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Have you ever taken psychology courses in college, whether as a major, a minor, or just out of curiosity?
Do you think psychology courses are challenging?
Did you know that you can use what you’ve learned in psychology to learn psychology more efficiently?
Discover 3 study techniques for your college psychology courses.
Skills Needed
In college, psychology courses usually have highly diverse assessment methods, including essays, reports, exams, presentations, etc.
If you're a psychology major, you'll typically take about 5 courses per semester, with two or three of them being psychology-related. Each week, you'll spend roughly 8 to 20 hours studying psychology (depending on your program and course requirements!)
To succeed in college psychology courses, you need strong skills in:
Time management: There will be plenty of reading and assignments, so it’s important to manage your time effectively. ⏰
Memory: Psychology courses pack in lots of concepts and terms to memorize. Spelling mistakes usually won’t cost you marks, but getting them right makes your work easier to read. 🧠
Comprehension: Psychology courses involve heavy reading, so strong comprehension skills are essential. 📚
Organizational skills: If you conduct experiments or write reports, you need to organize data, references, and findings systematically to ensure accuracy and clarity. ⚙️
Creativity: Creativity helps you connect theories across different areas of psychology, gain deeper insights, and craft stronger essays. 💡
The Pomodoro, Leitner, and Blurting study techniques can:
improve time management by structuring study sessions
strengthen memory through spaced repetition and active recall
enhance comprehension by forcing you to explain concepts
build organizational skills for efficient planning
Together, these study techniques make studying more focused and effective.
1. The Pomodoro Study Technique
The Pomodoro technique was created by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.
Using a tomato-shaped kitchen timer, he broke study sessions into 25-minute blocks called “pomodoros,” followed by short breaks. He found that this 25-minute period is ideal for maintaining focus and concentration without feeling overwhelmed.
This simple system turned overwhelming tasks into manageable chunks and became one of the most popular time management methods worldwide.
Image created by the author using Microsoft Copilot
This study technique is especially effective for tackling large workloads, such as reviewing an entire semester’s content, because it allows you to break overwhelming tasks into smaller chunks and avoid burnout.
Learn more about Pomodoro technique.
Take an example:
You’re taking two courses, Developmental and Cognitive Psychology, this semester.
Want to review efficiently in one afternoon with the Pomodoro technique?
Start with Developmental Psychology — study for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. ✔
Repeat 4 times, then enjoy a longer break. ✔
Switch to Cognitive Psychology and follow the same cycle. ✔
Small breaks keep your brain fresh and focused!
Image created by the author via Microsoft PowerPoint. To hear an audio description of the image above, click the play button on the audio player below.
2. The Leitner System Study Technique
Sebastian Leitner invented the “Leitner System" in the 1970's, using flashcards to enhance learning efficiency.
The Leitner System uses spaced repetition by sorting cards into boxes based on how well you know them. Cards you struggle with are reviewed more often, while easier ones appear less frequently.
There are lots of apps that include this study technique, prioritizing the content you need to review based on your accuracy.
If you answer correctly, that item will appear less often or almost disappear.
If you answer incorrectly, it will show up more frequently, forcing you to review and memorize it again.
Quizlet is a great tool for psychology students who need to memorize concepts. You can create your own card sets or share them with friends. And "Learn mode" tracks your answers. If you miss something, it shows up more often until you master it.
Check out this real-time psychology example:
Video courtesy of the author. To hear an audio description of the video above, click the play button on the audio player below.
Plus, fun games like matching keep learning interesting. Quizlet has many features for you to explore freely!
Quiz
Which of the following statements about the Leitner System for learning is correct?
The Leitner System is based on spaced repetition, which means reviewing information at increasing intervals. In this system, cards you find difficult are reviewed more frequently, while cards you know well appear less often.
Did you know?
Psychologists have found that the spacing effect, which means spreading out initial learning and later review over time, leads to better learning than cramming, even when total study time is the same. Spaced repetition significantly improves memory, problem-solving, and the ability to transfer knowledge to new situations.
3. The Blurting Method Study Technique
The Blurting Method involves writing down everything you remember about a topic without looking at your notes, then checking for gaps in your knowledge.
Image created by the author via Microsoft PowerPoint
This technique is great for essay preparation because it trains you to recall and organize ideas quickly, making it easier to structure your arguments and spot gaps in your knowledge.
It is also a good helper for final exam review. When you’re staring at your notes and don’t know where to start, this method helps you build a clear roadmap in minutes and figure out which topics deserve your focus. You’ll know exactly what to tackle first.
Use What You Learn to Learn
The ultimate goal of psychology is to improve people’s lives. As a psychology student, you can apply cognitive principles to your own study habits.
Study techniques like spaced repetition and active recall are grounded in psychological research on memory and learning.
By practicing these strategies, you’re not just studying. In fact, you’re experiencing psychology in action!
Quiz
Maya has an essay that requires her to combine concepts she learned during the first half of the semester. Which study method would best help her prepare?
The Blurting Method focuses on active recall and expressing ideas in your own words, which is ideal for organizing and synthesizing concepts for an essay. The Leitner System is better for memorizing facts, and the Pomodoro Technique helps manage time, not content integration.
Take Action
Starting today, apply these study techniques to your psychology course learning!
This Byte has been authored by
Jiaxi Wu
Administrative Assistant
MED