The neuroscience of memory — and what it means for exams

Memory is not a recording device. Every time you retrieve information, you rebuild it — and that act of rebuilding is what strengthens the memory trace.

This is why testing yourself beats re-reading, why sleep matters more than late-night cramming, and why interleaving topics feels harder but works better.

In lessons I structure sessions around retrieval: we focus heavily on practice questions, forcing your mind to actively recall information