Iowa State researchers conducted a study where they took three groups of students and gave them a list of words to remember. Afterward, a group either recited the words immediate, after 15 seconds of rehearsal, or after 15 seconds of doing math problems. Unsurprisingly, the average scores followed this same order when ranked highest to lowest from each group.

However, after continuing the session for a while, the researchers concluded with a pop quiz. Here, the scores of the groups reversed, with the originally worst group becoming the best.

David Epstein recounts this study in his book Range as a prime example of the misintuition involved in education. We would assume that the people who did better on their first test would do better on subsequent ones. Yet it turns out the people who didn’t do well have the advantage. The act of struggling through something actually makes us perform better. In fact, Epstein revealed research that showed slightly delaying the act of testing yourself until you forget information gave benefits in learning Spanish words 8 years later.

And that was just for memorizing a list of words. Imagine real problems in the real world. It requires you to understand the knowledge on a deeper level so that you can reorganize it how you see fit.

As Peter Brown mentions, most people feel comfortable reviewing and preparing for material since it makes them feel more secure. But he suggests we should be doing the opposite. Rigorously test yourself before and after learning. Constantly redefine problems so that you never feel comfortable with what you know.

Practice is no longer the ideal form of learning and prepping. It’s constantly finding ways to make material challenging on yourself. That way you are looking for a deeper set of the knowledge involved. And most of all, you never get comfortable enough to quit the process of pursuing more from it.

And that goes beyond just learning.