With tens of books, thousands of pages to read, and dozens of classes to attend, recalling everything you learned during the semester isn’t easy. Sometimes, you put in all your hard work but by the time the exams roll around you feel like your brain is empty. The good news is that you can turn the situation around.
There are simple ways in which you can sharpen your memory to help you get through the tough panic-inducing exam periods. It will also save you the frustration of forgetting concepts that you spent hours poring over. The secret is in adding a little smart to your hard work. Below are a few memory hacks that can take you a long way.
Write yourself notes
Write down important formulas or points from your notes on post-it notes, and stick them on your room’s wall, door, desk, or bed. This is a great way to keep your memory fresh, since you’ll be reminded at every turn. By the time the exam period approaches, the information will have become ingrained in your mind.
Read aloud
Reading aloud will highly improve chances of information retention. You can do this in your dorm room or somewhere private. By reading aloud, you’ll also easily identify mistakes you may have made in your notes and that you usually pass by unconsciously while reading silently.
Take study breaks
While your ultimate goal is getting as much work done as possible in the time you have, taking short study breaks will increase your concentration and ultimately improve your memory. Studying for long hours on end will exhaust your brain, and chances are you will not remember any of what you read the following day. Take a few minutes to relax your body and brain to improve your brain’s processing time and memory retention. You can take a short walk or meditate while at it.
Use colors
Make use of colored pens and highlighters while going over your notes. Highlighting the important points in different colors improves your chances of recalling them. You can also use these to mark your notebooks so that you can always remember where to find your specific notes.
Test yourself
Quizzing yourself on a subject you’ve just covered will not only help you determine how much you’ve understood, but will also help with memorization. It will keep the subject fresh in your mind especially if you keep doing it regularly.
Use a pen and paper
There’s a lot of technology that has made it possible to get through an entire semester without requiring old fashioned stationery. However, you might want to ditch your laptop and write down your notes on paper. This method has been proved to help with internalizing and committing information to memory.
Do some physical exercise
You don’t have to sign up for a gym. Choosing to skip the bus and walk to class will give you the exercise you need. With the increased blood flow in your body, there’s more oxygen supplied to your brain during exercise. This results in healthy brain function which includes memory retention.
