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Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning

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Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning Hardcover – April 14, 2014

by Peter C. Brown (Author), Henry L. Roediger III (Author), Mark A. McDaniel (Author)

4.6 4,374 ratings

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The international bestseller that has helped millions of students, teachers, and lifelong learners use proven approaches to learn better and remember longer.

“We have made Make It Stick a touchstone for our instructors … to gain a real advantage for our learners as they tackle some of the toughest work in the world.” ―Carl Czech, former Senior Instructional Systems Specialist/Advisor, US Navy SEALs

Are you tired of forgetting what you learn? This groundbreaking book, based on the latest research in cognitive science, offers powerful strategies to boost memory and learning.

To most of us, learning something “the hard way” means wasted time and effort. Good teaching, many believe, should be tailored to the different learning styles of students and should use strategies that make learning easier. Make It Stick turns fashionable ideas like these on their head. Drawing on recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and a ten-year collaboration among some of the world’s leading experts on human learning and memory, the authors explain what really drives successful learning. With clear, real-world examples, they show how we can confidently hone our skills and learn more effectively.

Many common study habits simply don’t work. Underlining, highlighting, rereading, cramming, and single-minded repetition of new skills create the illusion of mastery, but gains fade quickly. Science shows that more durable learning comes from self-testing, introducing certain difficulties in practice, waiting to re-study new material until a little forgetting has occurred, and interleaving the practice of one skill or topic with another. Make It Stick breaks down these proven approaches in compelling ways and offers concrete techniques for becoming more productive learners.

Full of eye-opening and inspiring stories for students, educators, and parents, Make It Stick is an indispensable guide for all those interested in the challenge of lifelong learning and self-improvement.

From the Publisher

Make It Stick: The international bestseller that teaches the science of successful learning.

WARNING: California’s Proposition 65

Editorial Reviews

Review

“If you want to read a lively and engaging book on the science of learning, this is a must… Make It Stick benefits greatly from its use of stories about people who have achieved mastery of complex knowledge and skills. Over the course of the book, the authors weave together stories from an array of learners―surgeons, pilots, gardeners, and school and university students―to illustrate their arguments about how successful learning takes place… This is a rich and resonant book and a pleasurable read that will leave you pondering the processes through which you, and your students, acquire new knowledge and skills.”―Hazel Christie, Times Higher Education

“Many educators are interested in making use of recent findings about the human brain and how we learn… Make It Stick [is] the single best work I have encountered on the subject. Anyone with an interest in teaching or learning will benefit from reading this book, which not only presents thoroughly grounded research but does so in an eminently readable way that is accessible even to students.”―James M. Lang, Chronicle of Higher Education

“We have made Make It Stick a touchstone for our instructors…to gain a real advantage for our learners as they tackle some of the toughest work in the world.”―Carl Czech, former Senior Instructional Systems Specialist/Advisor, US Navy SEALs

“It is surprising to me [that] we have such highly educated people coming to medical school who haven’t thought that deeply about learning. I feel like we are teaching the gospel of Make it Stick during our first weeks with the students…With the immense time pressure you have as a medical student, the importance of these principles becomes very clear to them.”―Randall King, Harry C. McKenzie Professor of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School

“It’s an illuminating read…Learning ability is probably the most important skill you can have. Unfortunately, lots of the techniques for learning that we pick up in school don't help with long-term recall ― like cramming or highlighting… For a deeper dig into the science of learning, make sure to pick up Make It Stick.”―Drake Baer, Business Insider

“Aimed primarily at students, parents, and teachers, Make It Stick also offers practical advice for learners of all ages, at all stages of life… With its credible challenge to conventional wisdom, Make It Stick does point the way forward, with a very real prospect of tangible and enduring benefits.”―Glenn C. Altschuler, Psychology Today

“Make It Stick will help you become a much more productive learner. [It] presents a compelling case for why we are attracted to the wrong strategies for learning and teaching―and what we can do to remedy our approaches… In clear language, Make It Stick explains the science underlying how people learn. But the authors don’t simply recite the research; they show readers how it is applied in real-life learning scenarios, with engaging stories of real people in academic, professional, and sports environments… The learning strategies proposed in this book can be implemented immediately, at no cost, and to great effect.”―Stephanie Castellano, TD Magazine

