Memorisation: 5 techniques that really work (and why)

Rereading your notes three times, highlighting a lecture with a highlighter, reciting a lesson the night before an exam: these habits may be reassuring, but they are of little use. Researchers from the’SWPS University and the’Adam Mickiewicz University, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, have demonstrated in black and white that our brain does not function like a hard drive that passively stores information. It memorises by being active, by searching, and by testing itself.

At OSAM, every year we support hundreds of adults who are changing careers or undertaking further training. One thing is consistently clear: it is not the people who work the hardest who retain the most, but those who use the right method. Here are the five techniques whose effectiveness is now well-documented, and which we systematically recommend to our learners.

1. Active revision: stop re-reading, start testing yourself

This is the most powerful and yet most underused technique. The principle is this: instead of going through a lesson again, you put the material away and try to recall the information from memory – using flashcards, practice questions, or by reciting aloud what you have just learnt. Every attempt to retrieve information strengthens the neural pathway used and makes it easier to recall the next time. Rereading, on the other hand, creates an illusion of mastery: you recognise the information without being able to reproduce it on your own, which explains the famous ‘brain freeze’ on exam day.

2. Spaced repetition: revising at the right time, not more often

As early as the 19th century, the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus demonstrated that forgetting follows a precise curve: we lose most of the information within hours of learning it, unless we refresh our memory. Spaced repetition involves revising the material just before it fades from memory – one day later, then three days later, then a week later, then a month later. Each review delays the onset of forgetting. It is infinitely more effective than a cramming session the night before, which only lasts for the duration of the test.

3. Varied learning: breaking out of the routine to reinforce learning more effectively

It may seem counter-intuitive, but it is confirmed by the Polish study cited above: learning the same concept through different materials, contexts and examples improves long-term retention, even if it requires more effort at the time. The participants mistakenly believed that repeating the same thing over and over again, in the same way, was more effective; this is a well-known metacognitive illusion. Varying the exercises, the wording and the practical examples forces the brain to develop a deeper understanding that can be transferred to new situations.

4. The Feynman technique: if you can’t explain it simply…

Popularised on the basis of the physicist’s methods Richard Feynman, this technique involves explaining a concept as if you were introducing it to someone who knows nothing about it, using simple words and avoiding jargon. As soon as you get stuck trying to explain something, you’ve identified an area that needs further work. It is a powerful tool for professional training: it transforms passive knowledge into a skill that can actually be put into practice – the very skill expected of a professional in the field.

5. Sleep and active breaks: your brain carries on memorising things even when you’re not

We all too often forget that memory consolidation takes place largely whilst we sleep, when the brain sorts through and consolidates what we have learnt during the day. Revising late into the night, getting little sleep, and then moving straight on to learning something new is one of the worst possible strategies. Taking a break of a few minutes after a study session, and getting a good night’s sleep before an exam, have a measurable impact on long-term retention.

These five techniques have one thing in common: they require active engagement rather than passive consumption of the content. This is precisely why they work, and it is also why they are so rarely used spontaneously, as they are less comfortable than a leisurely re-read.

At OSAM, we incorporate these principles into the very design of our courses: active recall quizzes, spaced revision checkpoints and a variety of practical scenarios. Because training is only valuable if what is learnt remains, in the long term, accessible when it is needed.