How often have you read a book, taken a course or listened to a podcast and . . . promptly forgotten everything the minute you switch your attention to something else? Being able to retain what you learn is a central difficulty in our era of information abundance. Too many great ideas get wasted, simply […]

If I made you take the final exam for a class you studied a decade ago, would you pass? The unfortunate truth is that, except for knowledge we actively use in daily life, much of what we learn is beyond our powers of recall. But that doesn’t mean it has been erased from our memories. […]

Suppose you’re learning a skill like algebra, programming or drawing. Consider two different strategies for studying: Examples first. Before you try anything on your own, study examples of how other people solve similar problems. Problems first. Before looking at any examples, try to solve the problem independently. If you fail or don’t get very far, […]

Pedigree is an eye-opening book. Author and sociologist Lauren Rivera looks into the recruitment practices in elite law, banking, and consulting firms. Rivera’s unsettling portrait provides much ammunition for those who would argue that meritocracy is a myth. In particular, Rivera finds: Alma mater is all-important. Elite firms draw from “core” and “target” schools. Students […]