What Is the 2/3, 5/7 Study Method? A Simple Way to Remember More for Exams

Studying for exams doesn’t have to mean pulling all-nighters or drowning in flashcards. There’s a quiet, science-backed method that’s been helping students in Dublin, London, and beyond remember more with less stress. It’s called the 2/3, 5/7 study method. You don’t need an app, a fancy planner, or a tutor to use it. Just paper, a pen, and a little discipline.

What Exactly Is the 2/3, 5/7 Study Method?

The 2/3, 5/7 study method is a spaced repetition schedule built around how your brain actually remembers things. It tells you exactly when to review your notes so that information sticks-not just for tomorrow’s quiz, but for the final exam weeks later.

Here’s how it breaks down:

• After you first learn something (say, a formula or a historical date), review it again 2 days later.
• Then, review it again 3 days after that (so 5 days total from the first study session).
• Next, review it 5 days after the last review (that’s 10 days from the start).
• Finally, review it 7 days after that (17 days total).

That’s it: 2, then 3, then 5, then 7. The numbers aren’t random. They match the natural forgetting curve-what psychologists call how fast your brain loses information if you don’t revisit it.

This method was adapted from research by Hermann Ebbinghaus in the 1880s and later refined by cognitive scientists like Robert Bjork and Piotr Wozniak. It’s not new. But it’s underused.

Why It Works Better Than Cramming

Most students study like this: read notes once, panic the night before, forget everything by lunchtime the next day.

The 2/3, 5/7 method flips that. It forces your brain to retrieve information just as you’re about to forget it. That’s when learning becomes strongest.

Every time you pull a fact back out of your memory, you strengthen the neural pathway. It’s like lifting weights-you don’t build muscle by holding a dumbbell once. You build it by lifting again, and again, when your arms are tired.

Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, show that spaced repetition improves long-term retention by up to 200% compared to massed practice (cramming). And the 2/3, 5/7 schedule is one of the simplest ways to apply it without software.

How to Use It in Real Life

Let’s say you’re preparing for your GCSE Biology exam in six weeks. You’ve got 30 topics to cover.

Here’s how to apply the method day by day:

1. Day 1: Study Topic 1-cell structure. Write down key points in your own words. Don’t just copy the textbook.
2. Day 3: Review Topic 1. Try to recall the parts of a plant cell without looking. Write them down. Check. Correct.
3. Day 6: Review Topic 1 again. This time, explain it out loud like you’re teaching someone else.
4. Day 11: Review Topic 1. Now combine it with Topic 2 (photosynthesis). How do they connect?
5. Day 18: Final review of Topic 1. If you can still recall it clearly, you’re good. Move it to your ‘mastered’ pile.

Repeat this for each topic. You don’t need to review everything every day. Just follow the 2-3-5-7 rhythm for each one as you add it.

By week 5, you’ll be reviewing 10-15 topics at once. That’s fine. It’s not chaos-it’s consolidation. Your brain is linking ideas together.

What to Do When You Forget Something

If you can’t remember a topic during a review, don’t panic. That’s normal. It just means you need to bring it back to the front of the line.

When you blank on something:

• Go back to the beginning of the cycle: review it in 2 days.
• Write a short explanation on a sticky note and put it on your mirror or laptop.
• Turn it into a quiz question: ‘What are the three stages of cellular respiration?’

Forcing yourself to recall-even when it’s hard-is the whole point. If it’s easy, you’re not learning.

Tools That Make It Easier

You don’t need apps, but if you like them, here are a few that sync with the 2/3, 5/7 rhythm:

• Anki (free on desktop): Set custom intervals to 2, 3, 5, 7 days.
• Notion: Create a database with due dates tagged as ‘Review 2’, ‘Review 3’, etc.
• Google Calendar: Block 15 minutes each day for reviews. Label them by topic number.

But here’s the truth: the best tool is a notebook and a calendar you can touch. The physical act of writing down when to review makes it stick better than any notification ever could.

Who This Method Is For (And Who It’s Not)

This method works best for:

• Students preparing for exams with lots of factual content-GCSEs, A Levels, MCATs, nursing exams.
• People who study alone and need structure.
• Those who feel overwhelmed by too many topics and don’t know where to start.

It’s less ideal for:

• Learning skills that require constant practice-like playing piano or coding.
• Subjects that rely on deep conceptual understanding without facts to memorize (though you can still use it for key definitions).

If you’re studying for a law exam or a medical licensing test, this method is gold. If you’re learning how to fix a bike, you’ll need hands-on repetition instead.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even when students know the method, they mess it up. Here’s what goes wrong:

• Skipping reviews because ‘I got it yesterday.’ You didn’t. You just recognized it. That’s not memory.
• Reviewing too early-like every day. That wastes energy. Wait until you’re almost forgetting.
• Not testing yourself. Just rereading notes doesn’t count. You have to recall.
• Trying to do it all at once. Start with 3 topics. Master the rhythm. Then add more.

One student I worked with in Dublin tried to review 12 topics every day. She burned out in two weeks. When she switched to 2/3, 5/7, focusing on just 5 topics at a time, her mock exam scores jumped from 52% to 81%.

Why This Beats the Pomodoro Technique for Exams

Many students use Pomodoro-25 minutes of work, 5-minute break. It’s great for focus. But it doesn’t help with memory.

The 2/3, 5/7 method is about timing. It answers the question: When should I come back to this?

Pomodoro says: work now. This method says: work now, and come back on these exact days.

They’re not rivals. Use Pomodoro for your daily study blocks. Use 2/3, 5/7 to decide what to review.

Final Tip: Track Your Progress

Keep a simple chart:

Seeing progress on paper builds confidence. And when you start ticking off ‘Mastered?’, you feel in control-not overwhelmed.

Start Small. Stick With It.

You don’t need to overhaul your whole study routine. Pick one subject. Pick three topics. Apply 2/3, 5/7. Do it for two weeks.

By the end, you’ll notice something strange: you’re remembering things you didn’t even try to memorize. That’s the method working. Your brain is learning how to hold onto knowledge.

Exams aren’t about how much you cram. They’re about what you still know weeks later.

This method gives you that edge-without burnout, without panic, without all-nighters.

Next Steps

Start tomorrow. Pick one topic from your next exam. Study it now. Write down the dates: Day 1, Day 3, Day 6, Day 11, Day 18. Set a reminder. Stick to it.

By the time your exam rolls around, you won’t be guessing what you know. You’ll know exactly what you’ve mastered.