How to Apply the PQRST Method for Effective Studying

You sit down to study, determined to absorb everything you need for the next big exam. An hour later, the textbook is still open on the same page, and your mind feels like a swirling cloud of information overload.

Frustrating, right?

The PQRST method might just be the solution you’re looking for. Short for Preview, Question, Read, Summarize, and Test, this study strategy helps you approach the material in a way that keeps you engaged and ensures better retention.

Let’s explore how it works and why it’s a valuable tool. 📑

How to Apply the PQRST Method for Effective Studying

TL;DR

Preview: Skim material to identify key concepts and create an overview. Use ClickUp Checklists or Docs to organize headings, chapters, and embedded resources

Question: Turn headings into open-ended questions to spark curiosity. Brainstorm questions visually with ClickUp Whiteboards or record them in Checklists

Read: Dive into the material methodically, guided by your questions. Highlight key ideas, cluster related terms, and confirm understanding after each section

Summarize: Recap key points from memory to reinforce learning. Use Brain for quick, AI-powered summaries or add notes directly to Docs or Checklists

Test: Assess understanding by answering your questions and identifying gaps. Use mnemonics or create quizzes for effective self-assessment

What is the PQRST Method?

The PQRST method is a learning strategy that helps you better understand, retain, and recall information. It has five stages:

Preview (Preview the material to identify its main ideas)
Question (Ask relevant questions about the material)
Read (Read the material and react to it)
Summarize (Summarize the material to help it get into long-term memory)
Test (Test your understanding and see how well you understand what you read)

This method can dramatically improve learning and information retention through active interaction with your study material. It’s useful for everyone, including those who face challenges with memory or cognitive functions, such as those affected by prefrontal cortex damage.

Pros and Cons of the PQRST Method

Without a doubt, the PQRST method helps you absorb and retain information better than traditional learning methods. However, the method has its advantages and challenges, which are important to know before implementing it into your learning process.

Let’s see below. 👇

Benefits

Here’s a breakdown of the major benefits:

Promotes engagement: Instead of passively reading or listening, you engage with the text by asking questions, summarizing key points, and testing yourself
Enhances metacognitive skills: Previewing the learning material and setting questions helps you identify what you already understand and what requires further attention. This awareness enables you to adjust your approach effectively, leading to better results
Improves information retention: Summarizing (S) and Testing (T) help retain information and strengthen memory with repeated exposure to material
Personalizes learning: PQRST adapts to your specific needs. You create self-assessments and summaries based on the parts you feel are most relevant
Makes learning time-efficient: PQRST helps you quickly extract and jot down key information from blocks of text. It allows you to focus and retain the most important info while saving time on review

Drawbacks

While the PQRST study method has a lot going for it, let’s take a look at its limitations—and how you can work around them.

Initial time investment: PQRST requires more upfront time and effort.

✨ To counter this, try starting with shorter and less complex learning material and gradually expand your limits as you get familiar

Issues in adopting the model: If you’re used to free-form learning styles, PQRST may feel too rigid.

✨ You can tweak the method to suit your preferences and combine steps when needed. The key is to make it work for you, not to force yourself into a box

Limited generalization across subjects: PQRST might not be equally effective for every subject. For instance, creative subjects like art or hands-on work (e.g., engineering or music) might not align as seamlessly.

✨ You can still adapt it by focusing on reviewing key concepts and testing yourself on theory

Dependence on self-motivation: PQRST is a self-serve learning technique. It requires self-motivation to perform.

✨ If you feel demotivated, build consistency by integrating it into a daily routine and devoting specific time slots to learning

How to Use the PQRST Method

PQRST involves a proven, structured framework that solidifies information retention and promotes active interaction with the study material.

We’ve curated a step-by-step guide to help you understand and implement this learning strategy with the ClickUp Student Project Management Software. This AI-powered learning management app offers tools and resources for managing learning materials, summarizing, and more.

Step 1: The Preview phase

In this stage, you skim through the study material and conduct cursory reading. You try to get a gist of what the material is all about.

Say you’re studying for your history exam on World War II.

