Here is a strange fact about education: the study techniques most students rely on (rereading notes, highlighting passages, copying out definitions) are among the least effective methods ever tested by cognitive scientists. Decades of research have consistently shown that these feel-good strategies produce an illusion of competence without much actual retention.

The students who perform best are not necessarily the ones who study the longest. They are the ones whose methods align with how human memory actually works. And the gap between effective and ineffective studying is enormous: often the difference between remembering 80% of the material and remembering less than 20%.

This guide distills over a century of cognitive science research into six core principles. Each chapter explains a single concept, presents the evidence behind it, and shows you how to apply it to your own studying. No fluff, no hacks. Just what the research says and how to use it.