How to remember what you read: recall, check, revisit, apply

Familiarity is not the same as explaining an idea

An underlined sentence can look familiar when you return to it. That familiarity does not show whether you can explain the claim without the sentence in front of you. Test the distinction with a modest task: name the main point and give an example before rereading.

Dunlosky and colleagues' review assessed practice testing and distributed practice as broadly useful learning techniques. Rereading and highlighting had more limited utility on their own. You can use that distinction to choose what to do after reading: attempt a question from memory, then check it.

If a term or argument is unclear, look it up, reread the difficult part or ask for help. Once you have an explanation, try recalling it. Your answer can reveal the condition or relationship that still needs attention.

Use four steps after a short reading session

1. Recall. Close the text and write or say the central idea in your own words. Keep the prompt narrow: 'What is the author's distinction, and when would it matter?' If your mind goes blank, record that rather than copying a polished sentence and calling it recall.

2. Check. Reopen the relevant passage and compare your answer. Mark a missing condition, an incorrect relationship or an example that does not fit. Rewrite only the part that needs correcting. A check is more informative when you first commit to an answer you can compare.

3. Revisit. At a later session, try the same question without viewing your note. If recall is difficult, check again and choose an earlier revisit. If it is easy and accurate, allow a longer gap. You can try tomorrow and later in the week as starting points; these are examples, not universally optimal intervals.

4. Apply. Invent a new situation or use the idea in an ordinary decision. Explain why it fits and where the analogy might break. Application checks meaning beyond the wording of your first example. If the idea is unsuitable for the situation, choosing not to apply it can also show understanding.

A worked example: check an assumption in a plan

Read this original learning example: a familiar-looking task can invite a quick estimate, but a new constraint may require deliberate checking. You expect a presentation to take an hour because a similar one did. This presentation uses new data, so you inspect the data before promising the same completion time.

Now hide the example and answer: 'Why might the first estimate need checking?' A useful answer is that similarity does not establish that the relevant conditions are the same. The data could be incomplete or require extra analysis. Simply writing 'slow thinking is better' misses the reason and turns a situational check into a universal rule.

Check your answer against the example. Then create a different situation: perhaps a familiar recipe has twice the usual number of guests, or a journey includes an unfamiliar connection. Name the changed condition and the check it requires.

Keep a note you can revisit

Use four short fields: question, answer from memory, correction after checking and new example. Add a location in the book so you can find the relevant passage. A question such as 'What condition would change this advice?' is usually easier to revisit than a page of copied highlights.

For a book with several arguments, begin with one important point. Once that note is useful, add others that serve your purpose. Keep the set small enough that you can return to its questions between reading sessions.

Adjust the routine to the text and your purpose

A technical chapter may need diagrams, worked problems or instruction before you can explain it. A historical argument may need dates, context and a distinction between evidence and interpretation. Choose a recall question that matches what you want to learn; remembering a slogan alone may not support that task.

Review your note after a few sessions. Can you answer accurately without looking? Can you recognize a case where the idea does not apply? If you recall the wording but struggle with an example, add a comparison to the next prompt. If a condition is missing, revisit the passage that explains it.

Make one recall-and-check note

Sources and further reading

• Dunlosky and colleagues: Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques
• Daniel Kahneman: Thinking, Fast and Slow : source of the thinking distinction used in the exercise

An original KeenRead guide with new examples and questions. Book names identify the source works; KeenRead is independent of their authors and publishers.