Review and Study
There is no doubt that frequent review is essentwl to efficient remembering. Experimental studies of forgetting show that the greatest los in retention occurs right after learnmg. From this fart we may infer that the best time for review is immediately after studying. One experimenter found that when a class lecture was listened to by students but never reviewed, the class recalkd only 25 percent of the content arter eight weeks had elapsed. But when the lecture was immediately followed by a five-minute review tcst. the amount of recall after eight weeks was 50 percent better.
Reviewing immediately before an examination is also highly desirable. This review should be intensive, since the examination may cover an extensive amount of material, and it f'hould emphasize recitation because, in effect, this is what is called for when one is examined. If you can recite well what you have learned from study just before an examination, you need have no fear about the outcone of the test.
It also pays to have one or two reviews between the first Forgetting is checked by overlearning. Put this b:lsic principle into practice when organizing your study technique.
