Free Tool · 2 minutes
Study Method Finder
Most study advice tells you the one method that works. There isn't one. The right method depends on what kind of material you're facing and how you'll be tested on it — so answer six questions and get a match.
The tool itself needs no signup — your answers stay in your browser and are never stored. The optional guide further down does ask for an email.
Question 1 of 6
Your match
How to run it this week
Study Better, Not Longer
The guide behind this tool: how to diagnose what's actually going wrong, all four methods in detail, a weekly template, and the four popular study habits worth dropping.
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The four methods, and when each one wins
| Method | Best for | Wasted on |
|---|---|---|
| Retrieval & spacing | Arbitrary facts — terminology, values, vocabulary, drug names | Material where one principle would give you the details |
| Elaboration & teach-back | Concepts with structure you need to genuinely understand | Lists that simply have to be memorised |
| Interleaved practice questions | Exams testing judgment — deciding, prioritising, applying | Early learning before you have any framework |
| Structured group study | When motivation or accountability is the real bottleneck | Material you haven't read yet — groups amplify, they don't substitute |
None of these are exotic. What people get wrong is applying one to material it doesn't suit — usually rereading (which is none of the four) on everything, or memorising material that has a structure sitting right underneath it.