Do you come to exam times and feel like everything you’ve ever learned has gone in one ear and out the other? The pressure and stress of wanting to achieve can make matters worse, and sometimes it feels like the more you read, the less you know. Plus, many age-old revision techniques, like highlighting information or rereading old notes, are incredibly inefficient ways to learn. We have turned to science to give you some tips that are sure to help you achieve the results you need.
Use Mnemonic Devices to Help You Remember
Mnemonic devices are memory techniques that help your brain to associate facts with a rhyme, acronym, or visual image. One example of this is using a phrase such as “my very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas” to recall the order of the planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto). Another example is to remember that stalaCtites are on the Ceiling, and stalaGmites are on the Ground. VCE English tutors often recommend these techniques.
If you are a more visual person, you may wish to use images rather than language to help you remember. There are two methods you can try. The first is called the Method of Loci. It involves thinking about a familiar place such as your house and then associating a fact or piece of information with each room. The second is to associate an image with a word. For example, if someone tells you their name is Tom, you could associate the famous Tom Hanks with that person.
Create New Neural Pathways through Repetition
Let’s look at how our brains work. Our mind is better at committing facts to memory if we study in many short intervals over time. When we learn new things, our brains strengthen existing neural connections and create new ones. By analysing the same information in small components and reinforcing it repeatedly, our brains are better able to encode data into our synapses since they are engaging multiple synapses over time. This means that if we cram our revision in just before the exam, we aren’t likely to remember the information for long.
Teach a Friend
Often when we study information, we are processing it on a relatively superficial level. If we know that we need to understand the knowledge and be able to explain it to someone else, then we rapidly become better at recalling the information. Try forming a study group and taking turns to explain and discuss different points. This approach will help you commit the information to memory.
Write it Down
You might do most of your writing on a keyboard these days rather than with pen and paper, but research has shown that the physical act of writing information down on paper is a better way to embed data into your brain.
Do Some Exercise
You now have the perfect excuse to take a study break. New research has found that moderate exercise improves the executive function of your brain, which is the activity that takes place in the frontal lobe. Taking half an hour to go for a jog, do some yoga, or hit the gym will improve your brain’s processing power. Studies have also linked regular exercise to increasing the size of the frontal lobes and delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s.
So, there you have it – all the scientifically proven ways that you can improve your study sessions and ace your upcoming exams. All that’s left to do is to stop procrastinating and get to it!
