Education
Make It Stick
Peter C. Brown, Mark A. McDaniel, PhD, Henry L. Roediger III, PhD
4.2 (64000) 8 min read 5 key ideas
A research-based guide to learning strategies that actually work, challenging popular but ineffective study habits like re-reading and highlighting.
Key takeaways
- Intuitive Study Techniques Often Prove Less Effective Than Commonly Assumed
- Retrieval Practice Significantly Outperforms Passive Review for Genuine Learning
- Spacing and Interleaving Practice Sessions Improves Genuine Mastery
- Difficulty During Learning Often Signals Genuine Learning Rather Than Ineffective Study
- Apply These Evidence-Based Techniques Consistently Despite Their Initial Counterintuitive Difficulty
Action checklist
- Test yourself on material today instead of just re-reading it
- Space out review of one topic across several days instead of cramming
Final takeaway
The authors' closing invitation: apply the book's evidence-based techniques — retrieval practice, spaced repetition, interleaved practice — consistently despite their initial counterintuitive subjective difficulty, trusting the extensive cognitive science research evidence over more comfortable but less effective intuitive study alternatives.
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