What you’ll learn
- Recall is the activity
- Spacing is the timing
- Feedback corrects errors
- Difficulty drives the next interval
Active recall: retrieve before looking
Try to produce the answer from memory through questions, a blank-page explanation, teaching aloud, or solving a problem. Research reviews describe retrieval practice as a powerful support for long-term retention, particularly when feedback follows the attempt.
Spaced repetition: delay the next attempt
Repeating immediately can feel successful without proving durable recall. Spacing inserts a delay. When retrieval remains successful, the next delay can grow; when it fails, the material needs a shorter return.
Combine them in four steps
- Open a due topic in the Review screen
- Attempt recall without the source
- Check the answer and correct gaps
- Log Easy, Good, Hard, or Extremely Hard so the app schedules the next attempt
What the app does—and does not do
The app manages the topic list, dates, reminders, history, and adaptive intervals. You choose the retrieval method that fits the material. That separation works well when flashcards are useful for some topics but practice problems, essays, diagrams, or oral explanations are better for others.
Make a review plan for your own topics
Put the method into practice with our free spaced repetition schedule calculator. Enter your exam date and topics to get a daily review plan you can download to your calendar.
Research behind the method
Spacing and retrieval are well-studied learning principles, but no app or schedule guarantees a particular academic result. Use the research as a foundation, then adapt the workload to your material, deadline, and feedback.
Frequently asked questions
Is spaced repetition the same as active recall?
No. Spacing is when you return; active recall is how you test memory during that return.
Can rereading count as a review?
It is a study exposure, but it gives weak evidence of recall. Try to retrieve first, then reread as feedback.