Practice testing is quite effective as the act of recalling information strengthens the student’s knowledge of it
Practice testing, a major component of AHEAD Tutorial & Review Center’s Test-Based Review Program, was recently identified by a group of leading psychologists as one of the most effective learning techniques that students can utilize to perform better in school.
The psychologists went through thousands of literature, evaluating 10 learning techniques according to their effectiveness. The result is a groundbreaking report released by the Association for Psychological Science, which pointed out techniques that can really make a difference in the learning experience of students.
While practice testing is not such a common learning technique, it is quite effective as the act of recalling information strengthens the student’s knowledge of it, making it easier for him to retrieve such information later on, the psychologist found.
Another effective learning strategy is what the psychologists calleddistributed practice. Simply put, it is studying lessons ahead of time. Studying materials over time has been found to be more effective than cramming a whole lot of information in one marathon session.
Surprisingly, highlighting and underlining were deemed ineffective. These two strategies may even hinder learning as they draw attention to a singular fact, hampering the process of making connections and drawing conclusions.
So the next time your AHEAD Tutorial & Review Center tutor gives you a practice test to check you knowledge of science or history, take it with glee. That’s because you’re learning by doing, the AHEAD way!