Spaced repetition improves retention by which description?

• A. Providing massed practice in a single session.
• B. Spacing reviews over time to reinforce learning.
• C. Removing cycles of review to prevent overload.
• D. Only using passive rereading.

Answer: (B)

Spaced repetition works by spreading study sessions over time rather than clustering them in a single block. When you review material after a bit of forgetting has begun, each successful retrieval strengthens the memory and makes it more durable. The act of recalling under a bit of difficulty cues your brain to reconnect and re-encode the information, which increases the likelihood you’ll remember it later. With each successful review, you can safely increase the interval before the next one, aligning practice with how forgetting unfolds. This combination of retrieval effort and expanding intervals leads to much better long-term retention than cramming.

That’s why this approach contrasts with massed practice, where a lot is learned in one session but fading happens quickly. It also isn’t about removing review cycles or relying only on passive rereading, both of which don’t engage the active retrieval and spacing that strengthen memory.