Study techniques4 min read·

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.

What Blurting Is

Blurting went viral with students on social media, and it is really a quick form of active recall. You read or review a topic, close your notes, and write down everything you can remember as fast as you can. Then you check what you missed.

How to Blurt

  • Choose a small topic. One lesson or one subtopic, not a whole chapter.
  • Review it once, carefully, for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Close everything. Blank page, one pen.
  • Blurt. Write every fact, term, diagram and example you can remember. Do not worry about neatness or order. Stop when you run dry.
  • Check with a different colour. Open your notes and add everything you missed or got wrong in red or green.
  • Blurt again later. The next day, blurt the same topic onto a fresh page. Your coloured additions show you exactly what to focus on.

    • Why It Works

  • Retrieval, not recognition. You have to produce the information, not just nod along to it.
  • Instant gap map. The coloured pen shows your weak spots at a glance.
  • Fast. One round takes 20 to 30 minutes, which makes it perfect for revision weeks.

    • Tips

  • Keep your blurt pages. Comparing first and later attempts is a confidence boost and a progress check.
  • Use it with a mind map. Some students blurt in the shape of a mind map, with the topic in the middle and branches for each sub-idea.
  • Do not blurt straight after reading. Wait at least a few minutes, or do another topic in between, so you are recalling rather than copying from short-term memory.

    • When Not to Use It

    Blurting is a revision tool. For material you have never learned properly, start by understanding it first (the Feynman Technique helps), then blurt to lock it in.

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