The testing effect is a well-known concept referring to gains in learning and retention that can occur when students take a practice test on studied material before taking a final test on the same material. Research demonstrates that students who take practice tests often outperform students in nontesting learning conditions such as restudying, practice, filler activities, or no presentation of the material. However, evidence-based meta-analysis is needed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the conditions under which practice tests enhance or inhibit learning. This meta-analysis fills this gap by examining the effects of practice tests versus nontesting learning conditions. Results reveal that practice tests are more beneficial for learning than restudying and all other comparison conditions. Mean effect sizes were moderated by the features of practice tests, participant and study characteristics, outcome constructs, and methodological features of the studies. Findings may guide the use of practice tests to advance student learning, and inform students, teachers, researchers, and policymakers. This article concludes with the theoretical and practical implications of the meta-analysis.

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Although the seductive details effect, a phenomenon where interesting but irrelevant pictures impede comprehension, is well documented, studies examining ways of moderating its detrimental impact on learning remain few. The present study examined the effect of note‐taking on the seductive details effect. Chinese undergraduate participants (N = 91) were randomly assigned to three conditions that differed in terms of the presence of seductive details and learning strategy (presence or absence of note‐taking for the seductive details group). Mediation analyses results showed that seductive details undermined participants' performance on recall and transfer tasks as a result of increased cognitive load. Results from variance analyses indicated that participants in the seductive details and note‐taking condition outperformed those in the comparison group and that this effect differed depending on participants' prior knowledge and outcome measures (recall or transfer). Overall, our results suggest that note‐taking is an effective cognitive strategy that can help learners overcome the seductive details effect. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed.