How to study for a test: methods that actually work
TutorAura guide · Updated
The best way to study for a test is to test yourself on the material and spread your studying over several days. In a major review of ten common study techniques, these two were the only ones rated "high utility": they worked across different ages, subjects and types of test (Dunlosky et al., 2013).
The techniques most students actually use, such as re-reading notes and highlighting, were rated "low utility". They feel productive because the material looks familiar, but recognising something on the page is not the same as being able to recall it in a test.
Key takeaways
- Test yourself instead of re-reading: recall answers from memory, then check.
- Spread study over several short sessions instead of one long cram.
- Mix topics and question types, the way the real test will.
- Practise under test conditions at least once, then fix what went wrong.
What the research says about study methods
Dunlosky and colleagues (2013) reviewed the evidence for ten popular techniques:
| Rating | Technique | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| High | Practice testing | Answering questions or recalling information from memory |
| High | Distributed practice | Spreading study sessions out over time |
| Moderate | Elaborative interrogation | Asking yourself "why is this true?" |
| Moderate | Self-explanation | Explaining each step of a solution to yourself |
| Moderate | Interleaved practice | Mixing different types of problem in one session |
| Low | Summarising, highlighting, re-reading | Common, but weak on their own |
| Low | Keyword mnemonics, imagery for text | Useful in narrow cases |
The practical message: spend most of your time retrieving information and practising problems, and spread it out.
Step 1: Find out exactly what's on the test
Before you study anything, list:
- The topics covered. Check the syllabus, your teacher's review sheet or the chapter list.
- The format. Multiple choice, short answers, essays or calculations change how you should practise.
- How marks are split. Spend most time on topics worth the most marks, and on your weakest topics.
Turn this into a checklist and rate each topic: confident, shaky or no idea.
Step 2: Make a plan, working back from the test date
Here's a simple seven-day plan for a test next week, with 30 to 45 minutes a day:
| Day | What to do |
|---|---|
| 7 days before | Make the topic checklist. Do a short mixed quiz to find your weak spots. |
| 6 | Study your two weakest topics, then test yourself on them. |
| 5 | Two more topics. Quick recall quiz on day 6's topics. |
| 4 | Remaining topics. Recall quiz on everything so far. |
| 3 | Practice questions, mixed across all topics. |
| 2 | Timed practice test under test conditions. Mark it honestly. |
| 1 | Go over only what you got wrong. Short recall quiz. Early night. |
The repeated quick quizzes are the point: each one is a little later, so you're practising recall right as it starts to fade.
Step 3: Test yourself (the most important step)
Ways to practise retrieval:
- Blank page. Write everything you remember about a topic, then check your notes and fill the gaps in a different colour.
- Flashcards. Question on the front, answer on the back. Keep cycling the ones you miss.
- Practice questions. Past or practice papers, textbook questions or questions a tutor makes for you.
- Teach it. Explain the topic out loud to someone, or to an empty room, without looking.
Always check your answer after you try. Getting it wrong and then seeing the right answer is part of how this works.
Step 4: Space it out and mix it up
Cramming can get you through the next morning, but you forget much of it soon after. Coming back to a topic over several days makes it stick for longer.
When you practise problems, mix topics rather than doing twenty of the same type in a row. Mixing feels harder, but it trains you to spot which method a question needs, which is exactly what the real test asks you to do.
Step 5: Practise under test conditions
At least once, do a full practice test: timed, no notes, no phone. This shows you three things that studying alone won't: whether you can finish in time, which topics fall apart under pressure, and which careless mistakes you repeat. Mark it honestly, then spend your next session on whatever went wrong.
If you only have one day
It's not ideal, but you can still make the most of it:
- List the topics and pick the ones worth the most marks.
- Test first, read second. Try questions on each topic; only read notes for what you can't do.
- Do one timed set of mixed questions in the afternoon.
- Review mistakes in the evening, then stop.
- Sleep. Being rested lets you use what you know; staying up all night usually leaves you slower and more error-prone the next day.
The night before and the morning of
- Pack what you need the night before (calculator, pens, ID if required).
- Do a short recall quiz, not new material.
- In the morning, eat something and do two or three easy warm-up questions.
- In the test, read each question fully, answer the ones you know first, and come back to hard ones.
How TutorAura helps you prepare
TutorAura's AI tutor is built around testing yourself. Choose Prepare for a test, tell it what's on the test and when, and it makes a short plan, then quizzes you one question at a time and explains whatever you get wrong. It remembers which topics you found tricky, so the next session starts there. It works for every school subject, from maths to chemistry.
For the Digital SAT, GCSE Maths and IGCSE Mathematics there are also original practice questions and timed practice tests: see exam prep.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most effective way to study for a test?
Testing yourself on the material (practice testing) and spreading your study over several days (distributed practice). In a large review of study techniques, these two were the only ones rated high utility.
Is re-reading notes a good way to study?
On its own, not very. Re-reading makes material feel familiar, which can be mistaken for knowing it. Use your notes to check answers after you've tried to recall them.
How many days before a test should I start studying?
About a week for a typical school test lets you spread out sessions and repeat quick quizzes. For big exams, start several weeks earlier and cycle through topics more than once.
Is it better to study all night or sleep before a test?
Sleep. After a reasonable amount of review, being rested helps you think clearly and avoid careless mistakes during the test.
Sources
- Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4–58 (Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan & Willingham), 2013.
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