ProfeQuino / The Blurting Method: What It Is and How to Do It
The Blurting Method: What It Is and How to Do It
The short answer. Blurting means writing down everything you can remember about a topic from memory, on a blank page, as fast as you can, then checking your notes and filling the gaps in a different colour. It's a form of free recall, so it sits under practice testing, one of only two study techniques rated "high utility" by Dunlosky et al. (2013). It works because retrieving information strengthens it, and because the gaps you find tell you exactly what to study next. There are no studies of "blurting" under that name, but the free-recall tests in Roediger and Karpicke (2006) were essentially blurts: one week later, students who practised recall remembered 61 % of a text, against 40 % for students who re-read it.
If you've ever re-read a topic three times and still couldn't write a page about it, blurting is the quickest way to find that out before the exam does.
What blurting is
Blurting became popular among UK A-level and GCSE students on social media and Reddit study communities, and you'll find it in most "how I got all A*s" threads. The name is new. The technique isn't: it's what psychologists have called free recall for decades.
You pick a topic, set a timer, and write everything you remember with no notes in front of you. Then you open your notes and add what you missed.
| Blurting | Not blurting |
|---|---|
| Blank page, topic at the top, timer on | Copying your notes onto a clean page |
| Writing from memory, messy is fine | Re-writing notes neatly |
| Checking afterwards and marking gaps | Never checking |
| Re-blurting the gaps a few days later | Doing it once and moving on |
Why it's so useful
- It's quick. Ten minutes tells you more about what you know than an hour of re-reading.
- It shows structure. Unlike flashcards, a blurt reveals whether you understand how ideas connect, which is what long answers and essays need.
- It's brutally honest. A blank page can't be "sort of" answered.
The evidence (and an honest caveat)
| Study | What it found |
|---|---|
| Dunlosky et al. (2013) | Practice testing rated high utility; re-reading, highlighting and summarising rated low |
| Roediger & Karpicke (2006) | Free recall of a passage: 61 % a week later vs 40 % for re-reading, even though re-readers spent more time with the text and predicted they'd do better |
| Karpicke & Blunt (2011) | Free recall beat building detailed concept maps with the text open, on both factual and inference questions |
| Rowland (2014) | Meta-analysis of 159 comparisons: testing beat restudying (g ≈ 0.50), more so when answers had to be produced and when feedback was given |
The caveat: nobody has tested "blurting" by that name. What the research supports is free recall with feedback. Two things matter: always check afterwards, and recall after a delay, not straight after reading.
Want the full method with the template? The Study System is the 66-page interactive PDF I built from this research. It includes a chapter on blurting with the two-pen method, a fillable Blurting Sheet, a worked IB Biology example minute by minute, plus seven more techniques, a two-week plan and a chapter for parents. 29 €, 14-day money-back guarantee. See what's inside The Study System →
The two-pen method
The whole technique lives in two colours. One for what came out of your head, one for what didn't. The second colour is your study list.
- Black or blue pen (memory). Write the topic at the top and set a timer. Write everything: words, arrows, diagrams, equations, examples. Messy is fine.
- Green pen (gaps). Open your notes or the specification. Add everything you missed and correct anything wrong, in green.
- Count the green. The green is exactly what to study next. A lot of green means re-learn the topic before blurting again; a little means re-blurt in 2–3 days.
- Next blurt: green only. Start by blurting just the green points, then the whole topic.
Blurt against the specification, the official list of what can be examined (AQA, OCR, Edexcel, CIE, the College Board course framework, your university module outline), not only your own notes. Your notes might be missing things too.
The 10-minute blurt (step by step)
| Step | What you do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Choose one topic or specification point and write it at the top of the page | 1 min |
| 2 | Wait. Don't blurt straight after studying. Leave at least 20 minutes, ideally a day | — |
| 3 | Timer on, write everything in black pen. Keep going after you think you're done; the last two minutes often produce the best material | 8–10 min |
| 4 | Check with the green pen, using your notes and the specification | 5 min |
| 5 | List your top three gaps at the bottom of the page | 1 min |
| 6 | Schedule the re-blurt: green points in 2–3 days, the whole topic in a week | 1 min |
If the page stays empty after the first minute: write the questions you'd expect in the exam on this topic and answer those instead. One answer usually unlocks the next.
