Why you forget
Memory fades fastest just after you learn something, then more slowly. Each time you successfully recall it, the fading slows down further. Re-reading notes barely helps; retrieving the answer from memory is what strengthens it.
How spaced repetition works
Instead of revising everything every week, you review each item just before you would forget it. Items you know well come back rarely; items you keep missing come back often. That concentrates your revision time where it pays off.
The SM-2 schedule in plain terms
Most flashcard tools use a version of the SM-2 algorithm. In simple form:
- Answer correctly the first time → review again after 1 day.
- Correct again → review after 6 days.
- After that, each interval is multiplied by an "ease" factor (about 2.5 to start), so 6 days becomes about 15, then about 37.
- Get it wrong → the item restarts at short intervals, and its ease drops so it returns more often.
A simple routine for mock-test mistakes
- After each mock, add every wrong or guessed question to a review list.
- Retry each one the next day without looking at the solution, then again a week later.
- If you get it right twice in a row, push it out a few weeks. If you miss it, start again.
- Spend 15–20 minutes a day on reviews before any new material.
Let the schedule run itself
Keeping track of intervals by hand is tedious. Wrexa Edge uses an SM-2 scheduler to bring back the questions you missed in your mocks on the right day, so your daily review list is always ready.