You spend hours re-reading your notes and color-coding everything, then two days after the test you feel like it all evaporated. Or you read the same pages over and over without anything sticking. Maybe you memorize really well when someone explains things out loud, but written flashcards do nothing for you. These situations don't mean you're not capable. Above all, they mean that re-reading and highlighting are inefficient methods, for everyone. The VARK model then helps you choose, among the effective methods, the ones that suit you.
What VARK Is and Why It Matters for Studying
The VARK model, published by New Zealand educator Neil Fleming and Colleen Mills in 1992, identifies four learning modalities: Visual (V), Auditory (A), Reading/Writing (R), and Kinesthetic (K). The core idea is simple: everyone has their preferred formats. Some prefer diagrams and charts, others listening, still others written text or doing.
This isn't the same as "multiple intelligences" theory, and it's not a permanent verdict on how you learn. But it's a practical tool for identifying the formats you enjoy and that help you get down to work.
A word of honesty: your preference is real, but tailoring teaching or study to your preferred style does not improve results. A review by Harold Pashler and colleagues (2008, Psychological Science in the Public Interest) found no solid evidence for this idea, known as "meshing", and an experiment with college-educated adults found no difference in comprehension between those who learned in their preferred format and those who did not (Rogowsky et al., 2015). What works, whatever your profile: testing yourself on the material instead of re-reading it, and spreading your study sessions over time (Dunlosky et al., 2013). Your profile helps you pick formats you enjoy, not replace those two techniques.
In high school, most lessons are delivered in a fairly uniform format: lectures, textbooks, written exercises. This works well for some profiles (especially R) and less well for others. And re-reading your notes is one of the least effective study techniques anyway, whatever your profile (Dunlosky et al., 2013).
Knowing your VARK profile lets you choose, among active methods, the ones that make you want to get started: a mind map redrawn from memory, a lesson explained out loud without notes, question-and-answer flashcards, practice problems.
Most people have a mixed profile: two or three dominant modalities rather than just one. That means you can combine several methods to maximize retention. But there are almost always one or two dominant modalities you should prioritize.
Identifying Your Profile
Before you choose your study methods, you need to know your profile. The most reliable approach is to take the VARK test: it takes less than 10 minutes. Here are also some behavioral clues to help you spot your tendencies.
You're probably Visual (V) if:
- You retain information better when you see it as a diagram, chart, or table
- You love mind maps and arrows showing relationships between concepts
- You struggle to follow a class with no visual aids: you need to see it to understand it
- When you search your memory for information, you often "see" the page it was on
- The layout of your notes matters to you: you want things to be visually clear and organized
You're probably Auditory (A) if:
- You retain class content very well when you hear it
- You naturally narrate to yourself while learning ("so basically what's happening here is...")
- Re-reading notes in silence doesn't help much, but hearing the material explained out loud changes everything
- You remember formulas or definitions best when you've heard them spoken
- Background music while studying doesn't bother you, sometimes it even helps
You're probably Reading/Writing (R) if:
- You really learn by taking detailed notes: not just listening or watching
- You enjoy reading well-structured text and retain what you've read
- Writing a summary or rephrasing a lesson in your own words helps you internalize it
- You prefer lists over diagrams or charts
- You like writing: whether summaries, study guides, or just transcribing your notes
You're probably Kinesthetic (K) if:
- You learn better by doing than by watching or reading
- Concrete examples, case studies, and hands-on activities help you far more than abstract definitions
- It's hard to stay seated for a long study session: your body needs to move
- You remember things you've physically done, handled, or experienced in class
- Working through exercises, practice problems, and quizzes is your best way to check your understanding
Concrete Study Methods by VARK Profile
Here are specific, tested techniques tailored to each profile: with direct applications to high school subjects.
Methods for Visual learners
Mind mapping is your primary tool. Instead of re-reading your notes linearly, rebuild the content as a tree: the central concept in the middle, main branches, sub-branches with details. You can do this by hand or using tools like Miro, XMind, or Coggle.
For subjects like history, philosophy, or science, convert timelines into visual strips, definitions into comparison tables, and processes into flowcharts. Physics, chemistry, and biology are particularly well-suited to color-coded diagrams where each color represents a category of information.
