# Study Methods That Work — Get My Test Score > Evidence-ranked study and revision methods. Find out how you study now with the Study Strategy Test, then use the techniques cognitive science actually supports. Source: https://getmytestscore.co.uk/study --- # Study Methods That Actually Work Most revision advice is folklore. This section is built on the techniques that hold up in controlled research — ranked by how well they work, not by how popular they are. Find out how you study now, then fix the weakest part. **The short version:** testing yourself and spreading study over time beat everything else. Highlighting, re-reading and summarising — the three things most people actually do — are rated _low utility_ in the research. If you change one habit, close the book and try to recall instead of reading it again. ## Start here: how do you study now? The Study Strategy Test scores you across seven dimensions in about five minutes. It is not a personality quiz — each dimension maps to a technique with evidence behind it, and your lowest score tells you where the biggest gain is. [Take the Study Strategy Test](/study-strategy-test) ## The seven dimensions Each one has a guide, a tool, or both. Work on your lowest-scoring dimension first. [ ## Retrieval Practice Pulling information out of memory, rather than putting it back in. The single most effective technique in the research — and the one most learners skip because it feels harder. High utility Works in every subject Read the Guide](/cheatsheet-active-learning)[ ## Spaced Practice Six short sessions spread over a month beat one long session, even when the total time is identical. Cramming works for Friday and fails by the following month. High utility Beats cramming Read the Guide](/cheatsheet-memory-techniques)[ ## Planning & Organisation Knowing what to study and when. Spacing only works if something schedules it — otherwise every session drifts back to the topic you already know best. Build a timetable Print it Open the Planner](/study-planner)[ ## Focus & Environment Attention is the budget everything else spends. Where you study, what is within reach, and how long you go before a break decide how much of the session counts. Guide + timer Beat distraction Read the Guide](/cheatsheet-focus-environment)[ ## Active Learning Explaining, applying and connecting — instead of copying. Notes you can be tested from are worth more than notes that merely look complete. Cornell notes Self-explanation Read the Guide](/cheatsheet-note-taking)[ ## Metacognition & Assessment Telling the difference between understanding something and merely recognising it. Familiarity feels like knowledge right up to the moment you are asked. Exam technique Self-monitoring Read the Guide](/cheatsheet-exam-techniques)[ ## Resilience & Motivation The technique you keep doing beats the better one you abandon in week two. Track the habit, not the hours. 30-day challenge Habit tracking Get the Printable](/printable-30-day-challenge) ## What the evidence says Cognitive psychologists have compared common study techniques directly. The ratings below follow that work: techniques are judged on whether the benefit holds up across different learners, materials and tests — not on whether students like them. | Technique | Rating | What to do instead, or as well | | --- | --- | --- | | Practice testing (retrieval) | High | Nothing — this is the one to build everything around | | Distributed practice (spacing) | High | Nothing — combine it with practice testing | | Interleaving | Moderate | Mix related topics in one session instead of blocking them | | Elaborative interrogation | Moderate | Keep asking why something is true as you read | | Self-explanation | Moderate | Explain each step aloud before moving on | | Summarising | Low | Close the notes and write the summary from memory | | Highlighting & underlining | Low | Turn each highlight into a question you must answer later | | Re-reading | Low | Read once, then test yourself on it | Low utility does not mean useless — it means the benefit is small, short-lived, or does not survive a harder test. Highlighting while you read is fine. Highlighting _instead of_ testing yourself is the mistake. ## Studying for a certificate? If you are working towards a first aid, fire safety or health and safety qualification, the goal is not passing once — it is still knowing the material when you need it on site, possibly years later. That makes spacing and retrieval practice more important, not less. Space your review across the weeks before assessment, and test yourself rather than re-reading the handbook. Our [online courses](/courses) and [free tests](/free-tests) both work as retrieval practice, and the [glossary](/health-and-safety-glossary) is built for self-testing on definitions. ## Tools and printables Everything here is free and needs no account: - [Flashcard Maker](/flashcards) — build decks and revise them on a schedule - [Study Planner](/study-planner) — a spaced revision timetable from your subjects and free days - [Focus Timer](/focus-timer) — Pomodoro sessions with automatic breaks - [Grade Calculator](/grade-calculator) — weighted marks and what you need in the final assessment - [Revision Checklist](/printable-revision-checklist) and [Weekly Planner](/printable-weekly-planner) — print and fill in - [Cornell Notes template](/printable-cornell-notes) — note-taking built around self-testing - [All downloads](/downloads) — cheatsheets, workbooks and printables --- _Get My Test Score — see [/llms.txt](https://getmytestscore.co.uk/llms.txt) for the full site map and machine-readable endpoints._