“If I could, I would assign all professors charged with teaching undergraduates one book: Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning… It lays out what we know about the science of learning in clear, accessible prose. Every educator―and parent, and student, and professional―ought to have it on their own personal syllabus.”―Annie Murphy Paul, author of The Extended Mind

“The authors have provided a great service for educators by capturing the important lessons from decades of research in the learning sciences…It should be highly recommended reading for anyone in the teaching, learning, and training professions.”―Robert H. Bruininks, Professor and President Emeritus, University of Minnesota

“This is a quite remarkable book. It describes important research findings with startling implications for how we can improve our own learning, teaching, and coaching. Even more, it shows us how more positive attitudes toward our own abilities―and the willingness to tackle the hard stuff―enables us to achieve our goals. The compelling stories bring the ideas out of the lab and into the real world.”―Robert Bjork, University of California, Los Angeles

“Learning is essential and life-long. Yet as these authors argue convincingly, people often use exactly the wrong strategies and don't appreciate the ones that work. We’ve learned a lot in the last decade about applying cognitive science to real-world learning, and this book combines everyday examples with clear explanations of the research. It’s easy to read―and should be easy to learn from, too!”―Daniel L. Schacter, author of The Seven Sins of Memory

“Anyone who teaches anything would benefit from reading this book: coaches, tutors, classroom teachers, parents, even corporate trainers. Instead of doing what we’ve always done and wondering why some learners just don’t get it, we can take a different approach that’s based on research, even if it seems counterintuitive.”―Jennifer Gonzales, Cult of Pedagogy

About the Author

Peter C. Brown is a writer and former management consultant.

Henry L. Roediger III is James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis.

Mark A. McDaniel is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Integrative Research on Cognition, Learning, and Education (CIRCLE) at Washington University in St. Louis.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press; 1st edition (April 14, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0674729013
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674729018
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #6,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Educational Psychology (Books)
- #15 in Medical Cognitive Psychology
- #26 in Cognitive Psychology (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 4,374 ratings

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Peter C. Brown
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Peter C. Brown is a writer and novelist in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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Mark A. McDaniel
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Mark A. McDaniel (born 1952) is an American psychology researcher in the area of human learning and memory. He is one of the most influential researchers in prospective memory, but also well known for other basic research in memory and learning, cognitive aging, as well as applying cognitive psychology to education. McDaniel has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and edited books. His research in memory and cognition has received over two million dollars in grant support from NIH and NASA.
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Henry L. Roediger
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Henry L. "Roddy" Roediger III (born July 24, 1947) is an American psychology researcher in the area of human learning and memory. He rose to prominence for his work on the psychological aspects of false memories.
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Customer reviews

4,374 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides useful information on learning techniques and examples. They describe it as well-written, easy to read, and well-explained. The presentation is described as engaging and visually appealing. Readers mention that the book helps them memorize more information quickly. It's accessible for all ages and should be required reading for teachers. However, opinions differ on whether it's worth the cost.

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Information quality Readability Learning pace Presentation Memory retention Accessibility Stickiness Value for money

321 customers mention "Information quality"310 positive11 negative

Customers find the book's information useful and applicable to the educational process. They say it provides some of the best learning techniques to date, as well as useful guidance on how to learn about anything. The book is informative and offers valuable tips and examples, including evidence-based strategies to replace less effective ones.

"...It does exactly what it says. It presents great examples of usage of retention learning techniques, and learning science...." Read more

"...MIS does present specific study methods but it also presents the bigger picture of learning: Why the "learn via re-reading" intuition..." Read more

"...Knowledge is a foundational element of creativity, critical thinking, and application. “..." Read more

"Very well written with lots of stories that bring the material to life. If I have any complaint it’s that there is no age difference" Read more

299 customers mention "Readability"275 positive24 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and well-organized. They find the main points comprehensible and the case studies compelling. The book is practical and straightforward, with documented research and effective learning techniques highlighted.