Blurting in real subjects
IB Biology: DNA replication
Two days after the lesson, a student writes "DNA replication" at the top and sets 10 minutes. First four minutes, black pen, fast: semi-conservative, helicase unwinds, DNA polymerase III adds nucleotides 5′ to 3′, leading and lagging strands, Okazaki fragments. Then it goes quiet, so instead of opening the book they write the exam-style question "Explain why replication is continuous on one strand and discontinuous on the other" and answer it, which brings back primase and RNA primers. Fourteen points in total. With the green pen against the syllabus, six points are missing: DNA polymerase I replacing the primers, gyrase relieving strain ahead of the fork, and more. On Friday, re-blurting the six green points takes four minutes.
A-level Chemistry: Le Chatelier's principle
Eight minutes: state the principle, then predict the effect of changing temperature, pressure and concentration on an example equilibrium, with reasons. Green pen: you forgot that catalysts don't shift the position of equilibrium. That's tomorrow's first question.
AP US History: causes of the Civil War
Blurt a timeline from 1850 to 1861 with the key compromises and events, and one sentence on why each mattered. Check against the course framework, then turn the blurt into a thesis for a long essay question.
University pharmacology: beta-blockers
Mechanism, two examples, indications, contraindications, side effects. Draw the receptor diagram from memory. The green pen shows you mixed up beta-1 and beta-2 effects, so it goes in your error journal.
Common mistakes
- Blurting with notes open "just to get started". That's copying. Start blank, even if the first minute is painful.
- Stopping as soon as it gets hard. Set a timer and keep writing until it ends. Write questions to yourself if you need to.
- Never doing the green-pen step. Without checking, a blurt measures but doesn't teach. Feedback turns it into learning.
- Blurting whole chapters. One specification point or sub-topic per blurt. Big topics produce vague blurts.
- Using it only for lists. Blurt connections and explanations too: arrows, causes, "because…".
How blurting fits into a study system
Blurting is one of five ways to practise active recall. Pair it with spaced repetition, re-blurting the same topic on day 3, day 7 and day 21, and with an error log for the gaps you keep finding. If your exam is close, the plan is in how to study for exams, and the full ranking of techniques is in the best study techniques. For topics where you need to understand why, not just recall, use the Feynman Technique.
FAQ
What is the blurting method?
Blurting is writing down everything you remember about a topic from memory on a blank page, then checking your notes and adding what you missed in a different colour. It's a form of free recall.
Does the blurting method actually work?
The research supports free recall with feedback. In Roediger and Karpicke (2006), students who practised recall remembered 61 % of a text a week later against 40 % for re-readers. "Blurting" itself hasn't been tested by that name, so check your notes afterwards and repeat it after a delay.
How long should a blurt take?
Eight to ten minutes of writing and about five minutes of checking. Keep it to one specification point or sub-topic.
Should I blurt straight after studying?
No. Leave at least 20 minutes, ideally a day. Recalling straight away uses short-term memory and tells you little.
Is blurting better than flashcards?
They do different jobs. Flashcards are good for isolated facts; blurting shows whether you can connect ideas, which long answers need. Use both.
How often should I blurt the same topic?
Re-blurt the gaps in 2–3 days, then the whole topic after about a week, and again around three weeks. See spaced repetition.
Can I blurt for maths or science problems?
Yes. Blurt the method, formulas and the steps of a worked example from memory, then solve a new problem without notes.
About the author
Quino (ProfeQuino) has taught in Spanish secondary schools since 2016, mainly at Colegio Cristo Crucificado in Mula and before that at Colegio Sagrado Corazón in San Javier, working with students aged 12 to 18. He writes about evidence-based study methods and exam preparation at quino.pro. More about Quino →
Related: Active Recall · Spaced Repetition · Feynman Technique · How to Study for Exams · The Study System (PDF)
References: Dunlosky et al. (2013), Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14(1) · Karpicke & Blunt (2011), Science 331 · Roediger & Karpicke (2006), Psychological Science 17(3) · Rowland (2014), Psychological Bulletin 140(6).