Feel foggy-headed when revising for exams? Active recall, a process which involves actively testing knowledge throughout the revision process, can be a great way to embed new information. In this post, we dive into why it’s so effective, as well as the impact it has on neurodivergent learning.
Active recall is a revision technique that focuses on actively recalling what you know instead of passively taking in information. The idea behind the technique is that you’re intentionally putting your brain to work rather than simply exposing yourself to information and hoping it’ll sink in.
The active recall method works by incorporating testing into the revision process. You start as you normally would by reading, watching, or listening to the information that you’d like to memorise. Then you stop taking in the information and test what you remember. This might mean performing a brain dump after listening to a lecture or using flash cards after reading a revision guide. Once you’ve completed the active testing part, you can then spot the areas you need to re-revise and repeat the process.
Active recall differs from passive revision in what it asks your brain to do. Re-reading a textbook chapter a third or fourth time might feel productive, but you’re mostly recognising information rather than retrieving it. If, instead, you read the book once or twice, then close it and try to write down everything you remember, the bits you haven’t remembered will become immediately obvious. With passive reading, you don’t get this. Your brain might be failing to store important information, but you remain none the wiser.
Active recall works best with spaced repetition. This is because without regular and carefully spaced testing, we can forget things surprisingly quickly. German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus demonstrated this using what he called “the forgetting curve”. His curved diagram showed that we forget approximately half of all the new info we’ve learnt within a day and 90% of it within a week. This is why we have to keep revisiting information to make sure it sticks. For best results, you should try to review material at strategically expanding intervals so that you’re testing just as the information is about to slip from your mind. For example, after 1 day, then 1 week, then 2 weeks, and so on. This makes it more likely to be remembered long term.
Keen to have a go at active recall yourself? Here are 3 tried-and-tested techniques to get you started:
The Feynman Technique: Richard Feynman was an American physicist, known for his fun and unconventional teaching methods. Feynman proposed that if you can’t explain something to someone else without relying on complex language, you probably haven’t fully grasped it. To try out Feynman’s technique, grab a sheet of paper and attempt to summarise your topic as simply as possible. If you get stuck or find yourself waffling without really saying much, it’s a good sign you need to go back and focus on those ideas you haven’t understood yet.
Flashcards: Flashcards usually involve a set of cards with a title or topic on one side and a definition on the other. To use them, you view one side of the card and try to guess what’s on the other. This is a great way to put your knowledge to the test. It doesn’t matter whether you use a flash card app or create your own from scratch; the most important thing is that you revisit them regularly. This allows you to practise spaced repetition, which is key for ingraining ideas into your long-term memory.
Free writing or “blurting”: If you’ve ever journalled before, you may be familiar with the concept of free writing. This is where you get as many thoughts and ideas down onto paper in a particular timeframe without consciously thinking about what you’re writing. It’s a really handy way to test recall because it allows you to tap into your subconscious and discover what you’ve actually absorbed from a topic.
Neurodivergence is a broad spectrum and affects learners in lots of different ways. Some neurodivergent individuals might find remembering difficult, while others may find their neurodivergence enhances it. For example, autism can sometimes cause exceptional memory, particularly for detailed or highly specific information within an area of interest.
If you’re neurodivergent and do find remembering a challenge, active recall can be helpful because it reduces the cognitive overload associated with holding lots of information in your head at once. Instead of cramming everything in, you decide: “Okay, I need to remember stuff, but I’m not expected to remember it all at once”. This allows you to take your time to process information, rather than forcing yourself to learn quicker than feels comfortable for you.
It’s also worth noting that during the first stage of active recall (the “taking in info” bit), it’s best to give the activity your full attention. If you attempt to take notes and listen at the same time, you may find it harder to properly absorb what’s being said, especially if you have ADHD and find multitasking pulls you out of focus.
For the most part, yes – but how well it works can depend on the person and the subject. Some people notice a difference straight away, while others need to experiment with different active recall techniques (like flashcards vs. free writing) before it clicks. If one method isn’t working for you, it’s worth trying another before writing the whole technique off.
Shorter, more frequent sessions tend to beat one long marathon session. Somewhere around 20–30 minutes is a good starting point; you need enough time to test yourself properly without your brain switching off halfway through. If you’re losing focus or just guessing rather than recalling, that’s usually your cue to take a break.
Yes! But that’s kind of the point. Re-reading feels easy because you’re just recognising information you’ve already seen. Active recall forces your brain to actually retrieve it, which takes more effort. It might feel slower or more frustrating at first, but that extra effort is exactly what makes the information stick
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