What Is Interleaving? Strategies For Better Retention
Like most people, I used to study by sitting down with one subject at a time and drilling through it until I felt I had it memorized. But when test time came, I’d realize I didn’t remember much, and even if I did, I couldn’t apply it the way I needed to. That’s when I stumbled across something called interleaving. If you’ve ever wondered what is interleaving, it’s a study approach that helped me finally retain information in a way that actually stuck.
Instead of focusing on one topic or subject area at a time (like we often do with traditional studying), interleaving involves mixing up different topics, skills, or types of problems within the same study session. It may sound counterintuitive at first, but this method taps into how our brains actually learn and store information for the long term. It’s not about cramming, it’s about giving your mind a workout, shifting your focus often enough that learning becomes deeper and more flexible.
Let’s break it down step-by-step and look at how this strategy can actually change the way we think about learning.
Key Takeaways
- Interleaving helps you learn better by mixing different topics or problems in one session instead of repeating a single subject like in blocked study.
- While blocked practice feels easier, interleaving pushes your brain to work harder, leading to stronger memory, better focus, and more flexible problem-solving.
- Research shows that students who used interleaving scored higher on delayed tests compared to those who used only blocked study, proving it supports longer-term retention.
- To use interleaving effectively, follow five steps: mix subjects in one session, space out similar ideas, rotate between problem types, use varied flashcards, and don’t wait to master one skill before moving on.
- The most common mistakes when starting interleaving are trying too many topics, confusing it with multitasking, and giving up because it feels hard, even though that difficulty is a sign of deeper learning.
What Is Interleaving?
Interleaving is a learning technique where you mix different topics, ideas, or problem types instead of focusing on just one at a time. This stands in contrast to blocked practice, where you spend all your time drilling a single concept or skill, say, solving only algebra problems for an hour straight. With interleaving, you’d instead study a bit of algebra, then do some geometry, then maybe even a quick section on chemistry.
This back-and-forth approach might feel harder while you’re doing it, but research and personal experience both show that it helps you remember better later on. Interleaving improves the brain’s ability to tell things apart, see connections, and remember information across different contexts. It’s a smart move for long-term retention.
We’ll dive into how to use interleaving for studying in more detail shortly, with practical steps to make it easier.
How is Interleaving Different from Blocked Practice?
If you’ve ever sat down to study one topic over and over again, say, doing 20 math problems on just fractions, that’s what we call blocked practice. It’s the typical way most people study. You focus on one thing, repeat it until you feel comfortable, and then move on to the next topic. Sounds productive, right? Well, not always.
The problem with blocked study is that it gives a false sense of confidence. Because the questions are so similar, it feels easier. Your brain starts to get into a rhythm, but that rhythm doesn’t always help when you’re tested on different subjects in random order, like during an exam. That’s where interleaving makes a big difference.
With interleaved practice, you mix different topics or types of problems in a single study session. For example, instead of only practicing fractions, you might include problems on decimals, percentages, and ratios in a random order. This forces your brain to think harder about each problem and choose the right method to solve it.
Think of it like a workout. If you do only push-ups, you might get good at that one exercise. But if you rotate between push-ups, squats, and planks, you challenge more muscles and get stronger overall. That’s how interleaving strengthens your cognition and problem-solving skills.
Another important point is the sequence of your study. Blocked practice sticks to one idea until you’re done. Interleaving changes the order, making your brain work to figure out what kind of problem it’s dealing with. This is part of what researchers call the testing effect, the idea that recalling information helps you learn it better. With interleaving, you’re constantly recalling and switching, which supports effective learning.
In short:
- Blocked practice is easier but less useful in the long term.
- Interleaving feels harder but helps you remember and use the information better, especially when facing unfamiliar problems.
- Interleaved and blocked study methods can both have their place, but mixing topics has been shown to lead to better results across different subjects.
The Benefits of Interleaving
So what exactly are the benefits of using this method?
- Better Long-Term Memory
Interleaving encourages more effortful thinking, which helps strengthen long-term memory. Unlike blocked practice, where memory fades fast, switching topics helps the brain organize and store information more effectively. - Stronger Attention and Focus
Our minds naturally start to drift when we do the same thing for too long. Interleaving keeps the brain alert by introducing novelty, which promotes better attention during study sessions. - Deeper Learning Through Comparison
When you jump between different topics, like the English language and science, or music and mathematics, your brain starts noticing both differences and similarities. This makes it easier to build connections and truly understand what you’re learning. - Improved Problem-Solving
Practicing a variety of problems in one sitting prepares you better for exams, where you don’t always know what’s coming next. You learn to adjust your approach, not just repeat steps from memory. - Application Across Subjects
Whether you’re studying art, error correction code, psychology, or doing classification tasks in science, interleaving promotes flexible thinking. It encourages your mind to switch gears and recall prior learning quickly.
Why Interleaving Works Better Than Just Repeating One Thing
There’s something that happens in your mind when you go from solving a geometry problem to answering a question about the English language. That switch forces your brain to pause, reset, and then retrieve different types of information. This process, known as retrieval practice, is one of the reasons interleaving leads to better results.
