The Power of Active Recall

In my experience, your HSC year can become very stressful, very quickly. I think back to watching textbooks, half-finished essays and past papers pile up on me in only the first or second week back at school in Term 1.

Enter active recall—the study technique that allowed me to save on study time- and maximise my learnings in the classroom. After-school study became more time-efficient, giving me time back to do more of what I love.

What Is Active Recall?

Active recall is all about engaging your brain in the retrieval process. Instead of passively rereading notes or highlighting pages, it pushes you to actively test your memory by recalling information without looking at your materials. Think of it as flexing your brain’s “memory muscle.” When you quiz yourself, write from memory, or even teach someone else what you’ve learned, you’re strengthening neural pathways that make it easier to retrieve that information later.

Why Active Recall Works

The science behind active recall is compelling. Each time you successfully retrieve information, you’re signaling to your brain that this knowledge is important, which strengthens its storage in your long-term memory. Studies consistently show that students who use active recall outperform those who rely on passive methods like rereading or summarising.

A 2010 study by Jeffrey D. Karpicke and Henry L. Roediger demonstrated that active recall produced much better retention rates than simply rereading material. Participants who actively recalled information retained about 50% more than those who just read through their notes.

Here’s why it works so well:

• Engages Deeper Learning: You’re not just familiarising yourself with content; you’re cementing it.

• Exposes Gaps in Knowledge: Struggling to remember something? That’s a sign to focus on it before it's assessed.

• Builds Exam Confidence: The more you test yourself, the more comfortable you’ll feel when it’s time to face the real thing.

How I Used Active Recall to Stay Ahead

By the end of Term 1, I had turned active recall into a daily habit. Here’s how I incorporated it into my study routine across subjects:

• For English: After consulting my quotes table, I'd put it down and write down everything I could about Richard III with a link to a specified question.

• For Economics: I’d use flashcards to quiz myself on key definitions, theories, and graphs for Global Exchange Rates. Spaced repetition apps like Quizlet were a game-changer for retaining content over time.

• For Modern History: I’d challenge myself to map out a response to a Source Analysis question using my own knowledge.

If you're not using active recall, what are you doing? At Drift, we make it a key part of weekly check-ins with students, giving them confidence they have mastered their material. Get in touch today to see how we transform student mindset.