Rereading feels productive, but creates a false sense of mastery. When rereading material, it may seem like you’re improving your understanding. But that feeling often stems from recognition, not actual comprehension or retention. This leads to overestimating what you truly remember — a classic learning illusion. Example: A student rereads their notes multiple times before a test and feels confident. During the exam, they’re unable to apply the knowledge in a meaningful way.
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Karpicke, J. D., & Roediger, H. L. (2008). The critical importance of retrieval for learning. Science, 319(5865), 966–968.