In the past few decades, cognitive science has advanced rapidly, and scientists have discovered more about our brains.

Many of the traditional conceptions of how to learn don't seem to fit the habits of the brain.

Recommended for you are 5 highly effective learning methods from the book How to Learn, all of which turn conventional ideas on their head, but are more in line with how your brain works.

1. Exam first, study later

Doing an exam paper first, and then studying, will make the learning efficiency increase dramatically. The principle behind this is called the "principle of necessary difficulty".

By guessing and then studying, your brain will be able to work at a higher level of difficulty, and the knowledge will be more deeply imprinted in your brain than if you go straight into studying.

By activating your brain first and making it pay enough attention to the knowledge points to be learned next, we will become more efficient in the next learning process.

2. Restore the scene can restore the memory

What you have learned in the classroom will be easier to remember when you return to the classroom.

Experiments have proven that our memories are linked to our surroundings.

Our brains associate knowledge with sensations such as hearing and seeing. A familiar feeling has the potential to awaken a memory in us.

3. Learning in different places

Traditionally, we should find a quiet place like a library and use it as a specialized place we use to study.

However, today's scientists have found that if we change to a different place when we study, the efficiency of learning and memorization of knowledge will become higher instead.

If you change different locations to learn a piece of knowledge, read it once in a cafe, read it once on the subway, and read it once when you go home and lie in bed.

Each time you read it, the knowledge in that article is stored in your brain along with your feelings about your surroundings.

The more associated feelings, the greater the probability that the article will be awakened by your brain, and the better the effect of memorization.

4. You can't just practice what you don't know

If you keep memorizing only unfamiliar words, your brain goes into a state of mechanical work.

Mixing in some memorized words can break this pattern.

It creates an artificial "dissonance" that wakes up the brain from time to time and keeps it in a state of high speed.

Another method is to alternate practice, such as learning 30 minutes of math, and then learning 20 minutes of chemistry, the effect will be much better than always learning math.

5. Moderate interruptions help to learn

When we study, we all hate to be interrupted.

However, scientific research has shown that appropriate 'interruptions' can improve our learning efficiency.

When you are working on a task that requires creativity, or studying, you can add appropriate "interruptions".

For example, every 25 minutes, you have to force a break, This kind of abrupt stop will be more stimulate your enthusiasm but also will make your brain remember more solid.