This is part 3 in a series on Exam Preparation - have a look at Your Passport to a Pass: What If Passing Was Simpler Than You Think? and Who's in Your Corner? Why Passing Is a Team Sport
The Student Who Mistook Familiarity for Understanding
Do you remember swatting for exams at college or university? Sat at the kitchen table surrounded by notes, highlighters and coffee cups, convincing ourselves that because we have read the material three times, highlighted every important sentence and rewritten pages of notes, we must be learning. It looks productive and it feels productive.
But what if those activities that make us feel as though we're learning are sometimes the ones that keep us stuck?
We repeatedly read, re-read, highlight, write notes. We come to recognise the material more each time we see it. We recognise the words. The concepts look familiar and quiet confidence begins to creep in.
"I know this."
But then, in the exam there’s a question we’ve never seen before….and suddenly, familiarity isn't enough.
Recognising information is not the same as understanding it and being able to frame it in the way that an exam question asks us to.
That’s the difference between shallow learning and deep learning.
Shallow Learning v Deep Learning
Shallow learning focuses on remembering facts – “what is the answer?” so that we can regurgitate a response to a stimulus.
Deep learning focuses on creating meaning – “why is this the answer?” so that we can demonstrate understanding in response to the exam questions.
Think of learning like water - shallow learning is a river flowing quickly across the surface. Information passes by rapidly. Some of it sticks temporarily, but much of it disappears just as quickly.
Deep learning is more like a reservoir – the information settles. Connections form in the crevices, and bodies of information start to form their own connections.
Knowledge becomes stored and accessible when you need it – it happens because you’ve engaged with the information.
When we actively question, challenge, connect and apply information, we create stronger pathways in our minds. New knowledge becomes linked to experiences, ideas, people and situations we've encountered before.
Instead of remembering isolated facts, we create a meaningful picture. And meaningful things are much harder to forget.
Here are some Deep Learning tips:
1. Why "Why?" Changes Everything
Children are naturally gifted learners. Anyone who has spent time with a curious child knows the endless sequence:
"Why?"
"But why?"
"Why does that happen?"
"Why can't it be different?"
Somewhere along the way, many adults stop asking. We focus on finding answers rather than understanding them. Yet one of the simplest ways to accelerate learning is to rediscover that childhood curiosity.
Don't just ask:
- What happened?
- What is the definition?
- What is the process?
Ask:
- Why does this happen?
- How does it work?
- When would I use this?
- What would happen if things were different? Change the parameters eg for a medical exam consider changing the patient’s age, co-morbidities, additional / alternative medication
Questions transform information into understanding. And understanding means that we can recall and apply the knowledge more easily and to more questions in the exam.
2. Bring the Knowledge to Life
A medical diagnosis suddenly makes sense when connected to a real patient.
A leadership theory becomes meaningful after a difficult workplace conversation.
A communication model becomes memorable when it helps resolve conflict.
Knowledge gains power when it becomes personal – when have you implemented this knowledge or information? How did it go for you? Would you do anything differently next time? Why?
Our brains are designed to remember stories, situations and experiences far more effectively than isolated facts. And this is why case studies, practical application and real-world experience are so valuable.
Our brains reject so much “stuff”, but the moment information becomes relevant, it becomes memorable.
3. The Hidden Power of Teaching
There is a moment of panic that often arrives when someone says:
"Could you explain that to me?"
We’re scared that we might be asked a question that we don’t know the answer to. Suddenly, the gaps become visible, we don’t feel as confident.
And that's exactly why teaching is such a powerful learning tool. When we teach, mentor or coach someone else, we are forced to organise our thinking. We must simplify complexity, anticipate questions. We must satisfy ourselves that we understand the material deeply so that we don’t lose face - when we teach, we often become the greatest beneficiary of our own teaching.
4. Stop Testing Your Confidence, Test Your Knowledge
Many learners revise until they feel confident, but confidence can be misleading.
The real question isn't: "How familiar does this feel?"
It's: "Can I retrieve it without looking?"
Try retrieving the information in different ways
- Mock exams and past papers – get used to the questions, the way they are phrased, the amount of time you have for each question.
- Use flashcards – use them on your own, in a study group or as a group quiz.
- Group quizzes and study groups – they can be online, face-to-face. Take it in turns to prepare material to lead a study group discussion around an exam question, write a quiz for the group – make it competitive, set up a league. If it’s possible, ask someone who has sat and passed the exam before to come and talk to the group. And share study material.
- Prepare material to share with others – the study group material, a handout for example, a leaflet for service users, notes for colleagues - it doesn’t need to be “stand up” teaching.
Some of these methods feel harder - they require effort, but they are just what we need to strengthen recall.
Every time you retrieve information from memory, you reinforce it. Every time you struggle to remember and eventually succeed, your learning grows stronger.
5. Study Differently
You can listen to a podcast, watch a video, read, draw it as a picture, read it out loud and make your own audio book. Listen to your audio book and draw it as a picture or a mindmap at the same time. Make up a rhyme, a song, a dance to go with it. Leave post-it notes around the house reminding you of key facts, use mnemonics, tell a story. Use flashcards “backwards” – get the kids to shout out the answer for you to give them an appropriate question. Be creative and have fun.
Study in different locations – listening to a podcast on the move, watching a video at the gym, take your flashcards to a café.
Discuss the topic with a colleague. If you’re not sure, ask someone to explain it to you, to draw diagrams, to talk you through a procedure so that you are implementing the knowledge.
Learn the same thing in as many different ways as possible. The more connections your brain can make, the easier recall will be.
6. One Bite at a Time
Perhaps the greatest obstacle to learning isn't difficulty, it's overwhelm. The mountain appears so large that we struggle to take the first step. But mountains are never climbed in a single leap. They are climbed one step at a time.
Don’t expect to sit down for 3 hours without a break – study for 40 minutes maximum and then do something physical for 10 minutes. Kitchen dancing, take the washing upstairs, squats in the disabled loo, football in the garden with the kids, walk around the block – move your body, get your heart rate and respiration up. Then come back and do another 40 minutes, take a break for 10 and repeat. Make sure you stop for a longer break after 3 lots of 40 minutes – be reasonable with yourself.
If you don’t have 3 hours available for study today or can’t face a 3-hour study session, just do 20 minutes, or a topic, or a chapter. BUT, make sure you stop at the 40-minute mark and take the 10-minute break. Whatever you can manage today in the time you have available. Do something, no matter how small, every day. If you’ve put together a study plan, keep it visible so that you can see you progress.
Progress is often far smaller than we imagine. Small sessions repeated consistently will usually outperform occasional marathon sessions of revision.
The learner who studies thoughtfully for twenty minutes every day learns more than the learner who crams for four hours once a fortnight.
The Real Secret to Accelerated Learning
The fastest learners are not necessarily the smartest. They are often the most curious, they ask questions, seek feedback. They practice and test themselves. They teach others, they connect ideas.
Most importantly, they accept that true learning is not about collecting information.
It is about becoming different because of the information.
The next time you sit down to study, pause before reaching for the highlighter.
Ask yourself:
“Is this the most effective method of learning in the short time I have available?”
It’s not about quantity anymore, it’s not about marathon study sessions, it’s about making every session count.
As an adult (rather than a teenager), and a professional you have so many more calls on your time so each study period must be quality.
Feeling overwhelmed by study, professional development or career progression?
Coaching can help you develop effective learning strategies, build confidence and achieve meaningful progress without burnout.
Get in touch for more information on exam preparation coaching, and discover how small changes in how you learn can create extraordinary results in how you grow.
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