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Review in Random Order

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Study Skills & Tools All Ages Strategy

Skills

Verbal Memory Visual Memory

Review in Random Order

If your student studied hard and is confident before the test but then forgets what he knew the night before

How To Apply It!

  1. When studying for tests, it is important review content and mix-up practice questions in random order, otherwise, your mind is likely to remember the information only when it is presented in that same certain order.
  2. Mixing it up does not mean that you should study concepts in isolation. Really, it just means switching up the sequence of the information each time. For example, if you are studying the states, you might still want to learn the Western states together but you just don't want to test yourself on the same states in the same order each time.
  3. When you use flashcards, mix up the order of the cards every time you go through the stack. When using virtual flashcards, select the random order function. Be sure to choose an app that has this option.
  4. When you are given a list of facts, spelling or vocabulary words to memorize, do not simply go down the list. Ask someone to help you and mix up the order.
  5. When reviewing multiple chapters for a test, don't always review the chapters in the same order as the book. This also might help you from a common mistake of learning the first chapters really well but running out of time for the last chapters.

Why It Works (the Science Of Learning)!

The brain learns information in patterns. While this can be helpful in making connections, if you study information in only one order you might just remember that one pattern and might be less likely to remember information when it is presented in a different context or order. With a little more effort, it should be easy to mix up the order and improve your overall recall.