conditions that feel harder but produce better long-term retention
• Adesope et al. (2017) meta-analyzed 272 comparisons and confirmed practice testing improved performance by 0.5 standard deviations across all contexts, published in Review of Educational Research

Key Takeaways

• Practice testing is rated the #1 most effective study technique by the largest review of evidence ever conducted (Dunlosky et al., 2013)
• Testing yourself produces 80% retention at 1 week vs 36% for re-reading —more than double, with the same time investment
• The technique works for both factual memorization and conceptual understanding—retrieval practice outperformed concept mapping in a study published in Science
• Start with the blank page method: 3-5 minutes of writing what you remember after every class or study session. Highest ROI study habit you can build
• Combine with spaced repetition for maximum effect—test yourself at increasing intervals to cement memories permanently

Continue Learning

• Active Recall: How and Why It Works
• How Spaced Repetition Works
• Spaced Practice: The Complete Guide
• Interleaving: Why Mixing Practice Works
• The Feynman Technique