Spaced Repetition: How to Use It Properly

Review material just before you would forget it, and each review pushes the forgetting point further away. It is the most reliable memory technique in the research literature.

The core schedule

• First review one day after learning, then three days, one week, two weeks, one month
• Failed reviews reset to short intervals; easy reviews stretch further

Two ways to run it

A paper Leitner box with numbered boxes reviewed at increasing intervals, or an app using an SM-2 style scheduler that tracks every card individually.

Make reviews count

Spacing only works if each review is a genuine memory test. Cover the answer and produce it from memory: that is active recall, and spaced repetition is active recall on a smart schedule.

Common mistakes

• Starting the month before exams instead of when the course starts
• Making too many cards, or copying someone else's deck
• Using it for essay arguments or multi-step problems; use practice questions for those

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