Glossary
Testing Effect
What is the testing effect?
The testing effect, also called the retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning, is the finding that retrieving information can improve later memory for it. A test can do more than measure what you know: it can help you remember.
How it works
Retrieval practice often improves delayed retention compared with additional study. The benefit depends on factors such as timing, whether retrieval succeeds, feedback, and what the learner would otherwise do. Feedback can correct errors, but it is not required for every testing effect.
Examples of the testing effect
Education
Trying to answer a flashcard before turning it over practices retrieval. Simply reading both sides is a different activity. Rowland's meta-analysis found larger benefits from initial recall tests than from recognition tests.
Professional training
Asking trainees to recall a procedure can give them retrieval practice. Remembering the procedure and performing it well in an emergency are different outcomes; the second needs to be tested directly.
Healthcare
Asking someone to recall instructions can both check and practice remembering. A memory benefit alone does not establish better treatment adherence or health outcomes.
Why it matters
Remembering is part of learning. Low-stakes self-testing offers a way to practice it instead of spending all study time rereading.
Limits and common misunderstandings
Retrieval practice is different from high-stakes examinations. Better recall does not automatically mean deeper understanding or successful use of knowledge in a new situation.