Back to Blog Review immediately: Go over your notes right after class. Review after 24 hours: Reinforce the memory the next day. Review after 1 week: Strengthen the neural pathways. Review after 1 month: Move the information into long-term memory.
Learning Science
Dec 5, 2025
The Science of Spaced Repetition
mjassiri
Author
Why Cramming Doesn't Work
We've all been there: staying up all night before an exam, trying to cram as much information into our brains as possible. While this might help you pass the test the next day, it's not an effective way to retain information long-term.
The Forgetting Curve
Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist, discovered the "forgetting curve," which shows how information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it. Spaced repetition combats this by reviewing information at increasing intervals.
How It Works
By spacing out your study sessions, you can flatten the forgetting curve and remember more with less effort.