# Study with active recall

URL: https://gocutline.com/playbooks/study-active-recall/

Study with active recall: Close the book and pull it out of your head. That is what makes it stay. 1) Turn your notes into questions: every heading becomes a question you answer without looking. 2) Answer from memory first, then check. Mark what you missed. 3) Come back to what you missed after one day, then three days, then a week.

## The steps
1. Turn your notes into questions: every heading becomes a question you answer without looking.
2. Answer from memory first, then check. Mark what you missed.
3. Come back to what you missed after one day, then three days, then a week.
4. Do past exam questions with a timer, weeks before the exam, not the night before.
5. Sleep. A block you study tired at midnight is a block you will do again.

## Your first move in Cutline
Plan it in a sentence: "study weekdays 16-17:30, practice test sat 10".

## Ask an AI
Tap the box to copy the prompt. Put the answer in the block's notes.

```prompt
Here are my notes on [subject]: [paste notes]. Turn them into 20 exam-style questions from easy to hard, with short answers. Then give me a schedule to repeat them over the next 10 days.
```

## Make it a block
[Add it to your week in Cutline](https://app.gocutline.com/?lib=playbooks/study-active-recall): the steps go into the block, so the next one is always written down.

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Cutline: Cutline is a weekly calendar and planner that turns time blocks into XP, levels and streaks. You plan your week in blocks, tick each one off when it is done, and see your progress on a social feed (the Floor) and a weekly leaderboard (the Arena). Planning and budgeting are free; paid plans add a badge, posting, messaging, shared calendars and lower selling fees, from $9 a month. Pro is free to try for 7 days.
Facts: https://gocutline.com/facts/ · Updated 2026-11-06