Have you ever studied for a math or biology test, felt like you knew everything, and then realised during the exam that you couldn’t actually explain how a concept worked?
That’s called the Illusion of Competence. You recognise the words, but you don’t own the idea.
Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, had a system to avoid this. He was nicknamed “The Great Explainer” because he could take the most complex quantum physics and explain it so simply that a freshman could understand it.
The four steps of the technique
1. Choose a concept and start writing
Write the name of the concept (like Photosynthesis or Compound Interest) at the top of a blank sheet of paper. Write down everything you know about it as if you were teaching it to a friend.
2. Explain it to a 12-year-old
This is the most important part. Re-write your explanation using simple language.
- No Jargon: If you have to use a big word (like stomata in biology), you have to explain what it is.
- Be Brief: If you can’t explain it in two sentences, you don’t understand it well enough yet.
3. Identify your “knowledge gaps”
When you struggle to explain a part of the concept simply, that is your gap. Go back to your textbook or your AI tools and re-learn that specific part. Repeat this until you can explain the whole thing without using fancy words.
4. Use an analogy
Create a bridge between the new idea and something you already know.
- Example: “Compound interest is like a snowball rolling down a hill. The bigger it gets, the more snow it picks up, and the faster it grows.”
How to use it in your daily life
For your school revision
Instead of highlighting your notes (which is a perishable study method), grab a whiteboard and try to teach the lesson to an empty room. If you get stuck, you know exactly what you need to study for the test.
For identity planning
If you have a resolution to stop procrastinating, explain the system of how you plan to do it to yourself in the mirror. If your plan sounds like a bunch of wishful thinking (goals), you’ll realise you need a better process (systems).
The bottom line
Complexity is often a mask for a lack of understanding. If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it. Use the Feynman Technique to turn studying into knowing/understanding.