Active recall is simple to describe and uncomfortable to do: close your notes and write down what you remember. The discomfort is the point, because it shows what is really there. Start with a blank page, then move to questions. A Diaposi self quiz writes those questions from your own notes and shows every right answer in its report.
What is active recall?
Active recall means pulling information out of your memory instead of putting it back in. Reading your notes is input. Closing them and writing what you remember is recall. It feels worse, because the gaps show, and that is the point: the gaps are what you need to see before the exam does.
What are four ways to do it with lecture notes?
- The blank page. Close the notes, write everything you remember about one lecture, then compare.
- Question margins. Write a question beside each section of your notes. Cover the notes, answer the questions.
- Teach it. Explain the chapter out loud to someone, or to nobody, without looking.
- Practice questions. Answer questions written from your own files, and check each answer.
How do you check and repeat?
Correct in a different colour, so the page shows what came from memory and what did not. Then go back only to what you missed: rereading what you already recalled is wasted time. Repeat a few days later, starting with the misses.
The dates are in the spaced repetition study schedule, and writing your own questions is covered in turn a PowerPoint or PDF into a quiz.
How a Diaposi self quiz helps
A Diaposi self quiz is the fourth method without the writing. It makes the questions from your own PowerPoint, PDF or Word notes, on the chapters you choose. The report then shows every question with its right answer, and you can quiz yourself again on what you missed, which is exactly the check-and-repeat step.
The self quiz is part of Diaposi, the EdTech platform for interactive and measurable learning. Discover the self quiz
Frequently asked questions
Is active recall better than rereading?
- For remembering, yes. Rereading makes material familiar, and recalling it is what the exam asks you to do. Use reading to understand a chapter the first time, and recall for everything after.
How long should an active recall session be?
- Short. Twenty to thirty minutes on one chapter is enough: recall is tiring, and tired recall turns back into rereading.
Is Diaposi free?
- Yes. Diaposi is free, and there is no paid plan today.
