Test Whether Your Understanding Travels

A concept can feel familiar because you recognize its example. To check whether you can use it, change one important condition.

Try a changed-condition test:

1. Choose something you have recently learned and one example you can already explain.
2. Alter one condition in a new example. Before solving it, note what you expect to stay the same and what should change.
3. Work through the new case, then compare your reasoning with your prediction. If it breaks, identify the specific condition you missed and try one more variation.

One exercise won’t prove mastery. It can reveal whether you understand the idea beyond its first example—and give you a more useful next step than simply rereading the same notes.