Why We Forget What We Study, and How to Stop It

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1. 01Why We Forget What We Study

   Good morning, everyone. Have you ever studied hard for a test, and then forgotten almost everything a week later? I'm a university student in Berlin, and this used to happen to me all the time. Today, I'll explain why we forget, and what we can do about it.

2. 02The Problem

   Here's the problem. Many of us study by reading our notes again and again the night before a test. It feels productive, but the information disappears quickly.

3. 03The Forgetting Curve

   This isn't a new discovery. In 1885, the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus tested his own memory and described what we now call the forgetting curve. He found that we forget new information fastest in the first hours and days after learning it.

   Source: Hermann Ebbinghaus, "Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology" (1885)

4. 04Why Rereading Doesn't Work

   Rereading makes the page feel familiar, so we think we know it. But recognizing something is not the same as being able to recall it on your own.

5. 05Solution 1: Test Yourself

   The first solution is to test yourself. In a 2006 study, Henry Roediger and Jeffrey Karpicke found that students who practiced recalling a text remembered more a week later than students who simply studied it again.

   Source: Roediger & Karpicke, "Test-Enhanced Learning," Psychological Science (2006)

6. 06Solution 2: Space It Out

   The second solution is spacing. Instead of one long session, review the same material for a short time over several days. Each review catches the memory before it fades.

7. 07What I Do Now

   Now I make simple question cards after every class, and I spend about ten minutes a day testing myself. It's less tiring than cramming, and I remember much more.

8. 08Conclusion

   To conclude, forgetting is natural, but we can fight it. Test yourself instead of rereading, and spread your reviews over time. Try it before your next exam. Thank you.