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How to Learn Faster: 16 Simple and Effective Methods

Written ByAnkita Singha
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Last Updated on07 Nov, 2025
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Min Reading5 min read

Do you know students in their educational journey think about how to learn faster than before? The question often makes them curious to explore different methods. 

In today’s rapidly changing world, having the ability to learn faster is a superpower everyone wants. But fast doesn’t mean using shortcuts to gain knowledge

Understanding how to learn faster is a route to smart learning in which students implement different effective strategies that help them to understand effectively. 

To help students’ brains absorb, retain, and recall information we will look at 16 smart strategies on how to learn faster and its importance in students’ lives. 

16 Smart Strategies on How to Learn Faster

To enhance learning below mentioned 16 smart strategies on how to learn faster help learners: 

1. Mnemonic Techniques

Mnemonic technique is a kind of memory aid which helps students to retain information via different patterns, associations, or imagery. 

Individual brains like different methods, for example storytelling visuals to memorise for the long-term. 

It works because the process of retaining information becomes simple and playful. For example, the rainbow colors can be remembered by the word “ROYGBIV”. 

2. Take Handwritten Notes

Taking handwritten notes guides students to think, memorise, and write at the same time which helps them to improve their 21st century skills

While making notes students instead of writing word-to-word can use various ways to summarise the contest through bullet points, pictures, diagrams, and headings. 

3. Peer Learning

Peer learning is one of the ideal ways for students to enhance their learning speed. Here, students help each other to understand the concepts and experiment. 

For example, forming a study group to pair up to take part in quiz competition and take turns teaching topics.

The strategy is ideal to explore each other’s perspective of learning and finding effective solutions. 

4. Test Yourself

To strengthen memory power and learn fast, self-testing is an amazing approach in which students instead of choosing rote learning take daily quizzes or multiple choice questions. 

Students can use flashcards, online quizzes, or even mock tests. It helps in understanding the knowledge and areas of improvement to learn faster. 

5. Spaced Repetition

With time the brain forgot previously learned concepts and information. This forgotten curve impacts knowledge retention of students. 

To resolve this problem spaced repetition is an effective way in which students increase their repetition intervals. 

For example, revise after 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 15 days, and so on.

6. Take Short Breaks

Students sometimes lack speed due to continuous learning. However, taking a short break can help them to enhance their concentration and focus. 

Using Pomodoro Technique in which 25 minutes of learning then 5-minute break and repeat. Breaks help in warming up the brain to learn with confidence. 

7. Exercise, Sleep and Eat Healthy

A healthy lifestyle is one of the ideal techniques that really work to learn faster. It includes daily exercise, proper sleep and eating healthy food. 

By this way students can enhance their memory and turn short-term memory into long-term memory.

8. Say Out Loud

Speaking loudly especially while revising helps them to boost comprehension and memory. Engaging students on self-speaking and listening improves learning. 

This method works because students process the information through multiple senses. Senses like reading, speaking, and hearing. 

9. Mindful Learning

Mindful learning refers to being fully present while learning and interested in gaining knowledge. This improves students’ learning speed. 

Some common ways like asking questions, making connections, and reflecting on real-life examples. Mindfulness activities such as breathing exercises, mindful walking, and meditation etc can be implemented. 

10. Understand the Study Cycle

Students’ learning is not limited to reading and revising, they need a study cycle consisting of previewing, attending, reviewing, studying, checking. 

Following the studying cycle offers structured and effective learning for students. 

11. Active Learning

Active learning is an ideal approach in which students engage directly with the material. 

Students can learn actively by summarising topics in their own words, peer learning, gaining knowledge through examples, experiments and case studies. 

The process is effective because instead of receiving information, it processes and applies effectively.

12. Calm Your Mind with Meditation

To learn faster students need to calm their mind through various activities like meditation and yoga. 

