MEMORY TRICKS

Train yourself to be a memory machine!

Students are required to remember a lot of information. You have to remember material (facts, concepts, ideas, formulas, etc) for tests, to answer questions in class, and to understand concepts that will prepare you for the next session or year of classes. Having a good memory can help you ace assignments and score enviable grades. The good news is, you can learn to improve your memory. Check out these tips from Myjellybean.com.

Really "Get" It.

Understand thoroughly what is to be remembered and memorized. Once you undestand something well, whether it's a name or a chemical formula, you are halfway towards memorizing it. Making sure you ask questions in class when you aren't sure of an idea or fact is a very important part of understanding, and remembering.

Sing a Song.

To remember something verbatim (literally "word for word"), such as a name or a mathematical formula, make a song out of the information. Putting facts to music can make you remember them, because as humans we are wired to remember music and its associations. For example, to the tune of "Happy Birthday": "I'm a rhesus monkey, I live in a tree. I eat leaves and beetles, and my hearing is keen."

Try to Like It.

Think about what you are trying to learn. Try to get interested in the material you are learning, and you will surely remember it more easily.

Do It In Order.

Study first the items you want to remember longest.

Learn by Section.

Learn complete units at one time as that is the way it will have to be remembered later. Overlearn to make certain!

Get Visual.

Whenever possible, use images to help you remember information. Close your eyes and get a picture of how the information looks in your textbook. Try to see it on the page. See the key words underlined. Make a mental picture to carry with you into a test.

Create Your Own System.

Make you own applications, examples, illustrations. Create your own system of organizing information - for example, using specific colors for headers, making numbered lists of facts to be memorized, or putting information into charts and graphs.

Use Key Words.

Make a list of key words most useful in explaining the idea or content of the lesson. Form a variety of associations among the points you wish to remember. The richer the associations, the better memory. For example, Jeff is cute; monkeys are cute; monkeys eat bugs; Volkswagons are called "bugs"; Jeff drives a Volkswagon.

Talk It Out.

When trying to remember something for a test, try explaining the information or idea clear to a friend without referring to your book or notes. See how far you can get. You may remember more that you think! Then study it again and again to learn it totally.

Practice!

Actually write out examination questions on the material that you think you might get at the end of the term. Then write answers to your own questions. Since you now have the chance, consult the text or your notes to improve your answers.

Know What You Don't Know.

Review your notes by reading through them from start to finish, then focusing on the parts you don't know as well. This is an important part of remembering.