"...book and its detail on how each area tackled in this book is explained clearly that can even be easily applied to whatever it is I'm learning, bit..." Read more

"...The examples and advice for teachers and corporate trainers is also well written and useful...." Read more

"Very well written with lots of stories that bring the material to life. If I have any complaint it’s that there is no age difference" Read more

"...a fascinating exploration of what science says about the most effective learning techniques— shining light on the techniques that actually work and..." Read more

38 customers mention "Learning pace"32 positive6 negative

Customers find the book engaging and helpful for learning. They say it helps them learn better in demanding courses and brings life back to their classes. The principles in the book boost their ability to learn and have a positive impact on their lives.

"...Note: This book practices what it preaches with lots and lots of repetition. The authors are up-front about that but it does get well... repetitive." Read more

"...Active retrieval, interleaving, spaced repetition, reflection, elaboration, getting your mind right and practicing like an expert, on the other hand..." Read more

"...They actually get away from mass practice and repeated repetition. Highly recommend." Read more

"I can't say enough about this book! Helped me with my personal study goals like nobody's business" Read more

24 customers mention "Presentation"24 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's presentation engaging. They appreciate the illustrations and regular sketchnotes that help the material stick. The links work well, and the book is rendered flawlessly. Readers describe it as an eye-opening publication suitable for both professionals and laypeople. The material is presented in clear and concise measures with useful anecdotes.

"...strategies that can be put to work immediately, at no cost, and to great effect.”..." Read more

"...regular sketchnotes to show learning visually..." Read more

"I bought the used version of this book, and I am so impressed on how neat it was. If I did not buy it myself, I’ll think it was brand new...." Read more

"...NOT the case here! The links work, the book is rendered flawlessly, and you save time and cash...." Read more

16 customers mention "Memory retention"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's memory techniques helpful. They say it helps them memorize a lot in a short period of time and retain information long-term. The book is based on solid research on learning and memory, with concepts put together clearly. It encourages active recall and spaced practice and testing, which are keys to memory retention.

"...Effortful (i.e. NOT effortless!) recall is good. It dramatically increases retention. -..." Read more

"...In addition, frequent quizzing – especially when quizzes are announced in advance - actually reduces learner anxiety...." Read more

"...can do for themselves right now in order to learn better and remember longer. ......" Read more

"...job of scheduling spaced repetition automatically and forcing users to do active recall...." Read more

14 customers mention "Accessibility"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the book accessible for adults and traditional students. They recommend it for homeschoolers, students, teachers, and anyone trying to master a subject. The tone is conversational and easy for anyone to understand, including professionals and laypeople.

"...Recommended for all ages." Read more

"Who should read this book? All homeschoolers, all students, all teachers of any grade through college, all parents, and anyone who does continuing ed..." Read more

"I recommend this book at an early age. Learning these strategies at an early age sets the stage for success later in life...." Read more

"...Highly recommended for anyone, young or old, trying to gain mastery in a subject." Read more

14 customers mention "Stickiness"7 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's stickiness. Some find it helps them learn effectively and retain knowledge, while others feel the focus on learning instead of studying is refreshing. There are also complaints about difficulty concentrating and finding the writing unengaging.

"...If you’re looking to learn more effectively, and make things stick I’d highly recommend this book." Read more

"...Much of what I learned in undergrad didn't stick...." Read more

"...It will stick with you for long. If the topic attracts you, no reason to hesitate." Read more

"...Reading the simplistically written fluff is extremely mentally un-engaging and makes it difficult to want to keep reading...." Read more

14 customers mention "Value for money"9 positive5 negative

Customers have different views on the book's value. Some find it engaging and applicable, with insights into new ways of looking at active learning and sales. Others feel it's not worth the cost, with annoying font and useless fluff.

"...and practical strategies that can be put to work immediately, at no cost, and to great effect.”..." Read more

"...way I can think of, from the slightly annoying font to the apparently useless fluff to the revisiting of concepts to the occasionally jarringly..." Read more

"...Provides new perspectives on learning in a very comprehensible way. Valuable and numerous tips are also available...." Read more

"...The psych on memory alone is worth the price, a LOT of insights into new ways of looking at active memory as the real key to learning...." Read more

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Larry Schoeneman
excellent book on multiple levels!
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2025
Verified Purchase

Make it stick is a great book. It does exactly what it says. It presents great examples of usage of retention learning techniques, and learning science. It also does a great job of giving you guidelines how to implement them yourselves.

It keeps its promise of continually reinforcing what you’ve learned through throughout the book so by the end, it almost feels like you’ve been studying this for much.