In this stage, you’ll collect all your study materials (textbooks/notes), read the table of contents to find the key headings and subheadings related to WWII, get to those pages, and find highlighted events, concepts, visuals, and timelines.

But different materials need different preview approaches. Here are a few practical examples to preview effectively:

For a book: Start with the preface or introduction to understand the author’s purpose. Glance at the table of contents, subject headings, subheadings, and chapter summaries. Pay attention to bold or italicized terms, visuals, and graphs
For a chapter or article: Read headings, subheadings, and the first and last sentences of sections. Note the topic order and skim the summary
For a course: Review the syllabus, required materials, schedule, and assessment methods. Browse online tools or introductory content for structure and expectations
For a project: Understand goals and deliverables by reading the brief, timeline, and scope. Identify team roles and skim background materials and tools

Remember, this is just the pre-reading phase, so all you need is a 10-15-minute glance at the key learning materials.

The Preview stage establishes a strong foundation for your study session and provides clear guidance on how to approach your learning. It forms the base to dive into detailed material with focus, ensuring that your efforts align perfectly with the course material you’ve chosen.

ClickUp Checklists

For example, ClickUp Checklists lets you quickly jot down important headings and chapters, turning them into a clear to-do list. As you work through the material later on, Checklists ensure nothing gets overlooked.

ClickUp Docs

You can even nest similar topics, create sub-lists, and drag and drop list items to organize better.

If you prefer a more detailed approach to the preview process, try using ClickUp Docs to outline a clear structure with well-organized headings and subheadings.

Docs also lets you embed external resources, such as videos, articles, or PDFs, and collect all relevant study materials in one place.

Multiple people can edit and contribute to the document in real time, allowing you to jointly organize content, add notes, and create a perfect group learning experience.

Step 2: The Question phase

In this phase, you’re required to convert headings and key concepts into open-ended questions. There are a few ways you can go about this:

Start by turning the chapter headings and subheadings into questions. For example, if the heading is the Theory of Dark Matter and Dark Energy, your questions could be ‘What is dark matter?’, ‘What is dark energy?’ or ‘How are the two related?’
You don’t have to stick with headings; if other parts of the preview raise similar questions, go ahead and note them down
If the text includes study questions, feel free to add them to the list
Write questions based on your previous knowledge. For example, if you didn’t even know if dark matter existed, simply note down, ‘Does dark matter exist? Where does it come from, and where does it stay?’

When you convert a section into simple, easy-to-digest questions, you actively engage with the resource before you start the third phase.

This kind of engagement early on in your learning process excites your curious brain to find answers to your burning questions.

💡 Pro Tip: Don’t hesitate to iterate and re-iterate your questions as you re-read the material. If you come across any important points that your original questions didn’t answer, add them.

ClickUp Whiteboards

ClickUp Whiteboards are excellent for brainstorming and organizing questions visually on a digital platform.

Use sticky notes to list important questions, connect related topics, or plan out research areas.

📌 Example: World War II lasted six long years, and several events were interlinked. Using Whiteboards, you can link these events together, create a hierarchy, or drag and drop them to draw connections, roadmaps, or workflows.

💡 Pro Tip: In this phase, you can also use ClickUp Checklists and other checklist templates to note down questions. Once you find the answers, you can simply check them off.

Step 3: The Read phase

During this phase, your goal is to have an in-depth, purposeful reading session. Here, you understand concepts and find answers to questions you came up with in the Question phase.

And guess what? Everything you did until now is going to assist you in this. But unlike normal reading, we are going to take a more structured and methodical approach.

Here’s how:

Use headings, subheadings, special terms, pictures, and summaries as a guide for main ideas
Remember that each paragraph contains a main idea and supporting ideas. Look for these, and underline, highlight, or note the main ideas in the margins
Train yourself to look for a cluster of related words and find connections rather than reading each individual word
Use your pen or cursor to guide you through the reading. Keep your highlighter in hand to highlight important word clusters
After each section, ask yourself, ‘Do I understand this? Am I learning what I wanted to?’ If the answer’s yes, you’re doing great

🔍 Did You Know? Adding colors to your text can help you find important information 70% faster and make it 39% more memorable.

