Study guides
Free guides on how to study better, from memory techniques and focus to planning, plus exam strategy.
Active Recall: The Study Technique That Beats Re-Reading Every Time
Re-reading your notes feels productive and does very little. Pulling information out of your head is harder, and it is what actually makes it stick.
Spaced Repetition: How to Remember What You Study for Months, Not Days
You forget most of what you learn within days unless you review it at the right moments. Spacing your reviews is the cheapest fix there is.
The Pomodoro Technique, Explained (Plus the Variations That Work Better for Long Study Days)
25 minutes on, 5 minutes off. It is the most famous focus trick on the internet, and for good reason. Here is how to use it properly.
The Feynman Technique: Learn Anything by Explaining It Simply
If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough. This four-step method finds the gaps in your understanding fast.
The Blurting Method: The Viral Revision Trick, and How to Do It Properly
Write down everything you remember, check it against your notes, repeat. Simple, a little painful, and one of the fastest ways to revise.
The Memory Palace and Other Mnemonics That Actually Work
Memory champions remember the order of a shuffled deck of cards in under a minute. Their main trick is over 2,000 years old, and you can use it for exams.
Interleaving: Why Mixing Topics Beats Practising One at a Time
Doing 20 questions of the same type feels efficient. Mixing different types feels messy. The messy way wins on test day.
Cornell Notes and Mind Maps: Note-Taking Methods That Help You Revise
Most notes are written once and never used again. These two formats are built so that your notes turn into revision tools.
How to Stop Procrastinating on Studying: 7 Tricks That Work
Procrastination is not laziness. It is usually avoiding an uncomfortable feeling. These tricks make starting easier than avoiding.
Your Phone Is Hurting Your Study Sessions, Even When It Is Face Down
Research suggests that just having your phone nearby can reduce your available focus. Here is how to set up distraction-free study time.
Sleep Is a Study Technique: Why All-Nighters Backfire
Your brain files away what you learned while you sleep. Cutting sleep to study more can mean remembering less.
5 Popular Study Habits That Do Not Work (and What to Do Instead)
Highlighting, re-reading and learning styles are everywhere, and the evidence for them is weak. Here is what to swap them for.
Time Blocking, the 80/20 Rule and Parkinson’s Law: Plan Your Study Week Like a Pro
Three simple ideas from productivity circles that turn a vague to-do list into a study week you can actually finish.
Study With Me, Body Doubling and Lo-Fi: Do the Viral Focus Hacks Work?
Millions of students study alongside strangers on YouTube or to lo-fi beats. Here is what helps, and what to watch out for.
The Week Before an Exam: A Calm, Effective Revision Plan
The last seven days are for strengthening what you know and fixing your biggest gaps, not learning everything from scratch.
The Error Log Habit That Separates 700 Scorers From Everyone Else
Most students do hundreds of practice questions and improve very little. The ones who improve fast all have one thing in common.
Data Sufficiency Is Not a Math Test. Here Is What It Actually Tests.
The single biggest mindset shift that unlocks DS — and why solving the problem is almost always the wrong move.
Reading Comprehension on GMAT Focus: Why Reading More Is Not the Answer
Slow readers outperform fast readers on RC all the time. Speed is not the variable. Here is what actually is.
How to Build a Study Plan You Will Actually Follow
Every self-made study plan looks great on day one and falls apart by day ten. Here is what goes wrong and how to fix it.
How to Get the Most Out of myExamRoutine — A Complete Walkthrough
The app has a lot of features. Most people use 20 percent of them. Here is what the other 80 percent does and why it matters.
Two-Part Analysis: The Question Type Most Aspirants Leave on the Table
Two-Part Analysis has the highest mark-per-minute potential on GMAT Focus DI. Almost nobody prepares for it specifically.
Every Formula You Need for GMAT Quant — With Memory Tricks That Actually Work
GMAT Quant no longer tests geometry. What is left is a short list of arithmetic and algebra formulas. Here they are, with tricks to make them stick.
One Month to GMAT: A Day-by-Day Survival Guide
Thirty days is enough time to move the needle significantly — if you use them correctly. Here is exactly how.
GMAT Focus Quant: Which Topics to Study First
Quant is now 21 problem-solving questions on arithmetic and algebra. Here is how to order your preparation so the skills used most come first.
CR Mastery in 3 Weeks: A Systematic Approach
Critical Reasoning is the most learnable part of GMAT Verbal. Here's a proven 3-week framework to go from shaky to dominant.
A 90-Day GMAT Study Plan, Month by Month
Three months is enough time to prepare well for the GMAT, if each month has a clear job. Here is a plan that moves from foundations to volume to full test simulation.
Data Insights: The GMAT Section Most Students Ignore
Data Insights is one of only three GMAT sections, yet most students leave it for last. That is a mistake, and an opportunity.