Vocabulary · Spaced repetition + active recall
When people think of memorizing words, they usually picture reading a word list from start to finish many times. But repetition that only skims with the eyes builds just a feeling of knowing, and in the exam room the words do not come back.
After this card, you will know why covering the page and recalling lasts longer than rereading, and how to space out your reviews.
You must learn 50 new words. Which is closest to the method that lasts longest in the exam?
When you see letters many times, the brain gets used to their shape and mistakes that for knowing. This is called the illusion of fluency. But the exam asks you to recall on your own, not to recognize on sight. Familiarity and retrieval are different muscles, so repeating only reading spins your wheels in the exam room.
The moment you cover the meaning and force yourself to recall it, the brain reopens the path to that word. This retrieval itself strengthens memory, and it is called the testing effect. So feeling a little confused and strained is actually good. Words that pass easily are forgotten easily.
Even with the same five reviews, spreading them over today, tomorrow, 3 days later, and a week later lasts much longer than doing them all in one day. Recalling once just before you would forget is the most efficient (spaced repetition). Apps like Anki calculate these gaps automatically, showing what you know rarely and what you do not know often.
If you memorize only the meaning, like 먹다 = to eat, you will not recognize 밥을 먹다, 마음을 먹다, or 나이를 먹다 in a real passage. Learn words with short example sentences and the words they often appear with, and they come alive in listening and reading. Putting the example on the front of the card and the meaning on the back is also a good method.
Memorizing is about recalling often, not reading a lot.
Rereading only builds the illusion of familiarity. Active recall, covering the meaning and retrieving it yourself, actually builds memory, and spacing those reviews at 1 day, 3 days, and a week makes them last much longer. Learn words with example sentences and collocations, not just meanings, to recognize them in exam passages. On the Minimum Pass Track, fill only the amount you need with spaced repetition, starting with frequent and past-exam vocabulary; on the Full Score Track, widen to example sentences and collocations and learn deeply.