I thought I was studying well... until I discovered this.

I thought I was serious about studying.

I spent my days at the library, made flashcards, and reread my notes over and over again.

I was doing everything I'd always been told to do.

But despite all that... it wasn't working.

I kept telling myself that maybe I was less smart than the others. Or that I had a bad memory.

But the truth is, I mainly had a bad way of studying.

And that's what I eventually figured out.

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The day I discovered "Active Recall"

One day, I stumbled upon a video about something strange: "active recall".

The idea was simple:

At first, I was skeptical. But I gave it a try.

And that's when I realized: I thought I understood my course... until the moment I tried to explain it without looking at it.

And then it was a complete blank.

That's what active recall is. Forcing your brain to retrieve the information on its own. It's uncomfortable, but that's exactly what makes you improve.

Why it works

When you reread, your brain is passive. It sees the information, recognizes it, but doesn't truly retain it.

When you ask yourself a question, when you try to remember... that's when your brain works. It makes the effort.

And it's in that effort that memory is strengthened.

It's like a muscle: you don't build it by watching sports videos. You build it by putting in the effort yourself.

How you can use it, simply

You don't need to change your whole system. Start by incorporating this, little by little:

1. Read a section of your course notes (2–3 pages, max)
2. Close your course notes
3. Ask yourself these questions:
   • What are the 3 main ideas?
   • If I had to explain this to a friend, what would I say?
   • What do I actually remember, without cheating?

You can do it in writing, out loud, or even in your head.

Then, compare with your notes. Adjust.

That's where you see what stuck... and what needs more work.

The goal isn't to be perfect. It's to train yourself to remember. Again and again.

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See you next week 👋

This week, we talked about active recall.

But it becomes really powerful when combined with another method: spaced repetition.

And that's exactly what we'll cover in the next newsletter: how to space out your revision sessions intelligently, without burning out — so your brain retains things at the right time, not just at the last minute.

The series continues 🧩

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Want to go further? Check out our complete blocus guide: planning, study methods, mistakes to avoid and free template.