Blog
Tips, guides, and insights for smarter teaching and learning.
265 articles · Page 1 of 9
What Is Mastery Learning? Definition and Modern Use
Mastery learning requires demonstrated competence on each topic before moving to the next. Quick definition + how AI tools make it practical at scale.
May 30, 2026
What Is Item Difficulty? The Quiz Quality Metric Most Teachers Ignore
Item difficulty is the proportion of students who got a quiz question right. Quick definition + how to use it with item discrimination to improve quizzes.
May 30, 2026
What Is Summative Assessment? Definition and Examples
Summative assessment evaluates learning at the end of a unit, course, or program. Quick definition + how it differs from formative.
May 29, 2026
What Is Desirable Difficulty? When Harder Is Better for Learning
Desirable difficulty is the cognitive-science finding that some kinds of struggle during study actually improve long-term learning. Quick definition + practical examples.
May 29, 2026
What Is Bloom's 2 Sigma Problem? The Tutoring-Effectiveness Puzzle
Bloom's 2 sigma problem is the finding that one-on-one tutoring produces dramatically better outcomes than classroom instruction. Quick definition + why it matters for AI in education.
May 29, 2026
What Is Formative Assessment? Definition, Examples, and Use
Formative assessment is low-stakes testing used to guide teaching while learning is still happening. Quick definition + how it differs from summative.
May 28, 2026
What Is the Leitner System? The Original Spaced Repetition
The Leitner system is a 1970s flashcard method that introduced spaced repetition before software existed. Quick definition + how it relates to modern algorithms.
May 28, 2026
What Is Retrieval Practice? The Evidence-Based Study Habit
Retrieval practice is the study habit of testing yourself to strengthen memory. Quick definition + how it differs from passive review.
May 27, 2026
What Is Cloze Deletion? A Memorization Technique for Flashcards
Cloze deletion is a flashcard format where part of a sentence is blanked out for retrieval. Quick definition and when to use it.
May 27, 2026
What Is Item Discrimination? A Quiz Quality Metric
Item discrimination measures whether a quiz question distinguishes strong students from weak ones. Quick definition + how to use it to find bad questions.
May 27, 2026
What Is Bloom's Taxonomy? Levels, Examples, and How to Use It
Bloom's taxonomy classifies cognitive tasks from basic recall to creative synthesis. Quick definition, the six levels, and how to apply it to quiz design.
May 26, 2026
What Is a Distractor in Multiple Choice Questions?
A distractor is a wrong-but-plausible answer choice in a multiple-choice question. Quick definition, why distractor quality matters, and how to write good ones.
May 26, 2026
What Is Interleaving? The Study Technique That Beats Blocked Practice
Interleaving means mixing different topics in one study session instead of mastering one at a time. Quick definition, the research, and when to use it.
May 26, 2026
What Is FSRS? The Modern Spaced Repetition Algorithm Explained
FSRS (Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler) is the algorithm that schedules when you review what you learn. Quick definition and why it beats SM-2.
May 25, 2026
What Is the Testing Effect? The Research Behind Active Recall
The testing effect is the finding that retrieving information from memory strengthens it more than rereading does. Quick definition + the foundational research.
May 25, 2026
What Is the Spacing Effect? Why Spread-Out Study Beats Cramming
The spacing effect is the finding that distributing study sessions over time produces dramatically better long-term retention than the same study time crammed together. Quick definition + practical use.
May 25, 2026
What Is Active Recall? Definition, Examples, and How to Practice
Active recall is the study strategy of retrieving information from memory instead of re-reading it. The single most effective study technique research has identified.
May 25, 2026
What Is the Forgetting Curve? Ebbinghaus's Discovery, Explained
The forgetting curve describes how quickly we forget new material without review. Quick definition, the original research, and what it means for studying.
May 25, 2026
Compliance Training Quizzes: What Actually Works (Beyond the Checkbox)
Compliance training fails because it is optimized for documentation, not behavior. Here is how to design quizzes that actually change practice — with the measurement to prove it.
May 24, 2026
Best AI Tools for High School Teachers in 2026 (Tested, Not Sponsored)
Twelve AI tools we actually use with high school classes. Ranked by realistic time saved, with the honest tradeoffs each carries.
May 23, 2026
Knowt vs Quizlet vs SimpleQuizMaker: Honest 2026 Comparison
A three-way comparison that does not just shill one tool. Side-by-side: features, pricing, AI quality, classroom support, and which tool wins for which use case.
