# How do I know if I really understand?

You studied for a test and felt ready. But your marks were lower than you expected.

Now, even when a lesson makes sense, you wonder, “Do I really understand this?” You don’t want another surprise. But doubting everything makes it hard to move forward.

Asking that question can help. What matters is what you do next.

Think of a rock climber checking a hold before moving higher. The check helps them decide their next move. In learning, you can also check what you are relying on before taking your next step.

**Does what I think I know match what I can do?**

How closely what you think you know matches what you can do is called calibration. Comparing the two can help you judge your learning more accurately.

Suppose you read a solved maths problem and think, “I can do this.” Before moving on, try a similar problem without looking at the solution. Then check your answer and your steps.

Did it go as you expected?

If you got stuck, notice where. Perhaps the solution was easy to follow, but choosing the steps yourself was harder. Next time, you’ll know that following a solution is only part of the picture.

You might also surprise yourself the other way. You expected to struggle, but you solved the problem and could explain your steps. Give yourself credit for that. An old mistake does not tell you everything about what you can do now.

One answer won’t show you everything either. Look at how you do across a few different questions, and check again later.

Sometimes you’ll find that you need help. That is useful to know. “I need help with this step” gives you somewhere to begin.

A low test score can also come from running out of time or misreading questions. Look at what happened before deciding that you didn’t understand.

You don’t need to check every little thing or be completely sure before moving on. Make a useful check, learn from it, and act.

The aim is to give yourself a fair picture of your learning. Then “Do I really understand?” becomes a useful check that helps you decide what to do next.

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Source: https://myabhyasa.co/blog/calibration