The focus on frequent intermittent learning and refreshing, as well as as quizzing oneself is excellent.

If you’re looking to learn more effectively, and make things stick I’d highly recommend this book.

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Marielly Alvarez
Very Eye-Opening For the Learner
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2025
Verified Purchase
I have been searching for ways to learn how to learn. I have read many books and watched many videos for so long that nothing really helped. I came across this book and its detail on how each area tackled in this book is explained clearly that can even be easily applied to whatever it is I'm learning, bit only in the academic aspect of it. I am very pleased with this book. I will revisit this book again,

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A. Mazonian
How the Mind Learns - a how to guide, with stories
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2014
Verified Purchase
Is there anything new in this book? I believe there is sage advice in it for many of us.
That our brains adapt is good but also bad for studying. We become bored.

For many of us, we were never taught how our minds work and how we should leverage its natural processes to learn. Sometimes, practice or studying feels painfully slow and we often switch to another method that feels good. Unfortunately, we often fail at assessing how much we're learning and have actually learned.

Some students were never taught how to learn, and had few, if any, good teachers/mentors.
Some teachers were never taught how to teach, and have forgotten what it was like to be a student.
This book is for those both groups. The examples and advice for teachers and corporate trainers is also well written and useful.

If you have had good teachers or learning examplars, you might find this book less valuable than will most people.

SUMMARY:
PROs: This book will show you how to structure your learning and assessment processes to learn and confirm you're actually retaining the material. It provides 27 pages of endnotes on scientific studies that support its recommendations. Having read and applied the principles of both MIS and WSSK (see below), I can say they do work, very well.

CONs: Be prepared to look for what you want. Most of us will focus on the prescriptions of Chapter 8: e.g. avoid rereading as a primary study method, and do use the blank paper assessment test, etc..
=====

While reading, I noticed two points made by the authors that will shape your experience:
1) page ix in the Preface: "first author is a storyteller"
2) page 200: "early readers (of the book draft) urged the author to get specific with practical advice"

I agree with reviewers Soumen, T. Pagni, Economist: yes, the book could've been much shorter and focused on the advice.
I also agree with the numerous reviewers who praise it: yes it provides excellent practical insight into the best ways to learn (both physical and mental tasks).

I will now use the book to evaluate the book.
1) Interpret/Elaborate/Infer from what I'm reading:
Why is a storyteller the first author? I'm glad they told me. I'm now prepared to wade through long winded stories to find the main points.

2) Find the underlying rules/principles in what I've read:
- Allow time to forget. You MUST give yourself time to partially, but not completely, forget the material. Then give yourself time to struggle with recalling it.
- Effortful (i.e. NOT effortless!) recall is good. It dramatically increases retention.
- sustained, deliberate practice, even when it feels ponderous, is helping me learn
- Trust the process of study, forget, retrieve.
- Reflection is a form of retrieval practice.

3) Scatter/Vary/Mix the information while you're studying it.
By mixing the precepts in with the stories, the patterns were harder to see. I had to pick up the book several times because I was so annoyed by all the storytelling. However, DURING REFLECTION away from the text, I realized they were deliberately embedding kernels in the stories and forcing me to look for them. Upon revisiting the material, I found myself *wanting* to find and connect the ideas spread across the stories and the book. Clever, and more effective than giving me a list to memorize. During retrieval practice, I actually started remembering some of the advice from the stories, moreso than from the explicit recommendations.

4) Change the material BEFORE you've mastered it in that session
What are they trying to teach me? Sometimes before they "got to the point", they switched to yet another story (!)
This made me really focus on connecting what I read previously to what I was currentl reading.
Thankfully, the chapters often end with a "Takeaways" section.

RELATE IT TO WHAT I ALREADY KNOW:
I consider this book (MIS) a valuable complement to What Smart Students Know by A. Robinson (WSSK).
WSSK tells you in much greater detail what to do while you are a matriculating student i.e. how to approach the conventional schooling process, how to assess class/book structure, how to relate the material to what you've learned, what specifically you should during the pre-study, study and post-study periods.

MIS does present specific study methods but it also presents the bigger picture of learning:
Why the "learn via re-reading" intuition is wrong, yet feels right.
Why the "learn via struggling" process is right, yet feels wrong.

