Spaced Repetition: How It Works and When to Review

Spaced repetition: how to use it and when to review

Spaced repetition means reviewing information at intervals rather than cramming all your practice into one session. An easy starting plan is to recall the material today, tomorrow, three days later, a week later and a few weeks later. Those are example intervals, not a scientifically optimal schedule for every subject or learner. If you forget something, review it sooner; if recall is easy, gradually widen the gap.

Study one small set of facts or concepts.
Close the notes and retrieve the answer from memory, rather than merely rereading it.
Check the answer immediately and correct mistakes.
Return for the next short review after a delay.
Adjust spacing according to how difficult the material is and when you need to remember it.

The 2006 review of 317 experiments found that beneficial study gaps depend partly on how long learners need to remember material. A broader review of learning techniques rated distributed practice and practice testing as broadly useful. A flashcard app can automate the intervals, but paper cards and a calendar work too.

Try combining methods: use a memory palace to encode an ordered list, then test yourself from memory across several days to maintain it.

Any memory you want to keep available often benefits from later retrieval. Spaced practice helps by revisiting information after a delay, instead of relying on a single cram session.

The inner workings of memory are incredibly complex, and there is still much to be discovered about how it works. Some things, though, are known.

New information can get jumbled up, resulting in weak connections within the brain. The jumbled links are worsened when new information is continuously blasted at the learner. When you think about how information is delivered to most learners in school or the adult learning world, we are taught this way. This standard of learning results in confusion and a weaker understanding of the content than if educators used a spaced repetition model.

Since schools and employers aren’t going to provide us with the most effective model for retaining information, we have to take it upon ourselves to use spaced repetition.

Why Does This Work?

It takes time for our brains to make the necessary pathways for new information. Our brains are constantly changing, but that change isn’t immediate. Repetition will create an effective network for storing novel information.

Research supports spaced practice without requiring a single story about fMRI scans or stronger-looking brain connections. The Cepeda and colleagues meta-analysis synthesized 839 comparisons from 317 experiments and found that the best spacing depends partly on the intended delay before a final test. Recalling information across multiple sessions is usually a more dependable learning strategy than cramming all practice into one session.

But We Can Do Even Better!

The studies didn’t incorporate any special techniques like using a memory palace or linking techniques to store information.

We already know that tying new information to familiar locations like a memory journey is an effective way to make information memorable. We evolved with great locational awareness. Our ancestors needed it to survive. We needed to track food as the seasons changed, so we had to remember locations easily.

We also developed a great awareness of things that moved. If it moves, it can hurt or kill us. That’s why we want to use motion or mind movies when we store new information in a memory palace. We pay more attention to movement, even in our imagination.

You will be an unstoppable force of memory by building good memory palaces and journeys that use the basic principles of exaggeration, motion, substitution, and absurdity, along with space repetition. Combining these simple elements makes learning easy, enjoyable, and effective.

Suggested Intervals

There is no single optimal review timetable for every learner or subject. Spacing should reflect what you are studying, how well you recall it and how long you need to retain it. The example schedule below is one practical starting point, not a guaranteed prescription.

In How to Develop a Brilliant Memory Week by Week, Dominic O’Brien suggests the following spaced repetition intervals:

First review: ASAP!

Second Review: The next day

Third Review: After one week

Fourth Review: After one month

Fifth Review: After three months

Another memory expert, Paul Pimsleur uses a similar schedule but suggests a sixth review after two years.

By combining these elements together, you will form lasting memories and conquer the world of learning!