ChessmateGet the appSpaced repetition
Spaced repetition distributes review across time instead of grouping every repetition into one session.
New or unstable material usually returns sooner, while material recalled successfully can wait longer. The schedule decides when to review; active recall describes what you do during the review.
Spaced repetition separates reviews in time
Instead of repeating one item several times in the same sitting, spaced repetition brings it back after a delay. Material that remains difficult usually returns sooner, while stable material can wait longer.
A pianist who plays the same difficult bar twenty times without leaving the bench is using massed practice. Returning to that bar on later days adds spacing; an adaptive scheduler then decides how long the next gap should be.
Spacing and active recall solve different parts of practice
Spacing decides when an item returns. Active recall decides what the learner does when it returns. A schedule can space passive rereading, but the review becomes a retrieval attempt only when the answer is hidden first.
There is no single perfect interval
Research supports distributing practice, but the useful gap varies with the learner, material, prior success, and how long the memory should last. A scheduler estimates a practical return date rather than observing one exact moment when forgetting begins.