The StudyDone Blog

Study smarter, backed by science

Practical, research-backed guides on memory, exam prep, and study techniques that actually work.

Memory science · · 8 min read

Spaced Repetition

Memory decays on a predictable curve, and reviewing at the right moments flattens it. How spaced repetition works and how to run it toward an exam date.

Read the guide

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Tools & apps

Best Quizlet Alternatives

Quizlet now locks Learn rounds and practice tests behind a subscription. Ten alternatives compared honestly, from free-forever Anki to AI-first tools.

· 10 min read

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Tools & apps

Best AI Flashcard Apps

Eight AI flashcard apps compared on what matters: not just generation quality, but whether the app schedules reviews so the cards actually stick.

· 9 min read

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Tools & apps

Anki vs Quizlet

Anki is free and brutally effective; Quizlet is polished but paywalled. A head-to-head on scheduling, interface, price, and which fits your studying.

· 9 min read

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Subject guides

How to Memorize Vocabulary

Word lists fail because recognition isn't recall. Here's how to memorize vocabulary with spaced repetition, two-way cards, sentences, and keyword mnemonics.

· 7 min read

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Subject guides

How to Study for Nursing Exams

Nursing exams test judgment, not recall. Learn to dissect NCLEX-style stems, use ABCs and Maslow as study lenses, and manage huge volume across courses.

· 7 min read

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Subject guides

How to Study for Organic Chemistry

Orgo is a skills course, not a memorization contest. Build reaction maps, draw mechanisms from scratch, and practice synthesis problems the way exams test them.

· 7 min read

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Subject guides

How to Study Pharmacology

Stop memorizing drugs one at a time. Learn pharmacology by class and suffix, chain mechanism to side effects, and keep it all with cumulative spaced review.

· 7 min read

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Subject guides

How to Study Anatomy

Anatomy buries students in volume. Here's how to learn it with blank diagrams, blurting, mnemonics that stick, and a spaced review plan that lasts all semester.

· 7 min read

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Exam prep

What to Do the Night Before an Exam

A night-before-the-exam script: a short recall-only review, logistics prep, why sleep beats studying past a threshold, and a morning routine that works.

· 6 min read

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Exam prep

How to Memorize Fast for a Test

A fast-memorization toolkit for test week: retrieval sprints, chunking, mnemonics, the method of loci, and same-day spaced reviews that beat re-reading.

· 6 min read

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Exam prep

How to Study for an Exam in One Day

One day before the exam? An hour-by-hour plan that triages the topics worth the most marks, runs recall sprints with real breaks, and protects your sleep.

· 6 min read

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Exam prep

How to Study for an Exam in a Week

A day-by-day 7-day exam plan: turn notes into questions on days 1-2, run spaced reviews and practice on days 3-5, mock exam day 6, light review day 7.

· 6 min read

a laptop sits on a desk

Exam prep

How to Cram for an Exam

Cramming is damage control, but done right it works. How to triage topics, why recall beats re-reading overnight, plus honest 6-hour and 12-hour plans.

· 7 min read

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Exam prep

How to Study for Finals

A study coach's 2-3 week finals plan: audit every course, rank by grade weight, build a backwards calendar, and mix daily recall with practice problems.

· 8 min read

white braille paper on brown wooden table

Study schedules

1-Week Study Plan for an Exam

A ready-to-use 7-day exam study plan with day-by-day tables in two versions, light at 2 hours a day and intensive at 5, plus how to adapt it to your course.

· 6 min read

silver iMac on brown wooden desk

Study schedules

How Many Hours Should I Study a Day

Honest ranges for semester weeks, finals, and entrance exams, why recall-based hours beat long passive ones, and how to tell if your time is working.

· 6 min read

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Memory science

Blurting Method

Write everything you remember on a blank page, then check your notes. Why blurting works, a step-by-step walkthrough, and when flashcards beat it.

· 6 min read

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Study schedules

How to Make a Study Schedule

Build a study schedule that survives real life: work backward from exam dates, audit your material, and mix new learning with spaced review. Sample plan inside.

· 8 min read

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Memory science

Pomodoro Technique for Studying

The 25/5 Pomodoro method helps you start when you can't and stop before you burn out. When it works, when it backfires, and what to put inside the timer.

· 6 min read

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Flashcards & notes

How Many Flashcards Per Day

A sustainable answer with the math behind it: how many new flashcards to add daily, what review debt looks like, and how to adjust for your exam date.

· 6 min read

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Memory science

Feynman Technique

Explain a concept in plain words and your gaps surface immediately. The four steps of the Feynman technique, a worked example, and where the method stops.

· 6 min read

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Flashcards & notes

Cornell Note-Taking Method

How the Cornell layout works, how the cue column turns ordinary notes into a self-testing tool, and how to convert Cornell pages into flashcards.

· 6 min read

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Flashcards & notes

How to Study with Flashcards

Writing flashcards is half the job. How to review them well: honest self-grading, spaced sessions, shuffling, and fixing cards you keep missing.

· 6 min read

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Memory science

Best Study Methods

A ranked review of common study techniques based on the research, from practice testing and spaced practice at the top to highlighting near the bottom.

· 6 min read

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Flashcards & notes

How to Make Good Flashcards

Most flashcards fail at the writing stage. Learn the one-fact-per-card rule, recall vs recognition, and see good and bad card examples by subject.

· 8 min read

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Memory science

Active Recall

Re-reading feels productive and barely works. Active recall, testing yourself from memory, is what builds durable knowledge. Seven ways to practice it tonight.

· 6 min read

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Memory science

Forgetting Curve

Ebbinghaus showed memory decays fast at first, then levels off. What his curve actually says, why it still replicates, and how review timing flattens it.

· 6 min read

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