The "redraw from memory" technique is powerful for visual learners: after studying a chapter, close your book and try to reproduce the diagram or mind map from scratch. What you can't redraw, you don't yet know.
Methods for Auditory learners
Record yourself summarizing your lessons and listen back. It might feel strange at first, but it's a format this profile often enjoys. You can do it in minutes on your phone and re-listen during a commute, a workout, or a quiet moment.
Explain the material out loud: to yourself, a classmate, a family member. Explaining what you just learned, without your notes, is a form of self-testing, a method that works for everyone: it forces you to structure what you know, identify gaps, and articulate ideas clearly.
Educational podcasts on your subjects can supplement your revision: not replace it, but fill gaps or reinforce concepts you struggled with in class. For modern languages, listening and repeating out loud trains listening comprehension and pronunciation, which silently reading conjugation tables does not.
Methods for Reading/Writing learners
Rephrasing is your core technique. After each section of material, close your notes and write, in your own words, what you just learned. Not a copy of the lesson: a translation into your own language. That cognitive effort is what consolidates information in long-term memory.
Summary sheets, personal glossaries, and written timelines work well for this profile. In English or literature, drafting essay introductions and detailed outlines will help you as much as reading model answers. In history, writing your own timelines from memory, then checking them, engages you more than re-reading the textbook.
Also practice active annotation: when you read, don't just highlight passively, write in the margins what the passage means to you, questions it raises, and connections to other chapters.
Methods for Kinesthetic learners
Practice problems and past exam papers are your best tools. Don't start with re-reading the theory: start by doing exercises, and look up the theory when you get stuck. This "learn from errors" approach is more effective than passive re-reading, for this profile as for the others.
The Pomodoro technique (25 minutes of work, 5-minute break) suits you well because it builds in micro-breaks that let you stand up, move around, and return with renewed concentration. Some kinesthetic learners study very effectively while pacing: don't force yourself to stay still if it costs you.
In science, mentally re-run experiments or lab procedures while narrating them out loud. For math, do extra problems rather than re-reading proofs. For languages, practice dialogues and role-play situations rather than memorizing vocabulary lists in silence.
Physical flashcards (small index cards with a question on one side, answer on the other) work well because they involve action: flipping, sorting, handling.
For more on adapting your learning to your profile, see our article on adapting your learning to your VARK profile.
Take the VARK Test to Study Smarter
If you recognize yourself in more than one profile, that's normal: most students have a mixed profile. Taking the Profilia VARK test will give you a clear picture of your top two or three modalities and specific recommendations.
The test takes under 10 minutes, is free, and requires no sign-up. Once you know your profile, you can build a study plan that aligns with your natural learning style: rather than continuing to use methods that work for other people but not for you.
Also explore the Solutions page for complete strategies by learning profile.
FAQ
What if I have a mixed profile, like VA or RK?
That's very common. A mixed profile means you can benefit from multiple types of methods. The idea is to combine: for example, a VA profile can record a spoken summary (A) built on a mind map (V). An RK profile can work through practice problems (K) then write a summary of the mistakes they made (R). Choose methods that align with both of your dominant modalities.
Does VARK predict how well I'll do on exams?
No. VARK doesn't predict academic performance: it describes a learning style. Students of all VARK profiles succeed and struggle in school. Studying in your preferred format does not improve results on its own (Pashler et al., 2008). What improves them is testing yourself and spacing out your study sessions; your profile only helps you choose what form that takes.
Do teachers take VARK into account in the classroom?
Rarely in a systematic way. Most high school classes mix modalities (board work, verbal explanation, exercises), but without adapting specifically to individual students. That's why knowing your VARK profile is most useful for your independent work: you can compensate at home for what the standard classroom format doesn't naturally give you.
How far in advance of an exam should I start applying VARK-based study methods?
There's no universal rule, but earlier is always better. Studying works best in regular, spaced sessions over time rather than intense cramming the night before, whatever your profile (Dunlosky et al., 2013). Ideally, start studying several weeks before a major exam.
Disclaimer: this article is for educational and informational purposes. The VARK model is a learning support tool, not a psychological diagnosis. The methods suggested are starting points to experiment with and adapt to your specific context.