In 1976, Swedish researchers Ference Marton and Roger Säljö described two very different ways of studying the same text: one aimed to memorize just enough to answer questions afterward, and the other aimed to understand the underlying meaning, connecting it with what was already known. This quiz measures which one you lean toward.
- Surface: you memorize what's necessary, without looking much further.
- Mixed: it depends a lot on the subject or how interested you are.
- Deep: you look to understand the meaning and connect it with what you already know.
15 statements, about 3-4 minutes. If you're after your sensory channel or your stage in the learning process instead, there's also the VARK quiz and the Kolb's cycle test.
All possible results
Surface approach
You tend to study to memorize just enough, without necessarily looking for meaning or the underlying connections between ideas.
See the detail
“Marton and Säljö described the surface approach as an attempt to memorize the text itself, treating each piece of content in isolation, without looking for the meaning that connects them.”
What this score means
Your usual way of studying focuses on retaining what's needed to answer when it counts, without necessarily relating it to what you already know or questioning it. It isn't a "worse" approach in every case: it's fast and works well for purely factual content that doesn't require deep understanding.
How it shows up day to day
- You study mostly with the exam or assessment in mind, not much beyond it.
- You find it hard to explain a topic in your own words if you haven't memorized it verbatim.
- You rarely connect what you learn in one area with what you already know in a different one.
An important clarification
This result is an orientation-only, informational take, inspired by the distinction between deep and surface learning described by Ference Marton and Roger Säljö (1976) and later developed by John Biggs (1987): it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace guidance from an education professional.
Mixed approach
You switch between memorizing and understanding depending on the subject, the time you have, or how interested the content makes you.
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“Most people don't use a single fixed approach: they adjust it depending on the subject, the time available, or how much they truly care about understanding it.”
What this score means
You don't lean sharply toward memorization or toward deep understanding. You likely use a deeper approach when something genuinely interests you or you have time, and a more surface one when the content doesn't grab you or the assessment is close.
How it shows up day to day
- You look for your own examples to check your understanding, but not for everything you study.
- You connect ideas from different areas when a topic interests you, not as a general rule.
- You notice the difference between having memorized something and having truly understood it.
An important clarification
This result is an orientation-only, informational take, inspired by the distinction between deep and surface learning described by Ference Marton and Roger Säljö (1976) and later developed by John Biggs (1987): it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace guidance from an education professional.
Deep approach
You look to understand the underlying meaning and connect it with what you already know, beyond what's needed for a one-off assessment.
See the detail
“Marton and Säljö described the deep approach as the active pursuit of a text's meaning: relating it to your own experience, questioning it, and testing it with your own examples.”
What this score means
Your usual way of studying looks to understand the underlying logic, not just retain information. You tend to question what you read, look for your own examples to check your understanding, and connect ideas from different areas, even if that means taking longer than simply memorizing.
How it shows up day to day
- You can explain something you've studied in your own words, not just repeat it.
- You keep researching a topic that interests you, even when it isn't required.
- You clearly notice when you've only memorized something without fully understanding it.
An important clarification
This result is an orientation-only, informational take, inspired by the distinction between deep and surface learning described by Ference Marton and Roger Säljö (1976) and later developed by John Biggs (1987): it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace guidance from an education professional.
Indicative result. It describes tendencies based on what you answered today, not a fixed trait or a closed label. It is not a diagnosis.
How this test was built
This quiz measures your habitual study approach : whether you tend to memorize just enough (surface approach) or to look for the underlying meaning and connect it with what you already know (deep approach), or a combination of both.
This result is not a clinical or pedagogical diagnosis, nor does it measure your intellectual capacity.
This is a brief, informational self-assessment, based on a model with more empirical grounding than others in this category, but it is not equivalent to the original academic questionnaire.
See the full methodology
What it measures
This quiz measures your habitual study approach: whether you tend to memorize just enough (surface approach) or to look for the underlying meaning and connect it with what you already know (deep approach), or a combination of both.
What model it uses
The model distinguishes two ways of approaching the same study material:
- Surface approach: memorizing content in isolation, focused on assessment.
- Deep approach: seeking meaning, relating it to your own experience, and questioning it.
- Mixed approach: alternating between both depending on the subject, time, or interest.
Where that model comes from
The distinction was first described by Swedish researchers Ference Marton and Roger Säljö in 1976, based on observing how university students approached reading the same text.
How the result is calculated
The quiz has 15 statements. Each answer distributes points across the three categories (surface, mixed, deep) according to your degree of agreement. Points for each category are summed across the 15 questions, and the result is the category with the highest total score.
What your result means
Your result reflects your habitual tendency when studying: how much you look to understand the underlying sense versus retaining what's necessary to get by. It can vary depending on the subject or how much interest it generates in you.
What it does NOT mean
This result is not a clinical or pedagogical diagnosis, nor does it measure your intellectual capacity. It does not replace evaluation by an education professional or a validated psychometric instrument such as Biggs's Study Process Questionnaire.
Limitations
This is a brief, informational self-assessment, based on a model with more empirical grounding than others in this category, but it is not equivalent to the original academic questionnaire. The approach can vary depending on the subject, the moment, or personal interest, so the result describes a tendency, not a fixed label.
Academic references
- Marton, F., & Säljö, R. (1976). On qualitative differences in learning: I—Outcome and process. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 46(1), 4-11.
Frequently asked questions
Is the surface approach always a bad thing?
Not necessarily. It can be enough and efficient for purely factual content (dates, names, specific formulas) that doesn't need deep understanding to be useful.
Can I use a deep approach in one subject and a surface one in another?
Yes, that's typical according to Marton and Säljö: the approach doesn't depend only on the person, but also on how interested you are in the subject, how much time you have, and what the assessment demands.
How is this quiz different from the sensory-channel or Kolb quizzes?
The VARK quiz measures the channel you prefer to receive information through, and the Kolb test measures which stage of the process you favor. This quiz measures something different: how much you look to understand the underlying meaning versus memorizing it.
Is this quiz reliable?
It's an orientation-only, informational approximation, not a validated psychometric instrument like Biggs's Study Process Questionnaire. For a more precise read, guidance from an education professional is recommended.
How long does the quiz take?
Between 3 and 4 minutes: 15 statements with five response options each.
See all 6 questions
Is it free?
Yes, it's completely free: no sign-up or payment needed to take the test and see your result.
