There are tons and tons of study methods out there, but very few are as effective as the SQ3R method. However, it isn’t a very popular study technique, so it you haven’t heard of it before, then here’s your guide to it!
- What is SQ3R?
- Survey
- Question
- Read
- Recall
- Review
What is SQ3R?
SQ3R is a study method that can help you remember more of what you read since just passively reading a textbook isn’t very helpful. SQ3R stands for survey, question, read, recall, and review.
Survey
First of all, don’t start reading the textbook! Instead, skim it really quickly. Try to notice the subheadings, the graphs and images, as well as any information that is in bold or underlined. This can give you a brief overview of what the topic is about, helping you get a basis for your understanding.
Question
Based on the information you’ve gathered by skimming the book, start to form questions for yourself about the topic. These can be really complex and detailed, but in their simplest form, a question can just be “what is this subheading about”.
Read
Now, read the textbook thoroughly. But don’t just passively absorb the information presented there – as you’re reading, try to find answers to the questions you’ve just written for yourself. But don’t write down the answers just yet! That comes in the next step 🙂
Recall
You’ve finished reading the textbook, and now comes the active recall part of this method. Close your book, and try to answer as many of the questions you wrote as possible. Do this without looking at the textbook, and try to write the answers in your own words.
Review
Finally, review what you’ve learnt. You can do this by checking if you answered the questions correctly, re-reading the textbook to help you with some concepts you don’t understand fully, or re-reading your questions and answers.
