Spaced repetition

The study technique that we will discuss below is not one of the most popular, however, it has very powerful effects when it comes to memorizing large amounts of content and has a wide scientific support in this regard.

The technique we are referring to is the spaced repetition technique, which for many people belongs to the group of mnemonic techniques. However, given its importance and unique characteristics, we consider it as an independent technique, which has the necessary complexity to devote specialized attention to it.

In the following guide we will analyze the fundamental aspects that distinguish this technique, so that you will have the necessary elements to put it into practice during your study days.

What does it consist of?

The spaced repetition technique is regularly applied for high study loads. Its effectiveness increases when the contents to be memorized are extensive and exhausting. It is based on the fact that leaving a long period of time between each review session is much more effective than intensive study. The effects of memorizing in this way are much more lasting than the immediate effects that you can receive from an intensive but short effort.

The scientific basis on which this technique is based dates back to the second half of the 19th century, when research associated with the effects of spaced memory began to be carried out. When the retention of contents was tested in people who dedicated a certain number of hours to memorize a subject intensively, compared to those who distributed the same number of hours during the week, the results showed a notable superiority for the second group.

Although it is possible to memorize in both ways, either intensively or spaced, doing it in the spaced way generates much higher retention effects. Perhaps you are one of those who study intensively for an exam, either because you have little time or because of a bad time management, if that is your case you may have noticed that the day of the exam you mastered well all the content studied, but after three days you did not remember much of what you had memorized and after a week you had already forgotten everything.

Ways of application

The first thing is to count on time. It is clear that memorizing in this way requires that you have the necessary time, otherwise it is impossible to apply the spaced repetition technique. Once you have the time you have to know how to manage it, assign a certain amount of study hours to each day that you have available to study and depending on the amount of time you have for it, start studying little by