Study notes
What actually works when you revise, written by a student who needed it too.
Active recall · 4 min read
Active recall, and why explaining something beats reading it again
The single most effective study technique isn't a trick, it's forcing your brain to produce an answer instead of recognise one. Here's why it works and how to actually do it.
Exams
More is being written
One post a week, on the things that actually change how much you remember.
4 min read
How do you know if you actually understand something?
4 min read
How to revise for GCSEs without just rereading your notes
All topics
Latest
Photo
1
4 min read
How to actually revise chemistry, not just reread the reactions
Chemistry rewards a specific kind of practice: working the problem, not recognising the equation. Here's what that actually looks like, mechanism by mechanism.
Photo
1
4 min read
How to actually revise law, not just reread case summaries
Knowing a case is not the same as being able to apply it to a new set of facts. Here's what law exams actually test, and how to practise the right skill.
Photo
1
4 min read
How to actually revise biology, not just re-read the diagrams
Biology fails students in a specific way: you recognise every diagram and still can't label a blank one. Here's how to fix that, subject by subject reason, not generic study advice.
Photo
1
3 min read
Leurons vs NotebookLM: two very different tools that both start with "upload a file
NotebookLM is genuinely powerful and mostly free. Here's an honest look at what it's actually built for, and where a dedicated study tool still wins.
Photo
1
3 min read
Leurons vs Quizlet: which one actually gets you ready for an exam
Quizlet is bigger and has been around longer. Here's an honest look at what it does well, where it stops, and why Leurons exists at all.
4 min read
Most flashcards are bad. Here's what makes the good ones actually work
A deck of 200 cards can teach you almost nothing if the cards are wrong. The difference between a flashcard that works and one that wastes your time comes down to a handful of rules.
4 min read
How to summarise a lecture without losing the parts that actually matter
A good summary isn't shorter notes, it's a different document with a different job. Here's how to cut 40 slides down to something you'd actually want to reread.
4 min read
Why practice tests work even when they don't match the real exam
You don't need a practice test that predicts every question. You need one that makes you retrieve the material under pressure. Here's the actual mechanism, and how to use practice tests properly.
4 min read
What is spaced repetition, and why does it actually work?
Cramming feels efficient and isn't. Spaced repetition feels inefficient and is the closest thing studying has to a cheat code. Here's why, and how to actually run it.
4 min read
Every popular study method, ranked by whether it actually works
Highlighting, rereading, summarising, flashcards, practice testing, spaced repetition. Researchers actually tested these against each other. The results aren't close.
4 min read
Does an all-nighter before an exam actually work?
Staying up feels like the responsible choice at midnight. Here is what you are actually trading away, and what to do with the last hour before you sleep instead.
4 min read
How to make flashcards from lecture slides that are worth reviewing
Most decks fail because they were copied off the slides instead of written. Here is what makes a card worth keeping, when to make them, and why you need far fewer than you think.
5 min read
How to study for class 12 board exams when the syllabus is huge
Board exams are predictable, and that is the thing most students never use. Here is how to work backwards from previous years' papers instead of reading the textbook front to back.
4 min read
How to study 100 pages in one week
A week is enough for 100 pages, but not if you spend it re-reading. Here is the plan I actually use, and why re-reading feels productive while doing almost nothing.