The Cardemio study blog
18 guides on the parts of studying that make the biggest difference, grouped so you can start with the one you need tonight.
Start here
Remember what you read
Active recall, made practical
Why answering from memory beats rereading, plus four ways to practise it on any subject.
Keep it in memory
Spaced repetition, explained simply
Why reviewing on a schedule beats rereading, and how to space your reviews without an app telling you what to do.
Plan your revision
How to make a study plan you will follow
Score your topics, budget the hours you really have, and book the reviews before the new material.
Study methods
The techniques that decide how much you remember: retrieval, spacing and explaining.
Spaced repetition, explained simply
Why reviewing on a schedule beats rereading, and how to space your reviews without an app telling you what to do.
Read the guideActive recall, made practical
Why answering from memory beats rereading, plus four ways to practise it on any subject.
Read the guideThe Feynman technique, step by step
Explain the topic in plain words, find the gaps that exposes, and turn them into cards.
Read the guideThe Leitner system, without the shoebox
Boxes, promotion rules, and a five-step review schedule you can run on paper or with decks.
Read the guideHow to memorize something fast
Shrink the chapter, turn it into questions, chunk it, and test yourself within the hour — plus what to do with five minutes or one evening.
Read the guideInterleaving: mix your practice
Why mixing topics in one session beats studying them one at a time, and how to build a mixed review.
Read the guideHow to study effectively
Eight evidence-based habits and a one-hour session you can copy tonight.
Read the guideHow to memorize vocabulary fast
Words in sentences, both directions, spaced reviews, and a 15-minute daily routine.
Read the guideExam prep
Plans for the last two weeks, the last night, and keeping your head in the exam room.
How to study for an exam in two weeks
A day-by-day plan that moves from understanding to recall to timed practice, using learning, quiz, and exam decks.
Read the guideHow to study the night before a test
Triage the syllabus, drill the half-known topics, and still get a full night of sleep.
Read the guideTest anxiety, managed practically
Simulate the sitting, automate the first five minutes, and breathe on a count.
Read the guidePlanning and focus
Budgeting your hours, working in blocks and getting back on task after a lapse.
How to make a study plan you will follow
Score your topics, budget the hours you really have, and book the reviews before the new material.
Read the guideThe pomodoro technique, used properly
Short timed blocks work, but only if each one has an output. Here is what to put in them.
Read the guideHow to focus while studying
Seven fixes for lost concentration: sharper tasks, work that fights back, and a fast restart after a lapse.
Read the guideHow to stay motivated to study
Shrink the first step, make progress visible, and restart within a day after a lapse.
Read the guideNotes and cards
How to take notes you can revise from and turn them into cards worth answering.
How to make good flashcards
Six rules for cards that are quick to answer and hard to fake: one fact per card, your own words, and no walls of text.
Read the guideCornell notes, done right
The three-zone page layout, the cue column everyone skips, and turning notes into cards.
Read the guideHow to take lecture notes
What to capture live, what to skip, and the ten-minute pass that makes notes revisable.
Read the guidePUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Turn the chapter you are on into a deck and start reviewing tonight.
MAKE A DECK