In general,
WSSK fully develops the terse advice of MIS p207: Elaborate/question/interpret what you're reading
MIS fully develops the terse advice WSSK p118: Quiz yourself Periodically.
Both are excellent resources for improving your habits for studying from books.

Personally, the advice in this book is worth far more than the cost of $21, and a few hours of reading, reflection and note-taking that I paid for it. I do recommend you buy it and apply its principles, even to itself.

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Jeremey Donovan
Finally a learning book based on science!
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2015
Verified Purchase
Summary of the key concepts in the book:

Conventional Wisdom: Make learning easy
Best practice: Design learning with desirable difficulties
Discussion: “Learning is deeper and more durable when it is effortful.” “Difficulties that elicit more effort and that slow down learning… will more than compensate for their inconvenience by making the learning stronger, more precise, and more enduring. Short-term impediments that make for stronger learning have come to be called desirable difficulties.” “Don’t assume you are doing something wrong if the learning feels hard.” “Not all difficulties in learning are desirable ones. Anxiety while taking a test seems to represent an undesirable difficulty.” Slow down to find meaning. Always read prior to the lecture. “Training has to be engaging in order to hold employees’ attention.”

Conventional Wisdom: Concentrate on one topic at a time (aka. massed practice)
Best practice: Interleave different but related topics
Discussion: “Learning from interleaved practice feels slower than learning from massed practice.” While interleaving can impede performance during initial learning (tests taken immediately after exposure), interleaving has been show to boost “final test performance by a remarkable 215 percent.” In addition, “commonalities… learned through massed practice proved less useful than the differences … learned through interleaving.” “In interleaving, you don’t move from a complete practice set of one topic to go to another. You switch before each practice is complete… You need to shuffle your flashcards.”

Conventional Wisdom: Reread material multiple times and in close succession
Best practice: Space repetition
Discussion: “Repetition by itself does not lead to good long-term memory… It makes sense to reread a text once if there’s been a meaningful lapse [at least a day in between] since the first reading.” “The increased effort required to retrieve the learning after a little forgetting has the effect of retriggering consolidation, further strengthening memory.” “Design quizzing and exercises to reach back to concepts and learning covered earlier in the term, so that retrieval practices continues and the learning is cumulative.” Spiral upward at increasing levels of difficulty with each re-exposure.

Conventional Wisdom: Reread to lock-in knowledge
Best practice: Focus on effortful recall of facts or concepts or events from memory (aka. Retrieval practice)
Discussion: “Retrieving knowledge and skill from memory should become your primary study strategy in place of rereading.” There are many methods of retrieval practice. Elaboration, expressing new material in your own words and connecting it with what you already know to find new layers of meaning, for instance by writing daily summaries, is the most effective. Moreover, “cultivating the habit of reflecting on ones’ experiences, of making them into a story, strengthens learning.” Essays and short answer tests are the next most effective durable learning strategies because they involve “Generation… an attempt to answer a question… before being shown the answer”, followed by practice with flash cards, reflection, and, least effective though still useful, multiple choice or true/false questions. To foster this, convert main points into questions to answer during subsequent studying rather than (or in addition to) highlighting and underling,

Conventional Wisdom: Conduct pop-quizzes and high-stakes post-testing with a goal toward errorless results
Best practice: Conduct frequent, predictable, low-stakes testing (including pre-testing)
Discussion: “Trying to solve a problem before being taught the solution leads to better learning, even when errors are made in the attempt.” In fact, “making mistakes and correcting them builds the bridges to advanced learning.” In addition, frequent quizzing – especially when quizzes are announced in advance - actually reduces learner anxiety. With respect to anxiety, the peak-end rule applies; people judge experiences based on how they were at the peak and at the end. Appreciate that “errors are a natural part of learning.” “Make quizzing and practice exercises count toward the course grade, even if for very low stakes.” Set “clear learning objectives prior to each class.”

Conventional Wisdom: Match instructional style to each learner’s preference
Best practice: Match instructional style to the nature of the content
Discussion: While people do have preferred learning styles (ex: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile), empirical research does not support the notion that learning in your preferred style leads to superior outcomes. “When instructional style matches the nature of the content, all learners learn better, regardless of their differing preferences for how the material is taught.”

