Using the Forgetting Curve
Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve: without review you lose ~50% of new material within a day and ~70% within a week. The fix is reviewing just before you'd forget — each successful recall resets the clock and strengthens the memory. Standard intervals: 1 day → 3 days → 7 days → 14 days → 30 days.
How to use the plan
- Session 1 is the initial study — learn the material, don't just read it: write, draw, explain.
- Reviews are active recall: close the notes, try to retrieve. If you can't, re-learn that chunk and continue.
- Spacing beats volume: 6 × 20 min across two weeks beats 4 hours the night before — the schedule shows why.
- Adapt: if an interval feels too easy, skip ahead; if you fail a recall badly, repeat the same interval once.
When the exam is soon
If the exam is inside 7 days, the generator compresses intervals (day 1-2-4-7) — far from ideal, but the best a short runway allows. For anything longer, the full curve pays off: the day-before review is always included regardless of spacing.
The last review lands the day before the exam — that's intentional: the most recent retrieval is the freshest, and sleep after reviewing consolidates it.