Most individuals take tests in order to understand where they stand in terms of material. However, a new study suggests that although the common thought is that tests can gauge what people have learned, they may actually be able to boost memory and knowledge.

Researchers from Kent State's Department of Psychology are suggesting that tests can actually improve learning because they are memorizing. The researchers said that they found individuals who take tests learn how to develop keywords and memorize mental hints for the answers. The study suggest that these mediators come out not only when they're studying for the test, but when they're taking the test itself.

"Taking practice tests - particularly ones that involve attempting to recall something from memory - can drastically increase the likelihood that you'll be able to remember that information again later," Dr. Katherine Rawson said. "Given that hundreds of experiments have been conducted to establish the effects of testing on learning, it's surprising that we know very little about why testing improves memory."