Step 4: The Summarize phase

This stage is also called the self-recite stage. Here, you summarize what you just read in order to check your understanding and retention of the material.

It’s highly crucial; do not skip it. It reinforces what you have learned while highlighting areas that may need further reading.

Here’s what you need to do:

Without referring to the book, recall the main headings and their key ideas, summarizing what you read in one or two sentences. Then, quickly review the section to catch any important details you might have overlooked
You can speak aloud for an oral presentation and pen down whatever you recite to make memorization even more effective
The best note-taking strategies include recording the page numbers of important concepts or visual aids for referencing

If you’re short on time, use ClickUp Brain to summarize lengthy topics or complex jargon into simple, defined takeaways, reducing cognitive overload.

🧠 Know The Term: Cognitive overload is a point at which your brain becomes overwhelmed by new information and reduces learning efficiency.

Here’s how it works: you input raw text or content, and Brain will identify key points, extract essential information, and present them in a more digestible format. It’s the perfect AI note summarizer.

Summarize anything instantly with ClickUp Brain

📖 Also Read: 10 Educational AI Tools for Students

Step 5: The Test phase

The ‘Test phase’ is the final stage of the PQRST method. It serves as a self-assessment to evaluate your learnings to this point and identify areas for improvement.

Test yourself within 24 hours of reading the material to avoid forgetting it.

Let’s see how you can go about it.

Begin by recalling as much as possible without referring to the book or written notes. If you struggle, review the questions you wrote to trigger your memory, but avoid checking your answers or other notes until you’ve fully tested your recall
Now, try answering your questions without referring to the study material
Note down the questions that you feel you didn’t answer well enough
Go back to your material and focus on the weaker areas. You can rewrite the notes to reinforce it
If you are comfortable with online content, try engaging with interactive quizzes and discussion forums

🔍 Did You Know? Using mnemonic devices or memory aids like acronyms, rhymes, songs, or images—simplify and retain challenging information. For example, ‘My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos’ helps recall the order of planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and so on.

ClickUp Student Template

ClickUp's Student Template is designed to help students and teachers stay organized and on top of their assignments. — ClickUp’s Student Template is designed to help students and teachers stay organized and on top of their assignments.

If you want to make things efficient, the ClickUp Student Template is a good starting point.

This template makes it easy to organize coursework and lectures, categorize subjects, and manage assignments with clear, actionable tasks. Pairing it with the PQRST method can boost study efficiency and keep you focused.

Start with a list of upcoming topics or chapters to review, setting the stage for focused studying. Formulate guiding questions during your preview and add them as tasks in ClickUp. While reading, take organized notes in ClickUp, breaking them into subtasks for specific sections or topics. Summarize key points in comments or summary tasks to reinforce your understanding.

Using this template alongside the PQRST method creates a structured, stress-free study plan that improves learning and retention.

Download This Template

⚡ Template Archive: Cornell notes are a tried-and-true method for organizing information effectively. Explore Cornell note templates that provide a structured format for efficiently summarizing, reviewing, and retaining knowledge.

Benefits of using ClickUp for study management

ClickUp Reminders

ClickUp Reminders allows you to set automatic alerts for important study milestones, deadlines, and tasks. With Reminders, you get access to:

Customizable alerts to keep track of tasks and deadlines
Recurring notifications for ongoing study sessions or assignments
Cross-device reminders to ensure you never miss an update
Location-based prompts that activate upon reaching your study spot

Don’t miss a single study session with ClickUp Reminders : pqrst method — Don’t miss a single study session with ClickUp Reminders

ClickUp Calendar View

Next, ClickUp Calendar View offers an organized way to track and manage your study sessions. You can schedule sessions, set due dates, and view them in daily, weekly, or monthly formats—from a single window.

Syncing with external calendars like Google or Outlook helps students integrate all their commitments in one place, ensuring study sessions align with other important events.

This is the special advantage of ClickUp: offering most of the tools needed for organizing the projects in one place. It doesn’t only allow the managing and assignment but also offers other tools in the same environment such as Documents, where one can take notes and make reports, and integration with calendar and emails, all in one place.

