Rereading a text produces better long-term retention than reading it only once.

Is it true that rereading a text produces better long-term retention than reading it only once?

Partly. One-week delayed testing found rereading outperformed single reading, and another study found rereading improved memory for causally important information, but a third study found distributed rereading gave no significant advantage over single reading at a two-day delay. The evidence covers only narrow samples and delays, not the general long-term retention claim.

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.

Reading. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading

A., R. K. & Walter, K. (2005). Rereading Effects Depend on Time of Test. eric.ed.gov. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ688037

Seban, P., Urban, K., & Sikl, R. (2024). Comparing the effectiveness of multiple text reading and rereading on knowledge retention and metacognitive accuracy. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-024-09686-4

K., M. K. & Anne, K. (2001). Rereading Strategically: The Influences of Comprehension Ability and a Prior Reading on the Memory for Expository Text.. eric.ed.gov. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ621160