PQ4R method
The PQ4R method is a six-step way to study a textbook chapter: Preview, Question, Read, Reflect, Recite and Review. It builds on SQ3R and adds a Reflect step, where you connect what you just read to what you already know. Thomas and Robinson described it in 1972.
In more detail
Each letter gives you a job, so you never just stare at pages. You preview the headings and summary, turn the headings into questions, read one section at a time to answer them, stop to relate it to what you know and to make your own examples, say the answer without looking, and finally review the whole chapter.
The difference from SQ3R is small but real. Survey becomes Preview, and the extra R is Reflect, where you ask why something is true and think of your own example. Use SQ3R for a quick pass over a chapter. Use PQ4R when the text is dense and you need to understand it, not only get through it.
Be honest about the evidence. The method as a package has had little direct testing, but its parts are well supported: asking yourself questions, recalling without looking, and reviewing over time. Recite and Review do the most for memory, so if you cut a step, do not cut those. It also takes longer than one read-through, so save it for the chapters that will be examined.
Example
Mina has a 24-page chapter with six sections. She previews for 5 minutes and writes six questions from the headings. For each section she reads for 6 minutes, reflects for 2 minutes by adding one example of her own, and recites the answer with the page closed for 2 minutes. That is 10 minutes a section, so about an hour. The next day she reviews the six questions from memory in 15 minutes.
How to use it
- 1
Preview
Skim the title, headings, figures and summary to see how the chapter is built.
- 2
Question
Turn each heading into a question, such as "What causes inflation?".
- 3
Read
Read one section at a time and look for the answer to its question.
- 4
Reflect
Ask why it is true, link it to something you know and make up your own example.
- 5
Recite
Close the book and answer the question in your own words, out loud or on paper.
- 6
Review
At the end, and again a day or two later, answer all the questions from memory and recheck what you missed.
How StudyPDF does this
Upload the chapter and StudyPDF covers the last three steps. Bo answers questions about it with a citation to the exact page, and you can make flashcards or a quiz from the chapter to recite and review from memory. Set the exam date in a course's Plan tab and the review sessions land on dated days.
See also
Common questions
What does PQ4R stand for?
Preview, Question, Read, Reflect, Recite, Review. It is SQ3R with Survey renamed Preview and a Reflect step added.
What is the difference between PQ4R and SQ3R?
PQ4R adds Reflect, where you relate each section to what you know and make your own examples. SQ3R has five steps and goes straight from Read to Recite. PQ4R suits dense texts, and SQ3R is quicker.
Put it to work on your own course
Upload your lectures and ask Bo. Cited answers, plus flashcards, exams, and more built from your material.