May 22, 2026
AI Lesson Planning: An Honest Workflow for 2026 (Not a Hype Piece)
Most "AI for lesson planning" articles oversell. Here is what actually works — the prompts, the edits required, and the hours you can realistically save without compromising teaching quality.
May 21, 2026
How to Make a Quiz from a YouTube Video (2026 Guide)
Turn any lecture, documentary, or tutorial YouTube video into a quiz with AI. The 4-step workflow, what works on long videos, and why this beats note-taking for retention.
May 20, 2026
ChatGPT for Teachers: 12 Workflows That Actually Save Hours
A practical guide to using ChatGPT in real teaching workflows — lesson planning, grading, parent communication, differentiation. With exact prompts that work and the ones to avoid.
May 19, 2026
NCLEX Practice Quiz Generator: The Complete 2026 Guide
NCLEX-style question generation is harder than generic quiz AI lets on. What to look for in a tool, how to structure practice, and how AI fits with UWorld NCLEX and Saunders.
May 18, 2026
Best AI Quiz Generators for Medical Students (USMLE, NBME, Clerkships)
Most "AI study tools" lists ignore that medical school is its own beast. The seven tools actually worth using for Step 1, Step 2, shelf exams, and clerkships.
May 17, 2026
Corporate Onboarding Quizzes That Actually Stick (Beyond Checkbox Compliance)
Most onboarding quizzes are CYA documentation. Here is how to design ones that actually accelerate ramp time — with metrics that prove it.
May 16, 2026
How to Study for the USMLE Step 1 with AI (Without Breaking Your Stack)
A practical workflow for using AI alongside UWorld, Anki, and Pathoma — without abandoning what already works. Where AI helps, where it gets in the way.
May 15, 2026
AI Quiz Prompt Engineering for Teachers (Templates Included)
How to write AI prompts that produce classroom-ready quizzes — with 12 reusable templates for Bloom's levels, distractor design, and subject-specific generation.
May 14, 2026
Make a Quiz From a Lecture Recording (Auto-Transcription Workflow)
How to turn a lecture audio/video recording into a graded quiz — transcription options, AI quiz generation, and verification.
May 14, 2026
About this blog
265articles covering the cognitive science behind quizzes, the practical work of building good ones, and the evolving landscape of AI in education. Most posts are 1,500-3,000 words and written for working educators, students preparing for high-stakes exams, and L&D professionals — not for SEO bots scraping a paragraph and moving on.
Editorial principles we try to keep:
- · Specific over generic. “Use spaced repetition” is generic; “here's how to schedule three review passes for an NCLEX cohort using the FSRS algorithm” is specific. We aim for the second.
- · Show your work. When we cite a study (Roediger & Karpicke 2006, Bjork & Bjork 2011, Cepeda 2008) we link the original paper, not a secondhand blog summary.
- · Honest about limits. Posts about AI quiz generation explicitly note where the technology still produces low-quality output and what to do about it.
- · Plain English. Cognitive-science jargon (encoding specificity, transfer-appropriate processing, retrieval-induced forgetting) gets translated. Then defined. Then used.
- · No filler. If a post is short, it's because the topic doesn't need more. We don't pad to hit a word count.
Where to start
New to quiz-based learning? Three posts to read in order:
- 1. What is the testing effect? — the cognitive-science finding behind why quizzes outperform re-reading.
- 2. Spaced repetition guide — how to time reviews so retention compounds.
- 3. Active recall, explained — the technique most strong studiers use, even if they don't name it.
For teachers building question banks fast: start with how to write good multiple-choice questions, then how to write good distractors.
For instructional designers: Bloom's taxonomy + item discrimination + formative vs summative.
For exam preppers: search the index for your specific exam (NCLEX, MCAT, GRE, etc.) — we cover the most-searched ones in depth.
How posts get written
Every post has a named author with a profile page. Authors are real people on the SimpleQuizMaker team or invited contributors (researchers, working teachers, L&D leads). AI helps with drafting, but every post is reviewed and edited by a human before publishing. We don't auto-publish AI-generated content as filler.
Corrections and disagreements welcome — email hello@simplequizmaker.com with the post slug and what you'd change. We update posts in place when warranted and add a footer note when a change is non-trivial.
Updates
Best way to keep up: bookmark /blogand check monthly, or follow the project on the channels listed in the footer. An email digest is on the roadmap; if you'd like to be notified when it launches, email hello@simplequizmaker.com with subject “blog digest.”