10 Best Study Techniques to Improve Your Grades in 2026

Spending more hours with a textbook does not automatically mean you are learning more.

You can reread the same chapter several times and still struggle to recall the information when the exam arrives. A better approach is to use study methods that make you retrieve information, spread practice over time, and test whether you can actually use what you have learned.

Research on learning techniques gives particularly strong support to practice testing (retrieval practice) and distributed practice, while techniques such as interleaving and self-explanation can also be useful in the right situations. Other popular methods, including fixed study timers, are better treated as practical tools rather than universally proven ways to improve grades.

Here are 10 study techniques you can use in 2026, along with practical ways to apply them.

1. Active Recall — One of the Strongest Evidence-Based Methods

Active recall means trying to retrieve information from memory instead of simply reading it again.

This is closely related to practice testing, which has received a high-utility assessment in a major review of learning techniques. Retrieval practice can be used with flashcards, practice questions, blank-page exercises, or simply explaining an answer without looking at your notes.

How to use active recall

1. Read a small section of your material.
2. Close the book or notes.
3. Write or say what you remember.
4. Check your answer against the original material.
5. Review the parts you missed.
6. Try recalling them again later.

For example, instead of rereading a biology definition five times, close the textbook and ask yourself: “What is this process, and what are its main steps?”

Best for: Facts, definitions, concepts, vocabulary and exam preparation.

2. Spaced Practice — Study Over Several Days

Spacing means distributing study sessions over time instead of doing all your preparation in one sitting.

A major review of learning research rated distributed practice as a high-utility technique, with benefits across different learners and learning tasks.

You do not need to follow one perfect schedule. The basic idea is to return to important material after some time has passed.

For example:

• Learn a topic on Monday.
• Test yourself again on Wednesday.
• Review it again several days later.
• Return to it again before the exam.

The exact interval can vary depending on how difficult the material is and how long you need to remember it.

Best for: Long-term retention and subjects with lots of factual material.

3. Use Timed Study Blocks to Manage Focus

The Pomodoro Technique traditionally uses a 25-minute work period followed by a short break. It can be a convenient way to create a clear starting point when a large assignment feels overwhelming.

However, the research does not show that the classic 25/5 schedule is universally better for learning. Recent studies comparing structured and self-regulated breaks have produced mixed findings, including research where there was no overall difference in productivity or learning outcomes.

That does not make timed study useless. It simply means you should treat the timer as a focus-management tool, not a guaranteed grade-improvement technique.

Try:

• 25 minutes of focused work + 5-minute break
• 40 minutes of work + 10-minute break
• Or another schedule that fits your attention span

Best for: Starting difficult tasks and managing distractions.

4. Self-Explanation — Explain the Idea in Your Own Words

The popular “Feynman Technique” is essentially a simple form of explaining a concept in plain language.

The basic idea is useful: if you cannot explain an idea clearly without relying heavily on the textbook’s wording, you may need to examine your understanding more closely.

Try this:

1. Write the name of the concept.
2. Explain it using simple language.
3. Identify the parts you cannot explain.
4. Check your notes or textbook.
5. Rewrite the explanation more clearly.
6. Test yourself again without looking.

This is especially useful for concepts where memorizing a definition is not enough.

Research reviews place self-explanation among promising techniques, although the evidence base is not as strong or general as it is for practice testing and distributed practice.

Best for: Understanding difficult concepts rather than memorizing isolated facts.

5. Interleaving — Mix Related Problem Types

Interleaving means practicing different but related types of problems rather than completing every problem of one type before moving to another.

For example, instead of solving 20 identical mathematics problems and then switching topics, you might mix several types of problems that require different formulas or approaches.

The benefit can be that you have to decide which method applies before solving the problem.

Research on interleaving is promising, particularly in some mathematics and problem-solving settings, but it is not equally effective for every subject or learner. A major review rated it as having moderate utility and noted that the evidence base is smaller than for practice testing and distributed practice.

Best for: Mathematics, problem solving and subjects where you need to distinguish between different methods.

6. Create a Study Environment With Fewer Distractions

Sometimes the problem is not the study technique. It is the environment.

A phone notification, social media tab or constant interruption can make it harder to stay engaged with difficult material.

Try making your study space simpler:

• Put your phone away during focused work.
• Close unnecessary browser tabs.
• Keep only the materials needed for the current task nearby.
• Use headphones if background noise is distracting.
• Choose a consistent study location when possible.

