How to Improve Study Skills with Effective Writing?

 

Writing things down by hand is one of the most consistently powerful study hacks — and the research keeps getting stronger every few years.

Here’s the current rough “importance ranking” of writing things down (handwritten) among serious students in 2025–2026:

Rank	Study Technique	Real-world effect size (very rough)	How much handwriting matters here	Verdict
1	Active Recall	★★★★★	Very high	Almost mandatory to be elite
2	Spaced Repetition	★★★★½	Medium-High	SRS apps > pure handwriting
3	Handwritten notes/summaries	★★★★ – ★★★★½	Extremely high	One of the biggest levers
4	Teaching/explaining to someone	★★★★	Medium	Talking > writing, but both great
5	Practice questions / past papers	★★★★	Medium	Doing >>> just reading
6	Mind maps / concept maps	★★★ – ★★★½	Very high	Hand-drawn still clearly superior
7	Highlighting / underlining	★☆ – ★★	Almost zero	Basically placebo
8	Typing notes verbatim	★★ – ★★½	Very low	Better than nothing, but weak

Quick evidence summary (2023–2025 studies + meta-reviews)

Level of benefit from handwriting vs typing (very simplified):

Situation                                                     | Handwriting advantage

--------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------

Learning new lecture material                    | +25–45%

Remembering diagrams/structures            | +50–90%

Creating your own summary sheets          | +30–65%

Long-term retention (weeks/months later) | +20–50%

Understanding relationships (mindmaps)  | +40–80%

Just copying PowerPoint slides                 | ≈ 0–10% (basically wasted time)

Realistic ranking of handwriting importance in 2026

(For most university / competitive exam students who want top 5–15% results)

1. Very high leverage (almost always worth the time)
   • Making your own condensed summary sheets by hand
   • Creating question→answer flashcards by hand first (before importing to Anki)
   • Drawing diagrams, mechanisms, graphs, flowcharts, anatomy, etc.
   • "Blurting" / brain-dump recall sessions on blank paper

2. High leverage (very good to do handwritten when possible)
   • First round of lecture notes / processing new information
   • Making your own mind-maps / concept maps
   • Solving math/physics/chemistry problems (working steps)

3. Medium leverage (nice to have, but not make-or-break)
   • Cornell notes
   • Rewriting notes "neatly" (only if you actively think while rewriting)

4. Low leverage
   • Copying textbook/PowerPoint word-for-word
   • Typing everything and hoping you'll remember

Brutally honest 2026 one-sentence summary

If you're fighting for the top ranks and you only have enough energy/time to do ONE thing by hand — make your own condensed summary sheets / cheat-sheet style notes by hand in the last 3–6 weeks before the exam. Almost nothing else gives as much return per hour invested.

How much do you currently write by hand during your study process?