Mastering the Curve of Forgetting Through the Study Cycle

Overview of the Curve of Forgetting

Hermann Ebbinghaus conducted memory experiments in the last 1800s. The curve of forgetting,
sometimes referred to as the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve represents how information is lost over time if
not revisited.

The graph to the right

shows how information
is forgotten over time
and how reviewing
increases retention of
information.

You Can Master the Curve of Forgetting by Following the Study Cycle
Preview. Before you attend class, it is important to preview the material to be covered.
• Skim the chapter, note headings, and boldface words;
• Review summaries and chapter objectives; and
• Note questions you would like answered in class.
Attend. Go to class!
• Ask questions you identified during preview.
• Make meaningful notes. Think about whether handwritten or electronic notes would be most
effective for you.
Review. Within 24 hours of attending class, it is important to review the material covered.
• Review and summarize your notes.
• Fill in any gaps that still exist by incorporating your text and any available materials.
• Identify any remaining questions you can ask during office hours.
Study. Studying is different from review.
• Repetition is key. 3 to 5 short, intense study sessions per day.
• Ask yourself questions such as why, how, and what if.
• Over the weekend, review your notes and material from the week to make connections among
concepts.
Assess. Periodically perform reality checks.
• Are you using study methods that are effective?
• Do you understand the material enough to teach it to others?
• What else can you do to strengthen your understanding?

clemson.edu/asc
Implementing the Study Cycle
Use the space below to identify how you can implement the study cycle across your courses.

Preview

Attend

Review

Study

Assess

Adapted from An epic consequence of classroom revision of

course content for first-year African engineering students.
World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education, 16(4).
Stewart, A. J. (2018). 368 – 373.
Memory Techniques: Forgetting Curve

The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve

Sometimes, we think we are going to remember everything we’ve ever learned… and
then we forget!

The graph above shows how much information we actually forget in the days or weeks
ahead.

 If the information is not reviewed, we can lose up to 60% of the information in

just one month!
 Without regularly reviewing your notes, you will remember less than 20% of
information given early in the semester when finals week arrives.

The forgetting curve is most important for your Long-Term Memory. Repetition is one
way to retain the information we have learned. The more information is repeated, the
more likely it is to stick with us. Reviewing your notes weekly can improve your
retention rate by 65%.

How can you improve your learning with information that just is not sticking? Flip
this page over to learn more!

LASSO Center 021 Classroom Building (405) 744-3309 lasso.okstate.edu

Memory Techniques: Forgetting Curve

Making Meaningful Connections

As the graph above shows, reviewing your notes regularly helps your retention, making
meaningful connections can help you remember information at a better rate than simple
memorization. There are three types of connections that can be made from your text:

Examples:

 Text-to-text: When a specific article relates to another article given to you. You
are given one article about Special Education and another article about
accommodations.
 Text-to-self: What have I experienced that relates to this article? The reading
given is about Hawaii and you can connect the information to your travels.
 Text-to-World: How does this information relate to the world? The textbook
chapter is about the start of the Oregon Trail and you learn the starting point of
this trail, along with another, such as the Silk Road.

How can you make your materials make a meaningful connection to the world around
you?

How would you institute a study plan that increases long-term memory?

How often would you need to study, and what materials will you need?

LASSO Center 021 Classroom Building (405) 744-3309 lasso.okstate.edu

Dr. John Wittman
CSU Stanislaus
The Forgetting Curve

Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850-1909) was a German psychologist who founded the experimental
psychology of memory. Ebbinghaus’ research was groundbreaking at the time, and his work (though he
was not a proliferate writer) was generally well received. In recognition of his work in psychology, the
“forgetting curve”—the loss of learned information—is sometimes referred to as the “Ebbinghaus
Forgetting Curve.”

The graph on the left shows the

process by which forgetting occurs.
According to this research, people
tend to forget rather quickly after
learning material then forgetting
slowly levels out. The implications of
this for college students is obvious—a
day or two after attending class or
reading a chapter or article, students
will have forgotten approximately 75%
of what was learned. Moreover, most
of that forgetting happens within the
first hour.

However, although the forgetting

curve is a natural process, the process itself can be disrupted. That is, although it is natural for people to
forget much of what they have learned immediately following an experience, simple processes can be
used to slow down forgetting and to
help us retain much of the information
we will need to recall at a later date
(such as test time).

Take, for example, the chart on the

right. The green line shows the
hypothetical place where the forgetting
curve would start if we had the ability
to “remember everything after a
lecture.” The blue line shows where the
forgetting curve actually starts—
around 75%. Now take a look at the red
line. This line shows a dramatic
increase in memory if students review
material. Unfortunately, it also shows that without additional intervention one day after material is
learned content is lost, and one week after, recall is almost as if the review never happened at all.
So is there a way to maintain the initial recall after review? Yes, you simply have to keep at it. While an
initial review of material will help you
remember in the short term, reviewing
material multiple times and at
different intervals will help you retain
it for much longer.

The chart on the left shows how

review affects memory. You can see
that every time you review material
you both retain much more
information, and your forgetting curve
steadies out at a much higher level.
Each time you review material you
take much more away. Research
indicates that the minimum amount of
review is three.

Advice on Review
Much of college life is about being accountable for the ideas you learn as a student. In order to be
accountable, you have to be able to retain and recall information when you need it. Sometimes that
recall will be for tests, sometimes for conducting research, and other times for writing. Whether you
need to recall information from a lecture, from a textbook you read for class, or from research you have
done on your own, most students find it much easier to recall information when they have reviewed
material systematically. Below is advice about how to review.

 The first thing you have to do is to take well-crafted notes on material—this includes anything
you want to remember well such as a lecture, a chapter from a textbook, an article from the
library, etc. Without something to review from, reviewing would be impossible (taking notes will
be covered in another assignment).
 Right after class has ended or you have finished reading something, make a plan to review the
material. Remember, don’t wait too long before your first review. Try to review within at least
an hour. It’s good to take the opportunity on your first review to organize notes. You can
synthesize or expand ideas as you see fit or type your notes in something like Google Docs so
you have easy access to them—whatever you think will make it easier for you to keep at it.
 One week later, review again and test yourself on your recall. This will tell you how effective
your review is.
 A few weeks to a month later, review and test yourself again.

Reviewing information three times should give you a good start at overcoming the Forgetting Curve. As
you mature as a college student, you may find that other methods work a little better for you, so you
are encouraged to experiment. And, finally, always keep in mind that recall isn’t just about doing well on
tests. Much of the information you learn in college will be useful to you for years to come.