Common misconceptions about practice

Many students believe they practice effectively by flipping through notes or working on problems repeatedly without reflection. Some students may even say that cramming right before a test has worked for them repeatedly, but that is not the case. These habits are often ineffective because they involve passive review rather than active reconstruction.

So what is the difference between good and bad practice?

Bad practice is seen as flipping through notes front to end without giving yourself adequate time to process things, and working through things you already know well. This is called naive practice.

On the other hand, effective practice requires deliberate practice, which focuses on areas you are not yet proficient in. This involves leaving your comfort zone, practicing what you’re bad at, and actively fixing mistakes. This is called deliberate practice.

What role do mistakes have in this?

Mistakes are crucial because your brain detects errors via error-related negativity and error-positive signals. What this means is that your brain recognizes a mistake before you do, and if you do not recognize the mistake and fix it, your brain will adapt to thinking it is now normal. This can become a big problem because your brain will try and make these mistakes normal. The best way to stop this from happening is recognizing and fixing mistakes so that it can lead to better learning and prevents normalization of errors. 

Motivation and success ratios

Practice should aim for roughly 80% success; less than that leads to frustration, and more than that may not challenge you enough. When practicing, focus on problems that are moderately challenging, nothing too easy or too hard.

So when should you study?

This is all a matter of spacing and interleaving. Interleaving is like when you cram before a test, you get a good score but that is only because your short term memory holds on to that information just long enough for you to remember it for the test but not long enough to truly retain that information. Spacing, on the other hand, is when you study every time you start to forget. Study sessions are like this too and should be spaced out just before you start to forget; this enhances retention and allows you to remember more of the information for a longer period of time.Things like interleaved practice and spreading out study topics produces better long-term learning than cramming.

Active engagement

Practice involves selecting relevant information, organizing it meaningfully, and integrating new knowledge into existing mental frameworks. Techniques like explaining concepts to others, generating questions, and modeling mistakes reinforce learning. 

Overcoming barriers

Many people, especially students, avoid deliberate practice because they don’t see immediate success or believe it’s ineffective. Some people may even think it takes up too much of their time or it’s a waste of effort. Motivation can be improved by creating opportunities for self-assessment, recording mistakes, and practicing independence, such as dancing or sports.

Extra practical tips

• Practice should be active, focused, and deliberate. 
• Use feedback, embrace mistakes, and aim for the “sweet spot” of challenge (80% success). 
• Avoid passive review, like flipping through notes or copying without reflection.
• Incorporate variety and spacing in study routines to maximize retention and understanding.