The Best Ways to Beat the ‘Forgetting Curve’ While Studying

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It seems logical that the longer we go without retrieving a memory, the harder it is to rediscover it, but it wasn’t always one of those things that we just knew was true. In the 1880s, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus studied the phenomenon and published his findings, giving the world the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve. The curve is a simple graph demonstrating how information is lost over time, but it proves that time-related forgetting is real (and has been reaffirmed by more in-depth studies since). Want to fight the curve and preserve your memories, especially when you’re studying? Here’s how.

How long do memories of new information last?

Ebbinghaus concluded that how quickly we forget something depends on factors such as the difficulty or meaning of the content, but also how tired or stressed we are. So there is no clear answer to the question of how many days you will keep information if you don’t think about it. It depends on things like what you’re studying, how interested you are in it, and how stressed you are. There are simply too many variables – and for the average student, these change every day.

We know that the order in which information is presented is very important in terms of how long we store it in our short-term memory. So there are even more factors that come into play in our memory retrieval and retention abilities. I’m sorry to say that there is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to how long you will retain information, but there are a few answers that Ebbinghaus and today’s educators agree on about how to best retain it.

Beating the Forgetting Curve with Spaced Repetitions

The first strategy you can use to better retain information is called spaced repetition or distributed practice, an evidence-based technique that helps learners absorb lots of information and store it in their memory.

Basically, you need to study the material several times, giving yourself space between each review. The amount of time you spend without studying the material depends largely on how well you already remember it, meaning that the longer you revise, the longer the periods between each revision should be.

Reviewing your notes for a difficult course should be done more frequently than reviewing notes for a course where you get the concepts easily, for example. Instead of subjectively deciding whether you keep the information and should look at it or not, try using the Leitner system, which helps you plan your studying based on whether or not you answered a particular flashcard correctly the last time you looked through it. If you get it right, you won’t need to retake it as often in the future.

If you’re hesitant to use old-fashioned methods like handwritten flashcards, don’t be. Writing by hand can actually help you retain information better, so using the Leitner system in this way can have a two-to-one advantage.

Again, this is time-consuming and inconvenient, so if writing everything down and carrying 100 index cards doesn’t really work for you, you have other options. Here’s a list of my favorite flashcard apps, many of which rely on a Leitner-style strategy to force distributed practice without you having to do much beyond indicating whether you got a right or wrong answer.

You can also try planning your review and revision using a technique like 2357, which allows you to re-study on the second, third, fifth, and seventh days after reviewing something for the first time. If you’re going to do this, I recommend sticking with a dedicated planner, like the My Study Life app, just to keep things organized.

Beat the forgetting curve with engaged learning

Teaching resources recommend that educators use methods to make lessons more engaging to help children beat the forgetting curve, but you can apply the same idea to your own studies, whatever your level. When reading new information, for example, use techniques that help you stay absorbed in the content.

Try looking at new information through the lens of Kolb’s learning cycle, for example, which is based on the belief that you need concrete learning, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation to succeed. Really learn something.

You can also use a critical thinking method, like SQ3R or KWL, to track your progress on a topic. With SQ3R, you will write down a little of what you can gather from a review of the material, and then the questions you want to answer when you read it in more depth, so that you stay engaged as you go, searching for the answers to your questions. KWL is similar, but you start by writing down what you think you know, what you want to know based on a brief overview of the material, and what you ended up learning.