Shunki Sugai's Study Method: Why Working Adults Need to Know How to 'Go Back'

Studying after entering the workforce is, after all, exhausting.

I want to get certified.

I want to gain knowledge necessary for my job.

English, accounting, IT, marketing, law, data analysis... there are so many things I want to learn.

But when I actually sit down to start, I get stuck.

"Even if I read the textbook, it doesn't stick."

"Even if I open the workbook, I don't know what I don't know."

"It's embarrassing to go back to the basics at my age."

"Maybe I'm just not cut out for studying."

For those with such anxieties, the study method of Shunki Sugai, also known as "Nice Guy Sugai" from QuizKnock, is incredibly helpful.

Sugai-san specialized in physics, specifically superconductivity, at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School and earned his PhD. He joined QuizKnock in 2017 despite having no competitive quiz experience. Currently, he is active in making science easy to understand and has been appointed as an ambassador for the Physical Society of Japan's 2025-2027 commemorative project.

Hearing this, you might think, "That's just a story for someone who was smart from the beginning."

But the essence of Sugai-san's study method isn't about talent.

What matters is:

Where to go back when you stop understanding.

What to extract after looking at the answer.

How to connect knowledge to your daily life.

In other words, this is a story about the "study design" necessary when working adults relearn.

Here are five key points from Sugai-san's study method.

1. First, decide on one thing and become a "master"

Regarding study methods, Sugai-san says, "For every subject, I used a study method aimed at becoming a master." He also mentioned periods where he focused solely on physics or decided to tackle only math during winter break.

This is extremely important for adult learners.

Many people get greedy when they start studying.

I want to do English.

I want to know about accounting.

I want to learn AI.

I want to make reading a habit.

But the more things you try to touch, the more everything becomes half-baked.

What you need first is not expansion.

It's creating the feeling that "I can do this" in one specific field.

For example, if it's certification study, "go through this one book three times."

If it's English, "just finish this one grammar book."

If it's job knowledge, "make sure I can explain these specific industry terms to others."

Once you complete one thing, you gain not just knowledge, but a "template" for studying.

Your self-image changes from "I'm bad at studying" to "I can grow if I decide on a method."

The most important thing in adult relearning is not becoming versatile from the start. It's creating your first winning streak.

2. It's okay to look at the answer early for problems you don't understand

People who get stuck in adult learning tend to agonize over problems they don't understand for a long time.

Of course, thinking is important.

But if you stop for a long time in front of a problem that has an answer, you'll start to hate studying itself.

Sugai-san says that if a problem has an answer, it's fine to look at it, and what's important is to learn the "rules of thinking" from there.

The key here is not to just copy the answer.

After looking at the answer, you must extract:

"Which knowledge is being used?"

"Why think in this specific order?"

"What should I remember if a similar problem appears next time?"

Looking at the answer is not a defeat.

It is an action to steal the rules.

Time is limited for working adults. That's why it's better to collect the "template" from the solution rather than struggling with raw willpower.

When you hit a problem you don't understand, make this note:

"What is the rule for this problem?"

With just that, checking the answer becomes a weapon you can use next time, rather than just a confirmation.

3. If you're a total mess, throw away your pride and go back "2 years"

The biggest reason studying becomes painful isn't that the current content is difficult.

It's usually because there's a hole somewhere in the past, but you're trying to manage with only the current page.

When asked for advice by someone whose middle school studies were a mess, Sugai-san recommended "doing the textbooks and workbooks from two years ago." The idea is that since you're struggling now, you must have lost track somewhere, so you look for what you don't understand in materials from two years prior.

This applies directly to working adults as well.

People who don't understand accounting might actually be stuck on the relationship between "sales, profit, and expenses" rather than financial statements.

People who can't read long English passages might be stuck on middle school grammar rather than reading comprehension skills.

People who struggle with IT might be stuck on basic PC or network terminology rather than programming.

Going back is not a shame.

Continuing forward without going back is much more painful.

Working adults often think, "I can't go back to the basics now."

But people who can return to the basics are strong.

People who are good at studying aren't those who move forward the fastest.

They are the ones who can find the place to return to when they stop understanding.

4. Verify your understanding by whether you can "explain it"

Here, we can use Richard Feynman's thinking as a supplement to Sugai-san's method.

Feynman was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, and Caltech described him as a "great storyteller and teacher."

The "Feynman Technique" named after him is a learning method where you explain what you've learned in simple terms and review the parts where you got stuck.

This is incredibly useful for adult study.

It's dangerous to just read a text and feel like you "get it." Whether you truly understand will be revealed immediately if you try to explain it.

For example, after learning, try writing this down for just one minute:

"What is this?"

"Why is it necessary?"

"In what situation would I use this at work?"

The parts you can't explain are your holes.

Sugai-san's method of "extracting rules from answers" and the Feynman-esque "explaining in simple words" are very compatible.

Look at the answer.

Extract the rule.

Explain it in your own words.

By making these three a set, knowledge becomes much easier to retain.

5. Don't let learning end only on the desk

Sugai-san says that knowledge doesn't enter your mind unless you intend to gain it. Just like wildflowers on the roadside, you won't find them unless you're looking for them. Therefore, if you decide on something you're interested in and live your life intending to collect information about it, you'll notice it in various places.

This is a powerful approach for adult learners.

If you're learning marketing, look at the shelves in a convenience store.

If you're learning accounting, look at the numbers in corporate news.

If you're learning English, look at your phone's display or movie dialogue.

If you're learning IT, think about which parts of your job can be automated.

The more you confine studying to your desk, the more you forget. The moment it connects to your life or work, it stays in your memory.

Also, Sugai-san says he "definitely writes" when memorizing kanji. Since he needs to write in the actual exam, he trusts the feeling that his hands will remember if he writes it a few times.

Adult study is the same.

Don't just read; write.

Don't just watch; use.

Don't just listen; explain.

Knowledge stays better when it passes through the body.

Summary: Adult study changes with "design" rather than talent

What we see from Sugai-san's study method is not the special ability of a genius.

Decide on one thing.

Extract rules from answers.

Go back if you don't understand.

Verify if you can explain it.

Collect knowledge in daily life.

The most painful part of adult studying isn't the lack of understanding itself, but thinking "I might not be able to grow anymore."

But the reason you aren't growing might not be talent; it might just be that your study design is off.

To-Do List starting today

• Narrow down your learning theme to one thing, like "this one book" or "this one unit."
• Look at answers early for problems you don't understand and memo the rule for the solution in one sentence.
• If your understanding collapses, throw away your pride and go back to middle school or introductory levels.
• Explain what you learned in one minute and review the parts where you got stuck.
• Find one situation in your work or daily life where you can use the knowledge you learned.

Study methods can be changed through design, not talent.

If you feel like "I can't keep up with certification study," "I don't know where to go back to," "I can't apply what I read to my work," or "I want to organize study methods for working adults," please follow me on X and feel free to consult via DM. I'll help you organize where to start fixing things to move your learning forward based on your current situation.

-----> @edward_toeic