What is Spaced Repetition?
WHEN Should You Review?
When you learn something new, you will eventually forget it if you don’t review it again. The most efficient moment to review what you have learnt is just before your brain is about to forget it.
Spaced Repetition
Spaced Repetition is a learning system developed in scientific research studies which is based on this premise — it is about learning as efficiently as possible. When you use spaced repetition, you have ‘breaks’ between reviewing the learning material. A break can be a day, a week, or even a month, depending on how well you already know the content. The aim of the Spaced Repetition method is to have you review the material just before you are about to forget it again.
Who IS it For?
Spaced repetition can be useful to anyone who needs to learn something new, but it is especially useful to students. Research studies have shown that, without revision, students can forget up to 33% of what they have learned in the space of a year, and up to 50% after two years.
It can be difficult to schedule your revision entirely on your own. Each study card needs to be tracked individually, and you need to study it just before you are about to forget — that's quite complicated. Luckily, what is difficult for you is easy for a computer. Apps like Studies have no problem with this scheduling.
Studies supports several different types of learning schedule, tailored to different goals. One of them is called Long-Term Learning, which is based on spaced repetition, and designed to make learning as efficient as possible.
When you answer a question wrong, Studies automatically shortens the time to the next review of that question. For questions you get right, it extends the time to the next review. In this way, you don't spend time learning things you already know, but rather what you are just about to forget.