What is the SQ3R method?

What is the SQ3R method?

Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review—that’s what the letters in SQ3R stand for. Dating back to the 1940s, this technique is meant to help you focus on the most important material, so you can read with purpose. Let’s break down these steps and see what they entail:

Survey

Before you take a single note, take a quick glimpse through the material. Read through headings and subheadings. Note any passages that are bolded, underlined, or called out in quotations—the author of your material wants you to notice these passages, either to capture the theme of the section or to emphasize important information.

Once you have glanced over the material, continue by skimming through the first sentence of each paragraph. This will grant you a background knowledge of your material that goes deeper than the headings and highlighted passages.

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Question

Once you get a gist of your material, begin formulating questions based on the headings and subheadings. Why is this heading phrased like this? Does the author sound like they have a bias? Are there any missing steps or events that led to this conclusion? By questioning what you’ve just read, you can concentrate on what you need to get out of your reading, which can provide focus and a sense of purpose.

This step also helps you tackle any uncertainties or misunderstandings you might have from your survey. And just like in brainstorming, there are no stupid questions—you’ll have a chance to clear up any confusion in the next three steps.

Read

Now, it’s time to read with attention and purpose. Carefully concentrate on the information, knowing that you’ve already formed a summary in your head with the Survey step. Read with the goal to find answers to the questions you just created in the Question step. Reread and highlight passages if necessary, and be sure to take extensive notes!

Recite

This is the crux of the SQ3R Method, and it’s the step that takes up the most time. Here, you’re reinforcing through repetition: take the information you’ve just retained and put it into your own words. You can more easily process this information by rewriting and reconfiguring these questions and answers in ways you’re familiar with. Use your own words and terms that you’re accustomed to and be sure to cover all of the major points in the questions you asked.

Review

Lastly, review the material from top to bottom. Is there anything that you may have missed? Did you form more questions based on reading and recitation? Revisit the headings you surveyed, this time with a new mentality of thoroughly understanding and processing the information. Identify any gaps in your understanding. When you review immediately after you’ve just completed the previous four steps, you can avoid forgetting anything and retain as much as possible.

Advantages of the SQ3R method

Through various studies conducted on the habits of university students, SQ3R has been proven to have distinct advantages within the halls of academia:

• Improved comprehension: By actively engaging with the material, SQ3R promotes deeper understanding and better retention among students.
• Time efficiency: With such a structured approach, SQ3R streamlines the learning process and makes study sessions more efficient.
• Long-term retention: Through recitation and review, SQ3R ensures that the knowledge you take in can stay with you well beyond exams.
• Reduced stress: Breaking down the learning process into manageable steps reduces the stress associated with overwhelming amounts of information.

SQ3R is a holistic approach to learning that aligns with how our brains process and retain information. While there are many different ways of staying productive, adding this powerful information-retaining technique to your repertoire can pay off: rather than feeling overwhelmed, discovering the best method (and even time) to maintain your productivity can help you face any assignment that comes your way.