Checklist
The Feynman Technique tests whether you actually understand something, not just whether you recognise it. The test is simple: if you can explain a concept in plain language without jargon, you understand it. If you can't, you don't yet. Developed by physicist Richard Feynman, the technique is built around the gap between familiarity and real understanding.
Why it works for neurodivergent learners
Re-reading notes can create a false sense of knowing. The material looks familiar, so it feels known. This is a particular risk for students with ADHD, who may have strong pattern recognition but shallower encoding of new information. The Feynman Technique cuts through this by requiring you to produce an explanation from memory, which quickly shows where understanding is solid and where it is surface-level.
For autistic students who have strong rote recall, it distinguishes between memorised content and real conceptual understanding, which are not the same thing and are tested differently in exams.
The technique also works well for students who process information better by talking than by writing. Explaining out loud, to a friend or just to yourself, is equally valid and often more effective.
How to do it
Choose a concept you want to understand more thoroughly.
Without looking at your notes, write or say an explanation of it as if you were teaching someone with no background in the subject. Use plain language.
Note where you get stuck, go vague, or fall back on jargon. These are your gaps.
Go back to your source material and fill those gaps. Then rewrite or re-explain the concept until it is clear.
Repeat until you can explain it from start to finish without hesitation and without notes.
Tips
Explain it aloud if writing is slow or tiring. Recording yourself lets you play it back and check for gaps.
Teaching a real person is the most effective version of the technique, because their questions will reveal gaps you didn't know you had.
Use analogies. Finding a comparison that makes a concept click is a reliable sign you understand it well enough to use it in an exam.
Written by Natalie Bull
Nat is Booost Education’s copywriter and artist-in-residence and brings considerable authenticity to our marketing content through her own expertise and experience from supporting DSA students and her neurodivergent son.