When you repeat one type of problem over and over, your brain starts running on autopilot. It might feel like you’re learning because you’re getting quick answers, but that’s actually short-term memory doing the work, not deep understanding.
Interleaving also activates metacognition, your ability to think about your thinking. When switching between topics, you have to make decisions about how to solve problems and what learning strategies to apply. That kind of thought builds true learning, not just memorization.
Blocked practice feels smoother and more satisfying in the moment, but interleaving challenges your mind in a way that leads to better recall when it matters most, like during an exam.
The Science Behind It: What Research Shows
There’s strong evidence that interleaving improves learning outcomes in real classrooms and lab settings. Psychologists and educational researchers have studied this technique extensively within educational psychology and cognitive psychology, and their findings consistently show that interleaving helps students recall information more accurately and transfer knowledge across multiple subjects or topics.
For example, one large-scale study of seventh-grade students found that those who used interleaved practice scored significantly higher, 61% on a final test one month later, compared to 38% from blocked practice (AFT Journal). These results held true even though interleaving initially felt harder and less effective to students, highlighting how gains during interleaving promote longer-term memory even when short-term performance appears weaker.
Additional research confirms that interleaving improves the brain’s ability to compare and contrast different concepts, which is especially valuable for subjects like science, algebra, classification, and the English language (PubMed). In one classroom-based experiment, students who completed interleaved quizzes outperformed their peers on a delayed exam, scoring 63% versus 54% for those who used blocked quizzes (PubMed).
These results are consistent across a range of learning domains, from motor tasks to conceptual subjects, where students practicing in interleaved formats demonstrated better long-term retention and problem-solving ability (Frontiers in Psychology, PMC).
Interleaving also shows promise as a tool for differentiated instruction, helping students with varied learning needs improve their ability to recall, apply, and retain new information across different topics and study goals.
How To Use Interleaving For Studying
Let’s go over a few simple ways to use the interleaving study method in your daily routine:
1. Mix Subjects in One Study Session
Instead of studying just math for an hour, break the hour into chunks: 20 minutes for algebra, 20 for chemistry, 20 for history. This helps your brain practice switching gears.
2. Space Out Similar Ideas
If you’re learning new concepts in the same subject (say, different types of math problems), avoid doing them all at once. Spread them out throughout the week. This spacing effect improves your ability to remember and apply them later.
3. Rotate Between Practice Problems
Don’t just do one type of problem from your textbook. Mix in different formats, word problems, graphs, and equations. This reinforces your understanding from multiple angles.
4. Use Flashcards with Variety
Build flashcard decks that cover related concepts from multiple subjects. Review them in a shuffled order instead of grouping them by topic.
5. Don’t Wait to Be Perfect at One Skill
Move on even if you haven’t “mastered” a concept yet. Coming back to it later, after a break or another subject, helps reinforce what you’ve already learned and lets you test your recall.
Mistakes People Make When Trying Interleaving
- They confuse interleaving with multitasking. But interleaving isn’t about doing everything at once. It’s about planned switching, not bouncing back and forth in chaos.
- They try to do too many topics. Stick to two or three in a study session. Going beyond that can make it overwhelming.
- They think it’s not working because it feels hard. But that struggle is actually a good sign. The brain is working harder, which makes the learning more effective.
It’s important to remind yourself that feeling less confident during study doesn’t mean you’re learning less. Often, it means you’re learning more deeply.
When Should You Use Interleaving?
This strategy works best:
- During early practice. It strengthens understanding before bad habits set in.
- When prepping for an exam. Instead of cramming one topic, interleave practice across topics you’ve studied throughout the term.
- For learning math, science, and even music. Interleaving works well with subjects that involve lots of problem-solving and skill development.
You can even apply it in non-academic areas, think art, online learning platforms, or while working on a love project-based learning routine.
Examples of Interleaving in Real Life
Let’s say you’re studying for a math exam:
- Do a few geometry problems
- Then answer a chemistry question
- Follow that with a short writing task in the English language
This helps you stay engaged and builds stronger memory traces.
Or if you’re learning music:
- Practice one scale
- Move to a song
- Then do some ear training
- And come back to that scale later
This kind of structure keeps things fresh and pushes your brain to actively recall previous learning, strengthening long-term retention.
Conclusion
Interleaving might feel like a strange way to study at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll see the results. Instead of grinding through one topic over and over, give your brain the variety it needs to learn deeply. Mixing things up during your practice session challenges your memory, improves your problem-solving, and makes learning stick. Try it out and see how it works for you; you might just study less and remember more.
FAQs
What makes interleaving different from regular studying?
Regular studying (blocked practice) focuses on one topic at a time. Interleaving mixes different topics, improving retention and problem-solving.
Can interleaving be used for young students?
Absolutely. Even young learners benefit when they rotate between different learning tasks or subjects during study.
Is interleaving useful for subjects like chemistry or art?
Yes. Interleaving different concepts in chemistry or techniques in art enhances understanding and helps students apply what they learn more creatively.
Why does interleaving feel harder even if it works better?
It feels harder because your brain is working more actively. But this struggle builds stronger memory and deeper learning, especially during retrieval practice.
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