Short answer: Active recall means trying to produce an answer from memory before you look at it. Studies suggest it builds longer-lasting memory than re-reading, even though re-reading feels easier and more productive. For licensing exams, mix recall with explanations: attempt first, then read, then try again later.
Why rereading feels so good
Read the same page twice and the second pass is smooth. Words are familiar, the layout is familiar, and you nod along. That smoothness is a feeling of recognition. It is not the same as being able to produce the answer on a blank screen.
In exams you are never shown the page again. You are shown a question and four or five options, and you must pull the right idea out of memory. Practice that matches this, trying to retrieve, builds the skill the exam asks for.
What the research shows
Roediger and Karpicke (2006) had students study passages and then either re-study or take recall tests. Straight after, re-studying looked better. A week later, the students who had been tested remembered more. A later study by Karpicke and Blunt (2011) compared retrieval practice with making concept maps, and the retrieval group did better at a one-week test, including on questions that needed inference.
In a randomised trial of medical residents, Larsen, Butler and Roediger (2009) found that repeated testing gave better retention at six months than repeated study of the same material. The numbers vary between studies and these are not exam-pass guarantees, but the direction is consistent: trying to remember is a strong way to learn.
Dunlosky and colleagues (2013) reviewed ten common study techniques and rated practice testing and spaced practice as the most useful, and rereading and highlighting as low in utility.
How to turn notes into recall
You do not need special software. Take a page of notes you have already read and do one of these.
- Cover the page and write what you remember as a list, then check the gaps.
- Turn each heading into a question and answer it aloud.
- Use flashcards for discrete facts, such as an antidote or a normal range.
- Do a short set of practice questions on the topic before you read about it again.
- Teach the topic to an imaginary colleague in two minutes.
Getting it wrong is part of the method
Recall works best when you make an honest attempt, even a bad one, and then check. If you glance at the answer before trying, you lose most of the benefit. This is uncomfortable. It can feel as if a recall session is going badly because you miss things. A session in which you miss things is often one in which learning is happening.
Feedback matters, so read the explanation after each attempt. The page on how to review answer explanations covers what to look for.
Is reading still useful?
Yes. You cannot recall what you have never learned, and some topics need first exposure through a chapter, a lecture or a worked case. The research does not say never read. It says do not use re-reading as your main method once you have met the material.
A workable pattern for a new topic: read it once with attention, close it, recall what you can, check the gaps, and move on. Come back for another recall attempt after a day or two. That combines recall with spaced repetition.
Three worked examples of recall in practice
These show how to turn a topic into a recall exercise without special tools.
Example one, a physiology topic such as the causes of hyponatraemia. Read the section once. Close the book. Write a heading and list the causes you can remember, grouped by volume status if you can. Open the book and compare. The gaps are the things to study, and they are usually not the things you expected.
Example two, a drug class such as anticoagulants. Say out loud, without notes, the main drugs, how each is monitored, the main risk and the reversal agent. Check against your formulary. Make a card for any link you could not produce.
Example three, a process such as the steps of a safe blood transfusion. Write the steps as a numbered list from memory, then compare with your policy. Missing steps are the ones that matter most, because in a real question you will be asked what comes first or what was missed.
Common objections
People raise the same doubts again and again, and they deserve a plain answer.
“I don’t know enough yet to test myself.” Testing before you know a topic is still useful, because the attempt shows you what to look for when you read. If it feels too hard, do a short recall after your first read instead.
“It feels slower.” In the short term it often is. Studies such as Roediger and Karpicke (2006) found that students who re-read felt more confident but remembered less after a week. Feeling fluent is not the same as knowing.
“I get too many wrong.” That is part of the process. Aim to be right about two-thirds of the time on a new set, so that you are working at the edge of what you know. If you are right every time, the material is too easy, and if you are right a quarter of the time, go back to your notes and shorten the set.
“I have no time.” Recall can replace some of your reading time rather than add to it. Ten minutes of recall on yesterday’s topic often teaches more than ten minutes of re-reading it.
Recall in clinical reasoning, not only facts
Recall is not limited to flashcard facts. You can recall a reasoning path: given a patient with chest pain and a particular ECG, say aloud the differential, the first investigation and the first action. Then check your answer against a guideline or a worked case. Doing this for ten common presentations is a more realistic form of practice than re-reading the management chapter.
A useful exercise is the blank-page differential. Take a symptom such as shortness of breath, write every cause you can think of in two minutes, then group them by system and add the red flags for each. Open your notes and mark what you missed. The notes you now read will stick better, because you know what you were missing.
Recall with a study partner
If you can find a colleague preparing for the same exam, take turns asking each other short questions across the table or on a call. One person asks, the other answers without notes, and the asker checks. The rule is that the asker must know the answer from the explanation, not make it up. Fifteen minutes of this after a shift tends to be more engaging than silent reading, and it forces you to put things into words, which is a good test of understanding. Keep it to facts and short reasoning, and finish by noting the points you both missed.
A sample week
Monday: read one topic, recall it, add six cards. Tuesday: review cards, then a 20-question set on yesterday’s topic. Wednesday: new topic, same routine. Thursday: cards plus a mixed set on Monday and Wednesday topics. Friday: review misses only. Saturday: a longer timed block. Sunday: rest or very light card review.
This is one example for someone with 60 to 90 minutes on weekdays. If you work nights, the night-shift study guide shows how to shift it.
Frequently asked questions
This article is general educational guidance, not official advice. Exam rules, fees and timelines are set by the Dubai Health Authority and the test provider and can change, so always confirm the latest details on their official channels.
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