In a 2007 experiment, college students who reread a word list 15 times and took five tests recalled less a week later than students who took more tests. The first group recalled 57% of the words and the second group recalled 64%. A third group, which alternated testing and rereading, recalled 68%.
A second part of the 2007 study found that students who kept correctly recalled words in the testing rotation recalled 44% of them a week later. Students who set those words aside recalled 21%. The authors linked this to the common flashcard habit of putting aside cards once the information is learned.
A 2006 experiment by the same researchers found that students who reread a passage did better on an immediate test. Students who were tested did better on tests given two days or a week later, but the rereaders felt more confident in what they would remember.
Two research reviews support these findings, according to the report. Dunlosky's 2013 review rated practice testing and distributed practice as high and rereading as low. A 2007 review by What Works Clearinghouse rated quizzes and deep explanatory questions as strong.