Sure, success sometimes is sometimesthe result of whom you know.Still: Long-term success is almost always based onwhatyou know.

That's why most successful people try to be lifelong learners.And (at least try) to take a research-based approach to learning faster and retaining more.

Here's anotherway tolearn faster, retain more information, andimprove your memory: Test yourself.

I know what you're thinking. You don't liketests. Especially when tests are intended to assess:Grades, rankings, hire/don't hire decisions. Taking atestis usually high pressure, high stakes.

But what if a test is low-stakes? What if a test is used to help you, not assess you? Turns out self-testing -- which automatically makes it low-stakes testing -- is an extremely effective way to speed up the learning process.

Partly that's because ofthe additional context you naturally create. Quiz yourself and answer incorrectly, and not only will you be more likely to remember the right answer after you look it up, you'll also remember the fact you didn't remember. Getting something wrong is a great way to remember it the next time, especially if you tend to be hard on yourself.

In a weird way, what you got wrong can be stickierin terms of memory than what you gotright.

The key is to ensure the stakes are low. Say you're teaching new sales reps how to conduct a product demo. Stop halfway and administer a pop quiz,and the stakes -- since it feels like an assessment, not a learning tool --might not seem so low to the participants. Plus,no one likes to be wrong in front of other people.

But you could pass out a quick quiz, let people take it, go over the answers, and then let them throw away their papers when you're done. Then it's a low stakes test thatfosters learning.

And provides a number of other positive outcomes. A study published in Psychology of Learning and Motivation uncovered 10 benefits of low-stakes testing, whether its self-directedor external. (Again, the key is low stakes.)

1. Testing -- and retrieving -- aids retention. Don't just read, re-read, highlight, and rehearse--quizyourself as well.

If you're learning a presentation, quiz yourself on what comes after your intro. Quiz yourself by listing the fourmain points you want to make. Quiz yourself onsales estimates, or key initiatives,or results from competitive analysis.

That will force you to practice retrieving the information you want to remember, which will make it stickier.

2. Testing identifies knowledge gaps. Test yourself and you'll quickly discover what you don't know. Then you can focus on learning that. (And you'll be more likely to remember that information since you didn't know itthe first time.)

3. Testing helps you learn more the next time you study.Studies show that people who took a test before they studiedretained information better than those whodid not. (Think of it as priming your study pump.)

4. Testing organizes knowledge.Reading is fairly passive. Testing forces you to make connections, or recognizes gaps in your ability to make connections. Testing helps you realize, "Ah -- this goes with that," or "This causes that," or to in some way cluster information so that it makes better sense.

5. Testing helps transfer knowledge to new situations.People who are repeatedly tested are better able to apply what they know to new situations.Think of it as the, "Hmm, this is a lot like that, but with one littletwist" effect.

6. Testing helps retrieve information not tested. Granted, this one seems odd. Still: Take a test, and you'll better remember information that was studied but not tested. (I'm guessing that's the result of the overall memory boost frequent low stakes testing provides.)

7. Testing improves metacognitivemonitoring. Ever read something and at the end realized you don't remember any of it? Frequent self-testinghelps you get better at noticing times when you aren't learning. Or don't really understand. Because you're in the habit of quizzing yourself, you'll more quickly realize that you're likely to get whatever you're trying to learn wrong.

And you'll adjust accordingly.

8. Testing prevents interference from prior material.Try to learn a lot at once and it all tends to run together. Or, more likely, you'll remember what you learned early in the session, but after awhile the rest is justa blur.

Toss in a few quizzes along the way, though, and that doesn't tend to happen.If you need to learn a lot of material, break the session into chunks by inserting a few quizzes. And if you're teaching new employees a lot of material, definitely toss in a bunch of low-stakes quizzes.

Otherwise much of the time and money you spend on training will be wasted.

9. Testing provides feedback to instructors. Research shows the averageinstructor or trainergreatly overestimates how much peoplehave learned. (You know what you'reteaching,so it seems easy to you.) Frequent testing helps you as the trainer know where people stand.

Again, just make sure it's low stakes.And if people struggle, don't imply they don't "get it." Be self-deprecating. Say you need to do a better job explaining, teaching, or training.

10. Testing encourages more learning. Test me once a month and I'll probablystudy only the day before the test. Test me every day and I'll study every day.

The same is true for self-testing. Test yourself often and you'll not only be motivated to learn what you don't know, but you'll also feelgood about how much you have learned.

The result is a virtuous -- not vicious -- cycle of motivation. Testing indicates improvement. Improvementfeels good: It always, always,alwaysfeels good to improve. Feeling good about yourself provides a small doseof motivationto keep putting in the effort.

Which results in moreimprovement, more self-satisfaction, and motivation--and more learning.

That's the real beauty of frequent, low-stakes testing. Not only will you learn more.

You'll alsowant to learn more.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

See the article here:
The Best Way to Learn Faster and Improve Your Memory Includes 10 Cognitive Benefits, Backed by Science - Inc.