Hold Yourself Accountable While Studying (and After)

It’s easy to read or hear something and tell yourself that you’ll remember it. For example, how many times have you looked at your weekly schedule to find a meeting time? Say you see that you wrote down 5 p.m. for the meeting time. If you forget the time as soon as you close your calendar, you are a victim of passive reading. The meeting time seemed simple to remember, but you did nothing active to help yourself remember it.

So, instead of just looking at the meeting time, read it and then ask yourself the time as you close your schedule. If you can recall that the meeting is at 5 p.m., then you know that you understood what you read, and you’ll remember the meeting time. As an added step, 30 seconds after you close your schedule, ask yourself again. By again recalling the time, you maximize your chances of remembering. You must take as active an approach as possible to your learning; you cannot be a passive participant.

This technique applies to your GMAT prep. When you read something, don’t let the information simply wash over you. Remember that just reading some material will result in very poor learning retention rates. Instead, check in with yourself regularly to ensure that you’re understanding and retaining what you’re reading.

For example, imagine that you have just read the definition of the least common multiple for the first time. Before you continue reading, take a moment and ask yourself to recite the definition. Then, some time later, recite the definition again. This strategy keeps you honest and helps ensure you’re actually learning, not just reading.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep