Likely all of us have experienced the panic a few days before an exam where we've tryed to cram in all the information possible before the big day. Some people get it done right, while others don’t. That’s because some methods are more effective than others.
Although we don't reccomend cramming, this article will go through all the memorisation techniques that can help both your normal studies and if you've left everything to the last moment. Below is a compilation of methods that are proven to be effective for many students, including myself.
1. Take care of your mental health
Attention span is incredibly important when it comes to memorisation. You cannot memorise something when you don’t have the ability to retain it in the first place, so pay attention to the information presented to you.
As students, we have the tendency to stay up late to study. Don’t make the mistake of sacrificing your sleep for one assignment. Get a good night’s sleep to improve your attention span and brain functioning. Sleep is a memory enhancer since it protects the information that is stored from interfering stimuli; so, study before sleeping.
Get a good night’s sleep to improve your attention and brain functioning.
Also make sure you drink enough water, eat healthy, and socialise with others. Eating chocolate is actually a great brain booster﹣it improves focus and memory! Working out also has benefits for mental health. Exercise not only has perks for physical health but is a stress reliever and can boost your mood and concentration. Such a great reason to pick up those dumbbells before reading your textbook!
2. Teach others
This is something that really helped me. Before an exam, my friends and I would have a quick group study session where we would all discuss areas that we didn't understand. This way we were able to decipher our strengths and weaknesses. If someone was confident with the topic, they would teach the rest of the group. If no one knew how to answer a question, it meant that we needed to take a quick run to the staffroom and clarify things.
Teaching others made me more confident and I was able to put my words on paper better when sitting the exam. Whenever questions similar to those we'd discussed in the group popped up, my brain automatically replayed the scenario in my head and I was able to recall what we had talked about regarding the topic.
If no one is there, explain it to yourself in front of the mirror. This method helps tremendously for retrieving information.
3. Practise applying the content
You memorise things that you understand 9 times faster! Is there any better way to understand a method than knowing how and when to use it?
Practice questions are extremely important in boosting memory. Even if it gets repetitive, do more and more questions. Seemingly simple or repetitive questions often have those deceiving twists that could cost you marks.
Use sticky notes to mark questions (and their corresponding worked solution) that troubled you, so you know what to go back to when studying for the test.
Each exam board, QCAA, NESCA, or VCAA, have their own past papers available on their website which are usually free and amazing for studying how to apply the content in a way that is expected for your exams.
You can also find heaps of questions in the ATAR Notes Topic Tests, which are available from Year 10 to Year 12 for many subjects in each state. Otherwise you might have a textbook with practice questions or your teacher might give you some for homework. Doing these can be a massive help and is always more beneficial if you start early, as learning this way is not possible if you're trying to cram!
4. Vibe to that favourite song of yours while studying
Music has also proven to reduce stress and improve sleep quality, overall mood, mental alertness, and memory. For some people it may sound surprising that listening to music while studying doesn’t reduce concentration levels. It also makes the studying process much more enjoyable and personal!
However, you need to choose the right type of music. Slow numbers help. Lo-fi is a very trendy genre that is extremely relaxing and does not divert attention for most listeners. I am listening to it right now while creating this article! Don’t go for crazy party songs while studying. I regret listening way too much to those songs, which ended up literally repeating in my head in the HSC exam room!
Music can also be bad while studying if the tracks are changed too often. It also may not be beneficial for very literature-heavy courses.
Here’s a great link for more information on this technique.
5. Use memory devices
Flashcards, mind maps, rhyming mnemonics, music mnemonics, acronyms, these are all great ways to condense extremely specific information into smaller, more important chunks which you can store in your memory. The less you try to memorise, the better because your brain will memorise that “less” in a better way and you will automatically be able to recall the small details when you have easy access to the general big picture surrounding it.
If using flashcards make sure to use the Leitner system where you divy up cards to revise based on whether you find answering them easy or not. If you get the answer correct then the flashcard moves into a "revise every three days" stack. If you get it right again it moves to a "revise once a week" stack. If you get it wrong you move it back down to revise more frequently. This way you are revising the content that you are uncertain of, as well as helping to place information in your long-term memory! Below is a handy graphic to show you how this is done!
If you struggle to make your own flashcards you can look online on quizlet or check out ATAR Notes Flashcards for Biology in HSC, QCE, and VCE.
6. Method of Loci or Memory Palace
This is one of the oldest memorisation techniques. Think of a place or route you know inside out, for example, your bedroom. Identify some significant objects or locations in this area. Next, associate each item you want to memorise with a single object or location. When you want to retrieve that stored memory, either visualise that chosen spot in your head or physically go and visit your “memory palace” to regain the information.
Trust me, this method and anything similar to this one works! Think of the music you were listening to while studying and associate the lyrics with a specific topic; next time that song plays in your head, you will think of the maths question you were doing while listening to that song.
My mum used to watch TV while studying and during an exam, she would connect this back to the content that she studied while that specific scene was playing on her TV.
However, be careful to not get too invested in concentrating on things other than what you are studying.
7. Link it
Connect the information you are trying to memorise to something that you already know. Material in isolation is more difficult to remember than material that is connected to other concepts. Make silly connections if required (no one is going to read your brain!). Connect one learnt thing to another so when you think of that thing, you automatically recall another.
An example is how I learnt the difference between “dessert” and “desert”. A desert is the sandy land ﹣ it only has one letter “s” because it doesn’t need more “sand”, which starts with the letter “s”.
8. Organise information properly
For your brain to easily access information, it must be organised neatly. Use a systematic approach in creating your notes ﹣ highlight or use bold labels to organise related content together. Have formulae in one colour and theory in another. Be creative with this one.
If you found this article useful or want to delve deeper into this memorisation issue, make sure to check out other related free articles we’ve got to offer!
All the best for your studies (or should I say cramming-before-an-exam?), with enough practice you’re definitely capable of improving your memory!