You do not need to create a perfect study room. The goal is simply to reduce unnecessary interruptions.

Best for: Students who lose study time to phones, notifications or a distracting environment.

7. Practice With Past Papers and Practice Tests

Practice tests are more than a way to check whether you are ready for an exam. They also give you practice retrieving information under conditions that are closer to assessment.

Practice testing has strong support in learning research and is one of the techniques rated highly in a major review.

Use past papers when they are available, but do not simply read the answers.

A better process is:

1. Attempt the questions without notes.
2. Mark your answers.
3. Identify exactly what you got wrong.
4. Review the relevant topic.
5. Attempt similar questions again later.

If the real exam is timed, occasionally practice under similar time constraints.

Best for: Exam preparation and identifying knowledge gaps.

8. Protect Your Sleep

Cutting sleep to create more study hours can be counterproductive.

Research reviews support a role for sleep in memory consolidation, although the effects vary according to the type of learning and memory being tested.

The amount of sleep you need also depends on age. CDC guidance recommends around 8–10 hours for teenagers and at least 7 hours for adults aged 18–60.

Instead of automatically staying up late before an exam, plan your study sessions early enough that you can maintain a reasonable sleep schedule.

Sleep is not a replacement for studying, but it is part of maintaining the conditions needed for learning and concentration.

Best for: Every student, especially during exam periods.

9. Use SQ3R for Dense Reading

SQ3R stands for:

• Survey
• Question
• Read
• Recite
• Review

It gives you a structured way to approach a long textbook chapter instead of reading every page passively.

How it works

Survey: Look at headings, diagrams, summaries and key terms.

Question: Turn headings into questions about what you expect to learn.

Read: Read the section while looking for answers.

Recite: Close the book and explain the main points in your own words.

Review: Return to the major ideas and test yourself again.

SQ3R can be a useful reading framework, particularly when a chapter feels overwhelming. However, it should not be presented as having the same level of evidence as retrieval practice or distributed practice.

Best for: Textbook chapters and information-heavy reading.

10. Build a Realistic Study Schedule

A study schedule works better when it tells you what to do, not simply how many hours to sit at a desk.

Instead of writing:

“Study biology for three hours.”

make the task more specific:

• Review Chapter 4
• Create 15 recall questions
• Complete 20 practice problems
• Check incorrect answers
• Review missed concepts tomorrow

Spread important material across multiple sessions instead of leaving everything for the final night. This combines scheduling with the stronger evidence behind distributed practice.

Also leave some space for unexpected assignments, difficult topics and final review.

Best for: Students managing several subjects or long syllabuses.

Which Study Techniques Have the Strongest Evidence?

Not all 10 techniques have the same level of research support.

The distinction matters because calling every popular study method “scientifically proven” can give students the wrong impression.

Stronger evidence

Practice testing / active recall and distributed practice have received high-utility assessments in a major review of learning techniques.

Promising but more context-dependent

Interleaving and self-explanation can be useful, but the evidence is more dependent on the learning task and conditions.

Useful study-support tools

Timed study blocks, distraction reduction, sleep routines and study scheduling can support a productive routine, but they should not all be described as equally proven learning techniques.

That distinction makes the advice more useful: you can prioritize methods with stronger evidence while using the others to make your study routine easier to manage.

How to Start Without Changing Everything

You do not need to use all 10 techniques at once.

Start with three changes:

1. Replace some rereading with active recall.
2. Spread important review across several days using spaced practice.
3. Add practice questions or past papers before the exam.

Then adjust your environment and schedule if distractions or time management are still causing problems.

The goal is not to build a complicated study system. It is to make each study session do useful work.

Final Thoughts

Better studying is not simply about adding more hours.

Some learning techniques have considerably stronger evidence than others. Practice testing and distributed practice are particularly well supported, while interleaving and self-explanation can be useful in appropriate situations.

Start with the methods that directly make you retrieve and revisit information. Then use practical tools such as timed study blocks, a distraction-free environment and a realistic schedule to make those methods easier to maintain.

Most importantly, check whether a technique is actually helping you remember and apply the material. If a study method looks productive but leaves you unable to answer questions without your notes, it may be time to change the method rather than simply study for longer.

Related reading: Put these methods into practice with our guide to the best study apps in 2026, or compare more learning tools in our overview of educational apps for adults.