Retrieval Practice: What It Is and How to Do It

Retrieval practice means actively pulling information out of your memory — rather than reading it passively from a page. Every time you successfully recall something, the memory trace for it grows stronger. It feels harder than re-reading, and that is precisely why it works so much better.

What is the difference between retrieval practice and just re-reading?

Re-reading is comfortable. You open your notes, run your eyes over them, and feel a warm sense of familiarity. The problem is that familiarity is not the same as memory. You are recognising information that is right in front of you, not retrieving it from your own mental store. The moment the notes are gone — as in an exam — so is that feeling of confidence.

Retrieval practice forces the opposite. You close the notes first, then try to recall what you know. The struggle to pull information from memory is called the "testing effect," and decades of cognitive science research confirm that it builds far stronger, longer-lasting memories than any amount of passive review.

The Education Endowment Foundation rates retrieval practice as high-impact, low-cost, and applicable across all ages and subjects.

What does retrieval practice actually look like?

There are several forms. All of them share one feature: you must try to produce the answer before you look it up.

Method | What you do
Brain dump | Close your notes. Write everything you can remember about a topic on a blank page. Then compare to your notes.
Flashcards | Write a question on one side, the answer on the other. Test yourself — do not peek until you have attempted an answer.
Past-paper questions | Answer a question under exam conditions, then mark your work honestly using the mark scheme.
Free recall | After a lesson, write down the five most important things you learned. No notes allowed.
Self-explanation | Cover your notes and explain the topic aloud, as if teaching someone else. Pause where you get stuck — those gaps are your revision targets.

You do not need expensive materials. A blank piece of paper and a pen are enough to start a brain dump right now.

How retrieval practice compares to other revision strategies

Strategy | Difficulty | Long-term retention | Exam evidence
Re-reading | Low | Weak | Poor
Highlighting | Very low | Weak | Poor
Summarising | Medium | Moderate | Moderate
Flashcard testing | Medium | Strong | Strong
Past-paper practice | Higher | Very strong | Very strong
Brain dumps | Medium | Strong | Strong

The strategies that feel easiest — re-reading, highlighting — consistently produce the weakest results in research. The ones that feel effortful — testing, past-paper practice — produce the strongest. This is not a coincidence.

When should you use retrieval practice?

Retrieval practice is most powerful when combined with spaced repetition — that is, revisiting material at increasing intervals rather than cramming it all at once. A practical schedule might look like this:

Worked example — revising a biology topic

Day 1 (lesson day): After the lesson, write a free recall list of everything you can remember.

Day 2: Brain dump the same topic again without looking at Day 1's notes. Compare, then check your textbook.

Day 5: Do a flashcard test on the topic. Mark any you got wrong — these come back sooner.

Day 12: Answer a past-paper question on the topic. Mark yourself against the mark scheme.

Day 25: Quick recall test — three minutes, blank paper, go.

Each recall attempt re-consolidates the memory and extends the interval before you need to revisit. The goal is to reach a point where you can recall the topic fluently even after a gap of several weeks.

How to build retrieval practice into your homework and revision

You do not need to overhaul your entire routine. Small changes make a big difference:

After every lesson, spend five minutes writing a free recall list before you pack your bag. This takes almost no time and is one of the highest-return habits you can build.

Replace highlighting with testing. After reading a page of notes, close the book and write what you remember. Compare to the original. Repeat.

Use BBC Bitesize quizzes at the end of each topic — they are free, topic-specific, and give immediate feedback.

Make flashcards only after you have tried to recall first. Passive card-making without prior recall is just a slow form of re-reading.

Review what you got wrong, not just what you got right. Most students naturally focus on what they already know, which is the opposite of effective revision.

How does retrieval practice help with exam nerves?

One underappreciated benefit is the confidence that comes from truly knowing your material — not just recognising it on the page. Students who revise by re-reading often feel confident until the moment they sit down in the exam hall and realise they cannot produce any of it from memory. Students who have practised retrieval repeatedly already know they can answer questions under pressure, because they have been doing it in their revision sessions.

That said, even with excellent retrieval-based revision, some exam anxiety is normal. The NHS recommends keeping perspective: anxiety before important events is a human response, not a sign you are going to fail.

Frequently asked questions

How is retrieval practice different from just doing a quiz?

A quiz is one form of retrieval practice, but retrieval practice is broader. It includes brain dumps, past-paper questions, free recall lists, and self-explanation — anything that requires you to produce knowledge from memory without looking. The quiz format works well, but variety across methods tends to strengthen memory more than relying on one format alone.

Should I still make written notes if retrieval practice is so powerful?

Yes. Notes are useful as the source material to retrieve from. The problem is when note-making replaces retrieval rather than supporting it. A good workflow is: take clear notes in class or from a textbook, then practise retrieval from those notes rather than reading them over and over.

What if I cannot remember anything during a brain dump?

That is completely normal, especially early in learning a topic. The act of attempting to recall — even unsuccessfully — makes you more likely to remember the content when you then review it. Researchers call this "errorful generation": trying and failing followed by feedback is a stronger learning event than passively reading. Do not be discouraged by blank pages; they are part of the process.

How often should I use retrieval practice?

Daily if possible, even in very short bursts. A five-minute free recall list after every lesson is more effective than a two-hour passive review session once a week. Frequency matters more than duration when it comes to building durable memory.

For personalised tutoring that uses retrieval practice built into every session, visit aitutors.me.