Study techniques5 min read·

The Feynman Technique: Learn Anything by Explaining It Simply

If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough. This four-step method finds the gaps in your understanding fast.

The Idea

The method is named after physicist Richard Feynman, who was famous for explaining hard ideas in plain language. The idea behind it is simple: trying to explain something in simple words quickly shows you which parts you do not really understand.

The Four Steps

  • Pick a concept and write its name at the top of a blank page.
  • Explain it as if to a 12-year-old. Use plain words and short sentences. No jargon you cannot define.
  • Find the gaps. Wherever you got stuck, waved your hands or copied a phrase from the textbook, that is a gap. Go back to the source and learn that piece.
  • Simplify and use an analogy. Rewrite your explanation more clearly, ideally with an everyday comparison. "Voltage is like water pressure in a pipe."

    • Why It Works

  • It is active recall. You build the explanation from memory, which strengthens it.
  • It exposes false confidence. Recognising words in your notes is not the same as understanding them.
  • It builds connections. Analogies link new ideas to things you already know, which makes them easier to remember.

    • Where It Shines

  • Concepts and processes — how the heart pumps blood, why inflation happens, how a proof works.
  • Before an exam — explain each major topic out loud in two minutes. Anything you cannot explain goes on your revision list.
  • In study groups — take turns explaining topics. The listener's job is to ask "why?" until the explainer gets stuck.

    • Where It Does Not

    The Feynman Technique is for understanding, not for memorising raw facts like dates, vocabulary or formulas. Use flashcards and spaced repetition for those, and Feynman for the ideas that connect them.

    A Quick Example

    Topic: compound interest. First try: "Interest is calculated on principal and accumulated interest." Stuck on "accumulated". Simpler version: "You earn interest on your money, and next year you also earn interest on last year's interest. So your money grows faster each year, like a snowball rolling downhill." Now you understand it, and you will remember it.

    Turn your syllabus into a tracker

    myExamRoutine tracks every topic of your syllabus, plans your study days and shows your weak areas. Try it free for 15 minutes.

    Build my tracker free →

    More study guides

    Study techniques6 min read

    Active Recall: The Study Technique That Beats Re-Reading Every Time

    Re-reading your notes feels productive and does very little. Pulling information out of your head is harder, and it is what actually makes it stick.

    Read →
    Study techniques4 min read

    The Blurting Method: The Viral Revision Trick, and How to Do It Properly

    Write down everything you remember, check it against your notes, repeat. Simple, a little painful, and one of the fastest ways to revise.

    Read →