Learning by trying to recall

Trying to remember an answer is more than a way to measure what you know. Under suitable conditions, the attempt can also support later access to the information. This is the basis of retrieval practice.

Retrieval practice means attempting to bring learned information to mind before looking at the answer. It can involve explaining an idea, answering a question, recalling a sequence, or solving a problem that requires knowledge you have studied.

Research with several kinds of material finds that retrieval can improve later retention compared with spending the same opportunity only restudying. The effect is not a promise that every test, question, or failed guess produces equal learning.