Conventional Wisdom: Memorize
Best practice: Extract underlying principles (aka “rule learning” and “structure building”)
Discussion: “It is better to solve a problem than to memorize a solution.” “Mnemonic devise are sometimes discounted as tricks of memory, not tools that fundamentally add to learning, and in a sense this is correct. The value of mnemonics to raise intellectual abilities comes after mastery of new material.”

Conventional Wisdom: Learn abstract concepts
Best practice: Learn using methods and examples that are concrete and personal
Discussion: “The kind of retrieval practice that proves most effective is one that reflects what you’ll be doing with the knowledge later. It’s not just what you know, but how you practice what you know that determines how well the learning serves you later.” Simulations and role-playing are excellent techniques. “Difficulties that don’t strengthen the skills you will need, or the kinds of challenges you are likely to encounter in the real-world application of your learning, are not desirable.” “Practice like you play, because you will play like you practice.” “Sustained deliberate practice… [is] goal-directed, often solitary, and consists of repeated striving to reach beyond your current level of performance.”

Conventional Wisdom: Read without pausing
Best practice: Spend 40% of time reading and 60% of time “looking up from the material and silently reciting” what it contains.

Conventional Wisdom: Provide immediate feedback
Best practice: Delay feedback
Discussion: “Delaying the feedback briefly produces better long-term learning than immediate feedback.” That said, receiving immediate corrective feedback is better than receiving no feedback at all.

Conventional Wisdom: Review all concepts equally
Best practice: Disproportionately focus on the least familiar material (aka dynamic testing)
Discussion: To increase frequency of practice on less familiar material without completely ignoring the most familiar material, use the Leitner box method. “Think of it as a series of four file-card boxes. In the first are the study materials… that must be practices frequently because you often make mistakes in them. In the second box are the cards you’re pretty good at, and that box gets practiced less often than the first, perhaps by half. The cards in the third box are practiced less often than those in the second box, and so on.”

Conventional Wisdom: Accept that IQ is fixed
Best practice: Focus on mindset
Discussion: “Average IQs have risen over the past century with changes in living conditions... IQ is a product of genes and environment” including increased stimulation, nurturing, nutrition “One difference that matters a lot is how you see yourself and your abilities. As the maxim goes, ‘Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.’” Adopt a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset; “consider your expertise to be in a continuing state of development.” “Success is less dependent on IQ than on grit, curiosity, and persistence.” Knowledge is a foundational element of creativity, critical thinking, and application. “The upper limits of your performance on any cognitive or manual skill may be set by factors beyond your control, such as you intelligence and the natural limits of your ability, but most of us can learn to perform nearer to our full potential in most areas by discovering our weaknesses and working to bring them up.” “Achieving expertise in any field if particular to that field… The central idea here is that expert performance is a product of the quantity of and the quality of practice, not of genetic predisposition, and that becoming expert is not beyond the reach of normally gifted people who have the motivation, time, and discipline to pursue it.”

Conventional Wisdom: Trust your own sense of mastery
Best practice: Calibrate your judgment
Discussion: “Calibration is the act of aligning your judgments of what you know and don’t know with objective feedback so as to avoid being carried off by the illusions of mastery that catch many learning by surprise at test time.”

Note: This book practices what it preaches with lots and lots of repetition. The authors are up-front about that but it does get well... repetitive.

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R. Tinfow
Covers All the Bases
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2024
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Very well written with lots of stories that bring the material to life.

If I have any complaint it’s that there is no age difference

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SAM
Excelente livro. A ler.
Reviewed in Spain on March 1, 2025
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Gostei do livro pq está bem estruturado, os conceitos e as técnicas são apresentadas de forma fundamentada e clara. Inclui exemplos o que é igualmente positivo. Aprendi bastante com este livro.

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Gary R. Frank
This is the Pinnacle for Successful Learning
Reviewed in Canada on August 22, 2021
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Since reading this book a few years ago, I’ve continued my research into the most effective means of acquiring new skills, as efficiently as possible. I’ve come across no source as clear, concise and accurate as this source. This book synthesizes a great wealth of information, and presents it in an easily understandable manner. Despite the passage of time, I can still recall almost all of the important material as I used their techniques. I know this because I’ve decided to re-read it.

