Run the loop until it is smooth

Repeat explain–diagnose–relearn until you can explain the whole thing without snags.

Why it works

Each pass is a fresh, spaced retrieval that both strengthens the parts you know and resurfaces remaining gaps. Understanding is rarely complete on the first cycle, so the loop is the mechanism — not a single heroic explanation.

How to do it

1. After closing a gap, re-explain the full concept from the top.
2. Watch for new gaps that the previous pass hid.
3. Stop only when you can explain it fluently and simply, end to end.

Evidence

Repeated, spaced retrieval improves durable learning, and iterating the explain-test cycle combines self-explanation with that spacing — both well-supported mechanisms. (observational)

More loops have diminishing returns once the explanation is genuinely smooth; the goal is fluency, not infinite repetition.

Common mistake

Stopping after one explanation because it felt good, when the first pass typically hides the gaps the second pass would reveal.