It’s September, and for millions of children, teachers, and parents, this time of year heralds the end of summer break and the beginning of a new school year. You might not be in a formal schooling environment any longer, if you’re like a lot of students, you might have some less-than-pleasant memories of taking tests. If the thought of taking an exam makes your stomach churn, you might want to reconsider: it turns out that testing your knowledge actually helps you retain it better than regular study alone.

You probably already know that there are a lot of practical benefits to speaking more than one language: you can communicate with people from different backgrounds, earn more money, and travel more independently. In addition to these easy-to-see perks, though, science has found increasing evidence of the cognitive benefits of bilingualism.

Have you ever had to try to learn something that you had no interest in? For instance, was there a class in school that you dreaded, that had homework that bored you to tears? Chances are that you didn't look forward to this forced activity — it probably felt like a chore. If you've had this experience, you likely know just how important motivation can be to the learning process. 

Science has proved it: spaced-out study helps you learn better than intense cramming sessions. Learn how you can apply this idea to your Spanish studies!

Learning a language is tough work, and some of the information out there just isn’t reliable. We’ve taken on the top three myths about learning Spanish below.

Learning a new language, especially if you're going it alone, can be a challenge! Here are 5 of our favorite tips for new and experienced learners alike.