The best examples of review strategies for exam retention (that actually work)

Real examples of review strategies for exam retention you can start today

Let’s skip theory and go straight into real examples of review strategies for exam retention. I’ll describe what each one looks like in everyday student life, then we’ll layer in the science and timing.

Example of spaced review with a simple weekly plan

Spaced review (also called spaced repetition) means you review material several times over days and weeks, instead of one long cram session. The brain loves short, repeated encounters.

Here’s a real example of a review strategy for exam retention using spacing:

You have a biology exam in three weeks on cell structure, membranes, and metabolism.

• The day you learn cell structure: you make a one-page summary and 15 flashcards.
• The next day: you quiz yourself for 10 minutes on those flashcards.
• Three days later: another 10-minute review, focusing on cards you missed.
• One week later: a 15-minute mixed quiz on cell structure plus new material.
• Two days before the exam: a quick 10-minute review of only the hardest cards.

That’s it. Short, repeated reviews beat one 4‑hour panic session the night before.

If you want to go deeper, the Learning Scientists (a group of cognitive psychologists who translate research for students) explain spaced practice clearly: https://www.learningscientists.org/spaced-practice. Their work lines up with decades of memory research summarized by many universities, including sites like Vanderbilt University’s Center for Teaching.

When people ask for examples of review strategies for exam retention that give the biggest payoff, spaced review is always near the top of the list.

Active recall: the best example of “study less, remember more”

Active recall means you pull information out of your memory instead of staring at notes. Testing yourself is studying.

Here’s an example of active recall as a review strategy for exam retention in a history class:

• Instead of rereading the chapter on World War II, you close your book and write: “Explain three causes of World War II and how they’re connected.”
• You set a 5‑minute timer and write everything you can remember.
• Then you open your notes and textbook and check: What did I miss? What did I mix up?

That gap between what you thought you knew and what you actually knew is where learning happens.

Other examples include:

• Using flashcards properly: looking at the question, saying the answer out loud or in your head, then flipping to check.
• Covering up solutions to practice problems and trying to solve them from scratch.
• Turning headings in your notes into questions (e.g., “Causes of Inflation → What are the main causes of inflation?”) and answering them without looking.

Research from places like the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Teaching and Learning Center and the American Psychological Association supports this: frequent low‑stakes self-testing improves long-term retention more than passive review.

If you’re looking for the best examples of review strategies for exam retention that are simple but powerful, active recall is non-negotiable.

Combining spaced review and active recall (with a 2024 twist)

Most students use spaced review or active recall. The magic happens when you combine them.

Here’s a real 2024-style routine:

• You create digital flashcards in an app that supports spaced repetition.
• You add multiple-choice, short-answer, and image-based cards for your anatomy class.
• Each day, you do a 10–15 minute review, letting the app schedule cards using spacing algorithms.
• You answer every card from memory (active recall) instead of just flipping quickly.

This gives you two examples of review strategies for exam retention in one: spaced practice plus self-testing. Many students now pair this with AI-based tools that generate practice questions from their notes, then they still rely on their own brain to answer.

The key is this: technology can organize your review, but you still have to struggle a little to remember. That desirable difficulty is what makes learning stick.

Teaching others: a powerful example of a review strategy for exam retention

If you can teach it, you probably know it.

Here’s a concrete example of a review strategy for exam retention using teaching:

You’re prepping for a statistics midterm. You and a friend agree to swap topics to “teach” each other.

• You choose confidence intervals.
• You plan a 10‑minute mini-lesson: definition, formula, step-by-step example, and a common mistake.
• Without notes in front of you, you explain it to your friend like they’ve never seen it before.
• Any time you get stuck or confused, you mark that concept in your notes as “review again.”

You can do the same thing alone:

• Teach an imaginary class out loud.
• Record a short voice memo where you explain a concept, then listen back and check for gaps.
• Write a one-page “explainer” as if it’s going in a beginner’s textbook.

This is sometimes called the “Feynman Technique,” and it lines up with what learning scientists call elaborative interrogation and self-explanation—both supported by research shared by organizations like the Institute of Education Sciences.

When people ask for real examples of review strategies for exam retention that reveal what you don’t know yet, teaching is near the top.

Interleaving: mixing topics instead of batching

Interleaving means mixing different types of problems or topics in a single review session instead of doing all of one type, then all of another.

Here’s an example of interleaving as a review strategy for exam retention in a math class:

• Instead of doing 20 factoring problems in a row, you create a 15‑problem set that mixes:
  • Factoring quadratics
  • Solving linear equations
  • Simplifying expressions
  • Graphing functions

When you work through the set, your brain has to decide, “What type of problem is this, and which method fits?” That decision-making step makes your learning more flexible and exam-ready.

Other examples include:

• In a language course: mixing vocabulary, grammar, and listening practice in the same hour.
• In science: mixing conceptual questions, calculation problems, and real-world application questions.

Interleaving can feel harder and slower, but research summarized by the Learning Scientists shows that it improves long-term retention and transfer—exactly what you need for exams that don’t label questions by chapter.

If you want examples of review strategies for exam retention that mimic the unpredictability of real exams, interleaving is your friend.

Exam wrappers: turning every test into a review tool

An exam wrapper is a short reflection you do after a test to improve how you review before the next one.

