What is a "brain dump" (free recall) and how do you do it?

Close everything, then write down everything you can remember about a topic from a blank page — before checking your notes.

Free recall is the purest, cheapest form of retrieval practice:

1. Put the book, slides, and notes away.
2. On a blank page, write everything you can recall — facts, structure, examples.
3. Then open your notes and check: what did you miss? What did you get wrong?
4. Study those gaps specifically.

Steps 3–4 are essential — the check gives you feedback and turns the exercise into targeted re-study. The blank page is the point: it forces production, not recognition.