GENIUS METHOD for Studying (Remember EVERYTHING!)

More Resources from Heimler's History:

HEIMLER REVIEW GUIDES (formerly known as Ultimate Review Packet):

The best way to study for AP Exams is also the simplest way. It's not hard to understand, but it DOES take some work...

[egoplan]

I used Active Recall very briefly before my APWH exam last year — just reviewing the basics from each unit — and I ended up getting a 5! This is 100% the best way to study!

[teesiebogatay]

Me watching this the night of the exam 💀

[fantompilot]

ACTIVE RECALL METHOD
1. Read or watch a single bit of information you need to know
2. Reformulate that information in your own words
1. Just do it in your mind
II. Say it out loud
TI. Write it out, by hand

[dainfernalsumit]

To anyone having trouble even remembering this lol:
1. ya see it (Read the info)
2. ya say it (Reiterate, out loud, the information in your own words)
3. ya write it (Step 2 but on paper, you don't have to store it- but u can to do this again later)
4. ya repeat it

at least that's how my brain remembers it

[TheShatOn]

I actually used this method without knowing with subjects I prefer over others. When I do something like science or social studies for example, I always joke around and summarize what I just listened too in my own humored way. That humor way is that I recall in my tests and like some anime flashback I remember what is the answer and get the question right. Maybe now that I know the science behind this, I can help myself in the subjects I more dislike, like math or english...

[andreww]

I’m a freshman in college and this is super helpful. I’m not used to studying independently because anything I’ve studied has been with an instructor.

[Philocalyleena]

I have been using active recall for 3 years now, and my biology scores have never been less than 90, this semester with alot spaced repetition and active recall, got 100 on all my bio tests. I used it for Chem and physics when they require memorize. For subjects that require understanding, I understand and solve plenty of questions until I perfect it. I use that for math and I have A+s In math.

[KUltraHD-]

I remember watching Heimler back in high school. Luckly I was blessed with great teachers and never had to study for an AP exam. Still one of my best moments getting a 5 on the APUSH test.

[shrubshrub]

Without even realizing, I had been doing this exact thing the entirety of my school year. At some point, i stopped trying and didnt do much of this at all. Thanks for putting this purpose into words, thank you!

[contone]

I've always used a different variation of this... Pretty much anytime I'd learn something in middle or highschool I would go home and "teach" my parents whatever I had just learned (generally for math) and it worked really well as the sudo-tutoring would force me to really understand the subject matter

[thelookingcat]

Wow, this is EXACTLY what I did in APUSH. I got a 5, not a perfect 100, but I took it!

[pipsqueak]

I watched this video about 2 weeks ago and thought "Huh. Interesting." Flash forward to yesterday, my AP Gov teacher tells us he's going to give a practice multiple choice test tomorrow from the textbook. I've always been garbage at studying, so I thought it would be worth a shot. I wrote down every question answer that I got wrong then before class read just once briefly again.
The test was really easy!! I got 100% and actually understood it more! This is honestly game-changing, thank you so much! Your channel has saved my grade several times, I look forward to using this technique again!

[corecommand]

During my APUSH class i essentially copied the book down for notes. I was extremely detailed, wrote everything down in my notebooks went through like 4-5 and a couple of packets. I still remember a lot of stuff from that class and I can say with complete confidence that writing it down helps a lot I got a 4 on the exam and I attribute it to my amazing teacher and the notes I took

[TheEclecticHomeschooler]

I’m a homeschool mom and this is the exact method we have used for the last several years! It’s known as Narration in the Charlotte Mason homeschool philosophy. This is amazing to hear of this from another perspective and to hear of the scientific evidence to support what I already believed to be true about the best way to learn. Thank you!

[dakshtaarora]

This method actually works!! I found it earlier this year and I've already done better on APUSH tests!!

[boogasnooga]

I actually used this method all the time for my regents exams, and I always get at least a 95 or above. I didn’t even know there was a name for it lmao.

What I recommend is to find practice tests for the subjects your studying for, and after completing it, re do all the questions you got wrong and try to understand why you got them wrong. Then you can use the active recall method to write down the information that you didn’t really know. Repeat this process and you should be very fluent and knowledgeable in that subject.

[bigbluebuttonman]

Another way to think of this method is “Active Engagement.”

Instead of trying to just remember or soak in everything, sort of play around with everything you’re doing.

I already do some pieces of the method, but having it listed out is very nice.

Restating the info in your own words is probably very important. The meanings are almost always more important, and this helps to really grasp at it.

[thad]

Wow, I’ve been using this throughout my entire school career and didn’t know that I did it. I always walk around when I explain these things to myself and put it in my own words, just thought I was a kinesthetic learner!

[Kt-hpcv]

I learned of active recall after my high school which is sad since I could really use that knowledge when I took my test. If you want to understand more about active recall then understanding that it pairs incredibly well with another tool called spaced repetition. Basically you do a review for a day, then you do again the next day. Then you review only 2 days after the next. Then you review one week later. How this work is that it follows the forgetting curve that was researched by Ebbinghaus.

How I learned to memorize my things now is not through closing my notes and speaking it aloud, nor is it writing it out. I do what doctors do and create flashcards in an application called Anki. Anki is not just a tool for doctors, but it works for all learners. Why it works is because of what I said above, it utilizes spaced repetition to help you jam in the knowledge.

If you want to learn more about active recall and spaced repetition then I implore go to watch videos from channels such as Med School Insiders or from Ali Abduul. Both the people who run these channels are very trustworthy as they are the top excelling students of their time so their strategy does work.

Know that there will be a learning curve to utilizing spaced repetition or Anki. It take a little bit of time to get used to it because your brain will tell you that it’s hard. Making flashcards isn’t easy either as there is a guideline to creating good flashcards and bad flashcards. Understand that if your mind is telling you that it is difficult, that is an Indication that the method is working. The more cognitive load you put into studying then the more effective your brain will encode that information in your head.

[btbb]

I liked the ~”learning to release the clutch and starting driving” example. I learned to drive on a manual/stick shift. Initially, I kept stalling the car. My dad was teaching me at that point and I couldn’t get what the problem was. Then my mother was teaching me and she helped me understand that (at least in the vehicle I was driving) the crucial part of letting out the clutch happened in the very last little bit of travel of the pedal. It was like a lightbulb. Ha just needed to have a better perception of what was actually going on.