What is the 1/3,5/7 Rule in Studying? (A Simple Guide to Spaced Repetition)

Ever had this happen? You study for hours, you know the material, and you feel great.

Then a week later… it’s gone. Vanished. Like you never even opened the book.

It’s one of the most frustrating things about being a student. If this sounds like you, you need to know about spaced repetition. And what is the 1/3,5/7 rule in studying? It’s simply a powerful, easy-to-remember schedule based on spaced repetition, designed to stop that exact “forgetting” cycle.

It’s not a magic trick. It’s just a smart way to work with your brain, not against it, to build lasting memory.

A Practical Breakdown of the 1/3,5/7 Study Rule

Okay, let’s get straight to it. This “rule” is just a calendar for your brain. It tells you when to review new information to lock it into your long-term memory.

Here is the simple schedule you follow after you first learn something new in class or from your textbook.

Day 1: The Learning Day This is the day you initially learn the material. You attend the lecture, read the chapter, and take detailed notes. Your main goal here is understanding. You’re not trying to memorize yet, just trying to get what it’s all about.

Day 3: The First Review (The 2-Day Gap) Two days after you first learned it (making it Day 3), you do your first review. This shouldn’t take hours. Maybe just 15-20 minutes. The goal is simple: refresh your memory just as it’s starting to fade.

Day 5: The Second Review (Another 2-Day Gap) Two days later, on Day 5, you review the same material again. You’ll probably notice it comes back to you much faster this time. You’re signaling to your brain, “Hey, this stuff is important! Don’t throw it away.”

Day 7: The Third Review (The Final 2-Day Gap) Finally, you review it one more time on Day 7. By this point, you’re not re-learning it; you’re just checking. This third review helps cement the information, moving it from your shaky short-term memory into your much more stable long-term memory.

Why This Beats Cramming (The Simple Science)

So, why bother with this weird schedule? Why not just do what everyone else does and cram for 8 hours the night before the final exam?

Because cramming doesn’t build real, lasting knowledge.

This entire method is based on fighting something called the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve. A German psychologist named Hermann Ebbinghaus proved that we forget things shockingly fast. Without any review, you could forget over 50% of what you learned within a single day.

The 1/3,5/7 rule is a direct attack on this curve.

Every time you review (on Day 3, 5, and 7), you “reset” the curve. You flatten it out. This makes the memory stronger and makes it last longer, until it finally sticks for good.

How to Make Your 1/3,5/7 Reviews Actually Effective

This is the most important part, so pay attention.

A lot of students hear “review” and think it just means re-reading their notes or highlighting their textbook again.

Let me be honest: that’s mostly a waste of your time. It’s too passive. Your brain isn’t doing any real work.

To make the memory stick, you must use Active Recall. This just means forcing your brain to produce the information from scratch, rather than just looking at it.

Here’s how to do it right:

• Use Flashcards: The classic for a reason. Make questions on one side and answers on the other.
• Do Practice Questions: Get past papers or end-of-chapter questions. Do them with your notes closed. This is the ultimate test.
• Explain It Out Loud: Grab a blank piece of paper and try to teach the concept to an empty chair (or a very confused pet). If you get stuck or can’t explain it simply, that’s when you check your notes to fill the gap.
• Create a Mind Map (From Memory): Don’t just copy your notes into a diagram. Start with a blank page and draw out everything you remember. This shows you exactly what you know and what you don’t.

Let’s Be Honest: The ‘Catch’ & Variations

The 1/3,5/7 rule sounds amazing, right? But here’s the honest truth.

It takes discipline.

This isn’t a last-minute trick you can use the night before an exam. It requires planning. You need a calendar or a study planner to track when you need to review what topic. It means you have to start studying for your midterms weeks in advance, not days.

You might also see other versions of this rule, like the 1-2-4-7 rule or just a 1-3-7 rule.

Don’t get stressed about the exact numbers. The principle is what matters: Review, wait a bit, review again, wait a bit longer, and review again.

My Final Verdict: Should You Use It?

Absolutely.

For most students, this method can be a total game-changer, especially for subjects that require you to remember a lot of information (like biology, history, law, or chemistry).

It stops that awful cycle of learning, forgetting, and re-learning. It takes more planning than a panic-fueled cram session, but the results are a thousand times better. You’ll walk into the exam hall feeling calm and confident, not just full of facts you know will be gone by tomorrow.

Give it a try for your next big test. Start small with just one or two topics and see how it feels. You might be surprised at what you can actually remember.