Knowing how to study for a test—having an informed, tactical plan of attack—might be the key to mastering the material and acing the exam, a new study finds.

Researchers reviewed 14 studies on the effectiveness of exam wrappers, simple handouts often given to students before and after tests that prompt them to answer reflective questions like “the content I am still confused about is,” “my plan to prepare for the exam is,” or “my graded exam shows I lost points because of.”

While the emphasis before big tests is usually on brute-force review of the content, exam wrappers conveyed both short- and long-term benefits, improving “levels of metacognition, and changes in future study habits” as well as exam grades: In one study reviewed, final course grades improved by one-third of a letter grade.

The how of learning, then, is as important as the what, and regularly asking students to think about the ways they learn best is an easy, effective strategy that sets them up for future success.