Gustavo Seabra, Research Associate Professor

📖 Also Read: 6 Free KWL Templates and Resources for Teachers

Tips for personalizing the process to individual needs

The PQRST method is highly adaptable. Here are a few tips on how to tweak PQRST for different scenarios, along with examples:

Understand learning styles: Your learning style (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) defines your approach. Adjust as needed. For example, if you’re a visual learner, use diagrams or mind maps during the Preview and Summarize stages to organize key ideas
Use your judgment: If you find certain topics particularly challenging, allocate more time during the Read stage to fully grasp them. Empower yourself by making decisions on when and how long to spend on each stage
Adjust time spent on each stage: If you’re someone who absorbs information quickly, you might speed up the Preview and Question stages. Similarly, if a concept requires deeper exploration, extend the Read phase
Personalize the Summarize and Test stage: During the Summarize stage, tailor your notes to fit your preferred format—whether that’s bullet points, infographics, or digital note-taking apps. For the Test stage, create quizzes or practice questions that align with how you typically retain information
Incorporate self-reflection and flexibility: Reflect on which stages are most beneficial for you and adjust accordingly. Perhaps you need more time to self-test or reflect during the Summarize stage to reinforce what you’ve learned

Use Cases for the PQRST Method

The PQRST method isn’t just a study tool—it’s a versatile approach that can adapt to different learning scenarios. Whether you’re reviewing textbooks, preparing for exams, or organizing lecture notes, this method helps you break down information into manageable steps.

Let’s explore where it works best. 📋

1. Academic studying

As a student, you’re likely juggling multiple subjects, assignments, and deadlines. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information you need to absorb.

However, the PQRST study method can help break everything down into manageable, efficient steps. Here’s how you can use it:

Preview: Before you even dive into a chapter or lecture notes, skim the material first. Look at headings, subheadings, bolded terms, and summaries. For example, before tackling a dense history chapter, glance at the main topics like ‘World War I,’ ‘The Great Depression,’ or ‘The Treaty of Versailles’
Question: As you skim, write down questions that you think will be answered in the text. ‘What were the causes of World War I?’ ‘How did the Treaty of Versailles contribute to the rise of WWII?’ With specific questions in mind, you’re already activating curiosity
Read: Now, read in-depth, keep those questions in mind, and focus on finding answers. Highlight key points or make notes in the margins. Let’s say you’re reading a history textbook about the Great War. While reading, look for answers to the questions you came up with
Summarize: After you’ve finished a section, try to summarize what you’ve learned in your own words and make crisp History notes. You might say, ‘The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on June 28, 1914, was the immediate cause of World War I’
Test: Finally, test yourself on what you’ve just learned. Don’t just rely on passive review—ask yourself questions or use flashcards

2. Professional development

Let’s say you’re in a marketing role and need to learn how to use a new customer relationship management (CRM) tool.

Here’s how you can apply PQRST:

Preview: Before opening up the CRM guide, take a quick look at the table of contents or the main menu of the tool. Identify the main sections like Lead Management, Reporting, and Automation. This gives you a basic framework of what you’re about to learn
Question: Create a list of questions based on the preview. For example: ‘How do I add a new contact?’ or ‘How do I automate email campaigns?’ These questions guide your focus
Read: Now, go through the tutorials or documentation. Focus on finding answers to your questions, and take notes on key features or best practices
Summarize: Once you’ve completed a section, summarize the process in a straightforward manner. For example, you can write something along the lines of ‘To add a contact, go to the ‘Contacts’ tab, click ‘Add New,’ and fill in the necessary fields’
Test: Put your new knowledge into practice. Try adding a contact or setting up a test campaign. The more you practice, the more you’ll retain

3. Personal growth

The PQRST method works equally well in the personal sphere and can help you achieve personal development goals.

You can make use of it for anything, from picking up a new hobby and learning a language to diving into personal development books. It will help you retain what you learn and apply it in your daily life.

Let’s say you’re studying Spanish. Here’s how you can apply PQRST:

Preview: Look at the vocabulary or lesson plan for the day. For example, if the lesson is about food, glance through the list of words like Manzana (apple), pan (bread), and leche (milk). This gives you a sense of what you’ll be learning
Question: Ask yourself questions like, ‘How do I pronounce ‘manzana’ correctly?’ or ‘How do I use ‘pan’ in a sentence?’
Read: Go through your study materials and make note of grammar rules, vocabulary, and examples. While reading, focus on finding answers to your questions
Summarize: After studying, summarize what you’ve learned. For example: ‘In Spanish, the word for apple is ‘manzana,’ and to say ‘I like apples,’ I would say ‘Me gustan las manzanas’
Test: Finally, test yourself. Try to have a conversation with a language partner or quiz yourself on vocabulary

📖 Also Read: 10 SMART Goals for College Students

Tips for Maximizing the PQRST Method’s Effectiveness

The PQRST method is quite effective. But there are some things you can do to make it even more powerful. See below. 👀

🔹Set clear objectives

Before jumping into the PQRST method, define clear learning goals for your study session:

What exactly do you want to achieve?
Do you need to memorize some facts?
Are you preparing for a test?

When you set specific objectives, you guide your study sessions in a way that makes the PQRST method more focused and efficient.

🔹Create thoughtful questions

Consider the main concepts or terms in the material and turn them into questions that challenge your understanding.

For example, when reading about the human circulatory system, a good question would be: ‘What role does the heart play in blood circulation?’

This kind of inquiry encourages you to think critically about the content rather than just absorbing it passively. The more specific your questions, the more likely you are to engage with the material meaningfully.

🔹Summarize in your own words

Instead of simply rereading the material or highlighting sections, take a moment to put the concepts into a brief, coherent summary.

When you explain the material to yourself in a simplified form, you’re forcing your brain to process the information more thoroughly.

🔹Use active recalling for testing

Active recalling means retrieving the information from memory without looking at your notes. This memorization technique involves writing down everything you remember about a topic or using flashcards.

For example, if you studied the circulatory system, close your notes and write down everything you can remember about how blood circulates through the body. You might even draw an image to represent it visually.

💡 Pro Tip: To combat severe memory deficits, try using spaced repetition combined with active recall. This technique involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time, which strengthens long-term retention.

🔹Review and reflect regularly

Ultimately, take time to review and reflect on what you’ve learned. This step might involve going over your summaries, reviewing your notes, and testing yourself again.

Reflecting on how well you understood the material and where you may need further clarification ensures that the material stays fresh in your mind. For example, after completing a chapter, go back a day later and test yourself again on key concepts to see if they’ve stuck.

💡 Pro Tip: Remember to space out your review sessions in a balanced way. You don’t want to do it so soon that there’s no possibility of you forgetting anything or so late that you forget everything.

Common Mistakes to Avoid with PQRST

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when using the PQRST method:

Skipping the ‘Preview’ phase

It might seem like a waste of time, but previewing the material is essential because it gives you an overview of what to expect.

If you jump straight into reading without knowing the structure or the main topics, you’ll likely miss important connections and context.

Passive reading

Just reading the material doesn’t guarantee that you’ll retain information. You need to be actively engaged during the ‘Read’ phase.

This means paying attention to the material while answering the questions you’ve formulated. Skim the chapter actively, focusing on answering your specific questions. Don’t just let the text wash over you—actively process the information.

Not testing yourself thoroughly

A common mistake with the PQRST method is not testing yourself enough, which can seriously limit how well you understand and retain the material. When you finish reading and summarizing, don’t just glance over your notes and assume you understand everything.

Testing is the only way to verify whether you’ve truly internalized the information.

Whether through flashcards, practice questions, or even teaching the material to someone else, ensure you test your knowledge thoroughly.

📖 Also Read: How to Use the Chunking Method to Improve Memory

Learn and Retain Better with PQRST and ClickUp

The PQRST method enhances learning by promoting active engagement with the material, improving retention, and fostering critical thinking. Whether you’re a visual learner or prefer self-testing, the PQRST method helps you break down complex concepts into manageable steps.

To streamline your study sessions and stay organized, try using ClickUp to manage tasks, set reminders, and track progress throughout each stage of the learning process.

Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.

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TL;DR

What is the PQRST Method?