Active recall improves long-term retention more than passive rereading of the same material.

Is it true that active recall improves long-term retention more than passive rereading of the same material?

Partly. One source states that testing (active recall) yields better recall than restudying the same material, though only after about a week, and another asserts active recall improves durable learning over passive rereading. A collaborative-testing study found long-term retention similar for tested and individually reviewed questions, so the direct comparison remains only partly covered.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 3 sources for, 1 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

The Effect of Passive and Active Education Methods Applied in Repetition Activities on the Retention of Anatomical Knowledge - PMC Lock. (n.d.). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.1924

Ritchie, K. L., Rajakaruna, R., & Newton, G. (2016). Collaborative Testing Improves Performance on Long Answer Questions, and Maintains Long‐Term Retention of Course Material. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.776.7

S, J. (2026). Spaced repetition and active recall improves academic performance among pharmacy students.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2025.102510

T., S. P. & T., F. L. (1972). Acquisition and Long-Term Recall of Text Surrounding Complex Relational Sentences.. eric.ed.gov. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED064262