If you’ve been on TikTok or study YouTube, you may have seen students talking about the blurting revision method. It’s a popular study technique designed to help you remember information more effectively for exams. Follow these steps to blurt your way to good grades!
In this guide you’ll learn:
- What the blurting revision method is
- Why active recall improves memory
- How to use blurting step by step
- Tips to make the method more effective
- How often you should use blurting during revision
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What is blurting?
Blurting is a form of active recall. Active recall means testing your memory by trying to retrieve information without looking at your notes.
With the blurting method, you:
- Study a topic briefly
- Hide your notes
- Write down everything you can remember
- Check your notes to see what you missed
- Repeat the process
This helps your brain strengthen memory pathways, making it easier to recall information in exams.
How to blurt
1. Get your notes in order
Having your revision material sorted into manageable and memorable topics will make it easier to digest. You can do this by creating clear headings and subheadings in your notes, creating a mind map for each topic or writing your notes onto flashcards.
2. Familiarise yourself with the topic
Read your notes until you’re at the point where you feel you understand the information and remember some of it – you don’t need to remember everything just yet!
3. Blurt it out
Reading your notes only helps you remember so much so this is where we go a step further and start blurting. Cover or hide your notes and grab a blank piece of paper. Start writing down everything you can remember from your notes.
Invest in a whiteboard to save some paper if you want to be a little more sustainable.
4. Mark your work
Take another look at your notes and see what information you missed during your blurt. Add the information you missed to your blurting paper in a different colour so it’s easy to see what you need to remember next time.
5. Keep going
Hide your notes and previous blurt and go again! Keep repeating the topic until you feel like you remember everything and can recall it in an exam.
6. Take a break
Blurting is quite an intense revision method and asks your brain to work extra hard so make sure you do it in short bursts and take lots of breaks. Don’t blurt yourself into exhaustion!
Tips to make the blurting method more effective
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Use different coloured pens to highlight what you missed
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Start with smaller topics rather than whole chapters
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Combine blurting with flashcards or past papers
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Use a whiteboard to easily repeat the process
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Space out blurting sessions across several days
Why the blurting method works
Instead of passively rereading notes, active recall forces your brain to retrieve information from memory, which strengthens learning and improves long-term retention.
That’s why techniques like blurting, flashcards, and practice tests are often recommended by study experts.
