According to a study published last month by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (h/t to Wharton professor Ethan Mollick), students improve in academic performance at the same rate with each study/practice session. "Whereas initial knowledge varies substantially across students," the researchers write, "we found learning rate to be astonishingly similar across students." The real difference tends to lie in initial knowledge. (Think of that as "talent.") Yet with practice, any student can reach a "mastery level." How long does it take to master a particular knowledge component? Call it the Rule of Seven: on average, about seven sessions.
