Remember It!
These types of exam questions ask you to list, identify, or define key terms or steps — no explanation required.
What is recall?
When you can explain a concept in your own words instead of quoting the textbook, you’re showing this level of understanding.
What is comprehension (or conceptual understanding)?
Your homework asks you to use the Pythagorean theorem to find the missing side of a triangle. You’re demonstrating this kind of learning.
What is applying knowledge (or using a concept in a new situation)?
You’re asked to compare two characters in a novel and explain how each one changes by the end. That’s an example of this type of thinking.
What is analysis (or comparing and contrasting)?
Words like list, explain, and compare tell you what kind of brainwork the teacher wants.
What are clues about how to study and answer?
You’re reviewing your notes by turning key facts into questions and testing yourself until you can recall each one from memory.
What is retrieval practice?
Your professor asks, “Explain why the moon appears to change shape.” This kind of question checks whether you can do this, not just recite facts.
What is demonstrate understanding (or explain meaning)?
You know the quadratic formula by heart, but now you must use it to solve an equation you’ve never seen before. You’re practicing this key learning step.
What is transferring understanding to a new problem (or simply, application)?
You can solve a math problem using two methods and notice one is faster but both are correct. When you explain why that’s true, you’re showing this level of thinking.
What is analyzing processes or methods?
You spend hours reviewing, but none of your practice questions look like what’s on the exam. You forgot to do this key planning step.
What is matching your study methods to the exam format?
Your exam includes matching and fill-in-the-blank questions on vocabulary. Name the most helpful study habit.
What is making flashcards or self-quizzing?
You’re studying for an exam by teaching a classmate the material and drawing diagrams of how ideas connect. This kind of practice helps you strengthen this level of learning.
What is understanding through teaching or concept mapping?
This study approach best prepares you for Apply-level exams: instead of rereading notes, you work through new problems and test yourself on unfamiliar examples.
What is deliberate practice (or problem-based learning)?
In a science lab, you identify which variables actually affect the results and which ones don’t. You’re demonstrating this analytical skill.
What is distinguishing cause and effect (or isolating variables)?
You realize you understand the material when you read it, but you blank when trying to use it on a problem set. The fix isn’t more review time — it’s this kind of practice that forces you to do something with what you’ve learned.
What is active practice (or applying your knowledge through problem-based learning)?
You can name every step in the scientific method, but when asked why they’re in that order, you get stuck. This shows the limit of this kind of learning.
What is memorization without understanding?
You read your notes and think, “This makes sense,” but later can’t explain it without looking. You fell for this illusion that tricks students into thinking they understand.
What is the illusion of fluency (or illusion of knowing)?
You’re interning at a marketing firm and asked to use a communication model you learned in class to design a social-media post for a client. You’re demonstrating this type of learning.
What is applying theoretical knowledge in a real-world context?
A news article presents two conflicting explanations for the same event. You highlight bias, compare evidence, and decide which argument is stronger. That’s this type of critical thinking.
What is evaluating evidence through analysis?
You keep memorizing definitions but can’t see how the ideas connect across chapters.
What kind of technology could help you visualize relationships between concepts?
What is a mind-mapping or concept-mapping app like MindMeister or Coggle?
The act of pulling information out of your memory instead of just rereading it — one of the most powerful ways to strengthen recall.
What is retrieval practice?
A student explains a process using an analogy—“It’s like how traffic flows on a highway.” This strategy helps move information from memorization to comprehension.
What is using analogies to build understanding (or relational thinking)?
You learned one method for solving a problem, but when the situation changes — new constraints, new tools — you adjust and still reach a solution. You’ve reached this advanced form of application.
What is transfer of learning (or adaptive application)?
Your professor asks you to examine how a system breaks down into parts — then explain how those parts interact to create the whole. This high-level analytical process is known as this.
What is systems analysis (or breaking down complex relationships)?
You’re feeling lost about how to study more effectively, so you visit this campus office that helps students improve academic skills, time management, and learning strategies.
What is the Center for Student Success?