What Learning Research Says About Study Habits
Practice testing and spaced study received high utility ratings in a broad research review, while rereading and highlighting received low ratings and did not consistently improve performance. These general findings do not prove a particular SAT calendar.
Start with what the evidence covers
The research behind this article is about learning across school subjects, not about the SAT specifically. That matters. The findings can help a family choose stronger study habits, but they do not guarantee an SAT result or prove one schedule for one test date.
A 2013 review of learning techniques gave practice testing and distributed practice high utility ratings, because they benefit learners of different ages and abilities and have been shown to boost performance across many kinds of tasks and in real educational settings.
A separate practice guide for teachers, published by the Institute of Education Sciences, recommended spacing learning over time and using quizzing to promote learning, with active retrieval at all phases of the learning process.
Which habits rated high, and which rated low
Practice testing means answering questions or retrieving information instead of only reading material again. The review placed it in its high-utility group, alongside distributed practice, which means spreading study out over time.
Five techniques received low utility ratings: summarization, highlighting, the keyword mnemonic, imagery use for text learning, and rereading. The authors noted that most students report rereading and highlighting, yet these techniques do not consistently boost performance, and they suggested using other techniques in their place, for example practice testing instead of rereading.
A low rating does not mean a student may never underline a phrase or look back at a passage. It does mean students should not rely mainly on them. A useful question for a parent to ask is: after reading that, can you close the page and explain or solve it?
Three other techniques, elaborative interrogation, self-explanation and interleaved practice, received moderate ratings. A family does not need to learn the labels. A parent can ask the student to recall the material or explain an answer without looking at the notes.
What spacing does and does not tell you
The practice guide's first recommendation is to space learning over time. It specifically suggests reviewing key elements of course content after a delay of several weeks to several months after the material is first presented.
That is general direction. It does not specify how to schedule preparation for the SAT. The guide covers instruction and study in general, and its delays are measured in weeks to months. It does not say how a particular student should divide the days left before a particular test date. If the test is close, avoid assuming that a compressed plan works the same way as the longer gaps the guide describes.
One option is to plan backward from the test date, with repeated retrieval practice and a later review of missed material. Spacing is not the same as waiting: the guide pairs it with quizzing and active retrieval, so a student can return to an earlier topic and try it before reopening their notes. After the attempt, the student can review whatever they could not retrieve.
A routine a family can use
Start each study conversation with evidence from the student's own work: what could they recall without help, which problem types still feel shaky, and which earlier mistakes came back? Then pick a later day to try those items again.
Highlighting and rereading may feel productive, but the 2013 review rated both as low utility and found that they do not consistently improve performance. Invite your child to turn a marked passage or a worked example into a question, then answer it without looking.
Treat a missed retrieval attempt as information about what to review, not as a reason to criticize. If your child works with a tutor or uses a program, ask how practice is spaced, how earlier material returns, and what the student does before seeing an answer.
The safe conclusion is modest: broad learning research favors practice testing and distributed practice over relying on rereading and highlighting. It supports spacing and active retrieval as general habits. It does not establish a specific SAT schedule or promise a score.
How we apply this. OC Study applies these ideas through a daily personalized study plan, spaced review of missed questions, and a mistake journal.
Sources
- Psychological Science in the Public Interest. Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions From Cognitive and Educational Psychology (Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, Willingham) (2013). Accessed October 3, 2026.
- Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning (IES Practice Guide, Pashler et al.) (2007-09). Accessed October 3, 2026.
Quotes and figures were checked against these sources on October 3, 2026. Findings from general research are not guarantees for any individual student.