Some reviewers have taken issue with the book’s emphasis on testing, but that critique misses the point. Testing is fundamental in the process of active recall and spaced repetition. With a couple of other tactics and techniques, testing interrupts and ends the forgetting curve. The testing they advocate is NOT to assess “What do you know?” Testing is about solidifying information for long term recall and application.

I cannot over emphasize the effectiveness of this book.

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Giancarlo Ronchi
Da leggere
Reviewed in Italy on April 19, 2024
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Libro mastro sui metodi di studio efficaci ed efficienti !! Da avere assolutamente

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Robert AJ Bogan
What's Most Important to know? The contents of this book!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2021
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This book is potentially a life-changer for me. It's been about a month or so since I read the contents and started applying the core concepts of it into my own life. I cannot stress enough the difference I have noticed in my retention ability - this, on a very difficult topic, (C++ and Problem Solving).

To give a little background into why I write the review, and to hopefully encourage others who might be similar to invest in this publication:
I always wondered why I couldn't transfer an uncommon ability to absorb trivia into other parts of my life, especially in an academic context. When I was in high school, I was an exceptional sponge of knowledge, and placed well in national trivia competitions. Even after high school, I won pub quizzes as 'One Man At the Bar". Why couldn't I transfer this 'skill' to more important and worthwhile pursuits?

I'd always been pretty relaxed (to the point of horizontal) in my approach to studying, with a toxic combination undermining my progress. I had a natural disinclination to study, as well as an acceptance of second best, all anchored down by an abysmal sense of self esteem. Despite all of this, I always reassured myself that I could achieve things if I 'actually' tried, and stayed safe in the knowledge that "if I really work at it, I could definitely do/learn it." Failures in anything were handwaved with 'I didn't try hard enough', which may or may not have been truthful - it's difficult to objectively analyse.

However, having worked hard on eliminating the self-esteem problems over the last year, and setting the bar a lot higher for myself in terms of what I'd like to get out of life, I noticed I had surprising difficulties in retaining knowledge on C++ and Programming. I had assumed that sustained study with purpose and direction would finally allow me to 'take the handbrake off' on my learning, and find a better career in programming. It came as a rude shock to see me fail to grasp and retain information that, while not necessarily easy, is certainly something that other people seem able to master in a much shorter timeframe.

After a little research into what might be slowing me down (it wasn't intelligence, memory, lack of interest, ADHD, etc...), I found this book - and I now realise I simply had never learned how to study properly! Put succinctly: I had never needed to! I more or less crammed or desperately squeezed what info I could into my head before any tests/assignments (some of which, looking back, I very badly let myself down in). On one occasion, I can remember being dishonest in an official exam, although with zero benefit from a moral or personal perspective.

Anyway; this book has helped me retain very difficult information in a very short time frame. I'm finally able to reel off the kind of complicated knowledge presented in books like 'C++ Primer' (incidentally, an excellent book!) in the same way that I could casually recall trivia like country capitals, the monarchs reigning during certain historical events, or the creator of specific pieces of art.

Certainly, this book will not turn one into a genius overnight (or indeed, ever!) - AND there is 'work' to be put into studying and the use/creation of spaced-repetition flashcards...but just find what works for you. I cannot recommend this book enough, and look forward to moving through life with the handbrake finally removed :)

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Subrat Ojha
Review of Make it stick
Reviewed in Sweden on April 5, 2021
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Just started reading this book. I find it quite a revelation and interesting experience.

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5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book on multiple levels!

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Eye-Opening For the Learner

4.0 out of 5 stars How the Mind Learns - a how to guide, with stories

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a learning book based on science!

5.0 out of 5 stars Covers All the Bases

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente livro. A ler.

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the Pinnacle for Successful Learning

5.0 out of 5 stars Da leggere

5.0 out of 5 stars What's Most Important to know? The contents of this book!

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Make it stick

excellent book on multiple levels!

Very Eye-Opening For the Learner

How the Mind Learns - a how to guide, with stories

Finally a learning book based on science!

Covers All the Bases

Excelente livro. A ler.

This is the Pinnacle for Successful Learning

Da leggere

What's Most Important to know? The contents of this book!

Review of Make it stick