Here’s a real example of an exam wrapper as a review strategy for exam retention:

Right after you get a graded chemistry exam back, you spend 10–15 minutes answering questions like:

• Which types of questions did I miss? (conceptual, calculation, multiple-choice traps)
• How did I study for this exam? (what strategies, how many hours, how far in advance)
• Where did my understanding break down? (specific topics)
• What will I change for the next exam? (more practice problems, start a week earlier, join a study group)

Then you actually do the changes you wrote down.

Many universities now encourage exam wrappers. For instance, Carnegie Mellon University’s Eberly Center provides templates that instructors use to help students reflect on their study strategies.

This might not sound like a classic “review strategy,” but it directly shapes how you review next time. It turns every test into feedback on your methods, not just your memory.

Retrieval practice with past papers and practice exams

One of the best examples of review strategies for exam retention is full-length practice under exam-like conditions.

Here’s how a student might use this in a psychology course:

• Two weeks before the exam, you gather past exams or sample questions from your instructor or textbook.
• Once or twice a week, you set a timer and answer a set of questions without notes, just like the real exam.
• You then grade your own work with the answer key or rubric and label each question: solid, shaky, or don’t know.
• Your next review sessions focus heavily on the shaky and don’t-know questions.

This is a rich example of a review strategy for exam retention because it bundles several powerful elements:

• Active recall (you’re pulling answers from memory)
• Spaced practice (you’re doing this over days or weeks)
• Feedback (you see immediately what’s right or wrong)
• Exam simulation (you practice timing and stamina)

Organizations like the College Board encourage this kind of practice for AP exams, and research on high-stakes tests consistently shows that practice tests improve performance more than extra reading.

Using structured note review: Cornell notes and “one-page sheets”

Another practical example of review strategies for exam retention is structured note review—not just rereading, but reorganizing.

Imagine you’re using Cornell notes in a sociology class:

• During lecture, you take notes in the right-hand column.
• After class, you write key questions or cues in the left-hand column.
• Before the exam, you cover the right side and try to answer each cue from memory.

This turns your notes into a built-in quiz system.

Or you might create one-page review sheets for each chapter:

• Main ideas at the top in your own words
• Key formulas or definitions in the middle
• A few example problems or applications at the bottom

When you review, you test yourself on that one page, then flip it over and try to reconstruct the big ideas without looking.

This kind of structured note review is another example of a review strategy for exam retention that combines organization with active recall.

How to choose the best examples of review strategies for exam retention for YOU

You do not need to use every strategy at once. That’s how people burn out and go back to cramming.

Instead, think of these as tools in a toolbox. For your next exam cycle, you might:

• Use spaced review with active recall flashcards three times a week.
• Add one teaching session (to a friend or to your wall) for the hardest topic.
• Do one practice test under timed conditions 3–5 days before the exam.
• Finish with a short exam wrapper afterward to adjust your plan.

Over time, you’ll discover your personal best examples of review strategies for exam retention—the ones that give you the most score improvement per minute of effort.

A few guiding questions:

• Do I remember more when I talk things out loud or when I write them down?
• Do I get more benefit from short daily sessions or longer blocks twice a week?
• Which strategies make me feel mentally tired in a good way (that “worked out” feeling)? Those are usually the ones that build memory.

Quick FAQ about review strategies and exam retention

Q: What are some simple examples of review strategies for exam retention I can use if I’m short on time?
If you’re busy, focus on three: short spaced sessions (10–15 minutes), active recall (flashcards or self-quizzing), and one practice set of exam-style questions before test day. Even if you study only 20–30 minutes a day, breaking it into spaced, quiz-focused sessions will beat one big cram.

Q: Can you give an example of a one-week review plan before an exam?
Yes. Seven days out: list exam topics and gather notes. Six to four days out: daily 20–30 minute sessions using active recall (flashcards, practice problems), plus one short teaching session. Three to two days out: one longer practice test or mixed problem set under timed conditions. Day before: light review of mistakes and hardest topics, then sleep. This is a practical example of a review strategy for exam retention that respects your energy.

Q: Are digital tools better for review, or should I stick to paper?
Neither is automatically better. Digital tools can automate spaced review and give you quick access anywhere. Paper can reduce distractions and may help some people encode information more deeply when they write it out. Many students do both: digital flashcards for spaced repetition and paper for summaries, diagrams, and teaching notes.

Q: How far in advance should I start using these examples of review strategies for exam retention?
For big exams, two to three weeks is a good target, but even starting one week ahead with daily active recall is better than a last-minute cram. The earlier you start, the shorter your sessions can be while still building strong memory.

Q: What if I try these and my grades don’t improve right away?
That’s normal. You’re not just learning content; you’re learning how to learn. Use an exam wrapper after each test to adjust: Did you actually use active recall, or did you slip back into rereading? Did you space your review or bunch it at the end? Small tweaks each exam cycle add up.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: good review feels a little uncomfortable. When you reach for an answer and it doesn’t come easily, that’s your brain building stronger connections. Use spaced review, active recall, teaching, interleaving, practice exams, and structured note review as your core toolkit, and you’ll turn studying from a guessing game into a repeatable process that actually sticks.