It increases their focus, emotional balance, and memory by calming mental noise. A cluttered mind reduces its knowledge gaining efficiency. 

Train the brain towards good habits. For example, look for distraction free space and close the eyes to take deep breaths. Start with 5 minutes of meditation and increase with time for fast learning. 

13. Manage Your Energy

Learning fast is not about long hours of studying but it’s about using your energy wisely. Making a study routine to effectively utilise the energy. 

Students can use various techniques such as taking regular breaks, sleep well, track your energy levels, regular exercise, stay hydrated and healthy diet help to manage energy. 

One needs to work or schedule tasks with the body rhythm to fulfill desired results. 

14. Building Skills with Mind Maps

Mind maps are visual presentations that help students to organise information or concepts around a central idea with ideas branching out like a tree. 

Mind maps are helpful ways to learn concepts in the bigger picture. It activates both sides of the brain which ensures active recall and complex understanding of subjects. 

15. Deliberate Practice

To improve learning speed, deliberate practice is a structured and focused technique in which students target particular weaknesses to gain knowledge, and feedback-driven.

It helps individuals to prioritise their life goals, analyse the performance and continue improvement. Ask for feedback from facilitators or peers. 

16. Focus on Concepts

To increase speed in learning, students instead of memorising understand the concepts for lifelong learning.

This helps them in long-term retention and build a strong foundation. For example, instead of memorising the maths formulas, understand how and why they work. 

Conclusion

To understand how to learn fast, students must explore different strategies that align the brain to learn naturally. Instead of cramming or pushing till exhaustion one should use smart techniques. 

Some popular techniques like mnemonic devices, testing yourself etc are ideal ways to learn faster. Remember, one needs to be consistent and interested to learn. 

A healthy and curious mind helps in focusing and building confidence. The above mentioned 16 techniques on how to learn faster make learning more meaningful and fun.

FAQs

Students can train their brain to study faster by using different learning strategies, group study or peer learning, take notes by hand, not be afraid to take breaks, take part in challenging educational games and have a healthy diet. 

Memory power can be increased by focusing on a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet, regular exercise, and sufficient sleep. One must regularly practice study methods like active recall, spaced repetition, and mnemonics.

There are many reasons like nutrient deficiencies, chronic stress, inadequate sleep, a toxic environment like long screen time slows brain development of individuals. 

The 20-Hour Rule was introduced by Josh Kaufman, author of The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything… Fast!. By this way students perform better in academics. 

The key principles of the 20-hour rule are:

  • Deconstruct the skill
  • Learn enough to self-correct
  • Remove distraction
  • Practice deliberately

Students can increase their learning speed through active learning methodologies including self-testing, using diagrams, and mind maps, handwritten notes, and spaced repetition.

While it is not scientifically established, you may follow various brain hacks to learn 10x faster example: 

  • Practice spaced repetition. 
  • adopting a healthy lifestyle. 
  • Participate in creative activities. 
  • Practice mindfulness. 
  • Minimize multitasking. 
  • Take breaks to focus while learning. 

The 7-3-2-1 study method is a popular way of spaced repetition techniques designed for students. However, there are multiple versions of this method and that it’s not scientifically standardized. It can be considered as:

  • The pre-exam countdown version in which students learn 7 days before the exam, 3 days before the exam and so on. 
  • The spaced repetition version includes reviewing the content after 1 day, again after 2 days, then after 3 days, finally after 7 days.

All brain regions are active throughout the day for different functions. Using 100% of the brain while studying is harmful at once. 

However, students can achieve desired goals by maximize brain performance while studying, focus on sleep, regular exercise, good nutrition, and active learning techniques. 

Ankita Singha

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I, Ankita Singha is a passionate content writer at 21kschool with 1.5 years of experience in crafting engaging digital content in different domains. With a talent for storytelling and visual expression, I blend creativity and strategy seamlessly. Outside of work, I enjoy crafting new things, calligraphy, and dancing.

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