How to Learn Faster: The Feynman Technique

Have you ever sat down to take an exam thinking you’ve studied hard and put in the work but then, when you read the questions and start the test, you realise you didn’t know as much as you thought?

Maybe you’ve been to a job interview where you’ve prepared for the questions you might expect, but once the interview begins you find yourself unable to answer the interviewer’s questions properly?

Both of these scenarios have happened to me in the past but I can now avoid these situations occurring in the future with the help of the wisdom of physicist Richard Feynman.

Previously, my preparation consisted of cramming in as much information as possible in the days and hours before the test or interview. I had memorised dates, statistics and other facts but this is shallow knowledge that’s only surface-deep. Deep knowledge can only be mastered by having a thorough understanding of the subject you’re studying.

There is a huge difference between shallow and deep knowledge and it is something Richard Feynman was acutely aware of. Back when he…