8 Hacks That Will Help You To Memorize Faster And Easier For Exams

Studying for exams comes with a lot of preparation. Starting from note-taking, reading, and trying to remember what you have read. Today, I will be sharing with you some life hacks that will help you to memorize things faster and easier, especially before exams and still retain what you’ve read.

Effective study habits enhance learning and retention. Your brain gets used to whatever you do often. Working hard can give you ‘A’s in your exams, but working smartly can even make you more outstanding. Below are some tips that will help you to improve your memory to master memorization.

How to Memorize Faster and Easier For Exams

1. Write down everything you have read

The best strategy I use in writing my law school exams is by summarizing everything I have read. Your brain has a 95% chance of forgetting what you have learned if you don’t write them down. Research and study have revealed that “writing down what you’ve learned can lead to more brain activity when remembering the information an hour later.” So, the best way to commit to memory, what you have studied is by writing a brief summary on that topic.

2. Test yourself

It is necessary you give yourself a quiz test to know if you can recall everything you’ve read. One of the benefits of a self-practice test is that “it assesses how well you know the content” notes Jaclyn Walsh.

Remember, what you are going to write in the exam hall are the things your brain can retrieve back. So, you got to train your brain to be active by answering some questions about what you’ve learned to warm your brain. If you fail any of the questions, go back and rehearse the answers.

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3. Practice chunking

Chunking is a process by which individual pieces of an information set are bound together into a meaningful whole. An example is when you are trying to spell a phone number. Instead of spelling them all together like; +18882062011, consider dividing them in a simpler form like +1888 206 2011. This will help you to recall the information faster. So, consider adopting this method in your reading technique to make memorization easier and faster for you.

4. Imagine the lines you have read

You need to commit what you have studied to your imagination. The essence of doing this is to recall them during your exams. So, how do you get started?

Close your eyes and imagine yourself reading those contents (your books or notes), line by line. As you do this, try to read them out to your hearing, and pause when you can’t remember the next sentence. Go back to your book and re-read it until you have mastered every line. This technique is different from cramming. This technique is called the method of loci. It is a strategy of memory enhancement which uses visualizations of familiar spatial environments in order to enhance the recall of information.

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5. Make use of a Mnemonic device

A mnemonic device, or memory device, is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval in the human memory for better understanding.

Are there life events that relate to what you’ve studied? Can those scenarios help you to recall at least 80% of what you’ve learned? Or are there some abbreviations that can help too? Figure out what you can use to associate with what you’ve read. When you have finally discovered one, tell your friends the story and don’t forget your reason for doing that (which is to remember what you have read).

6. Quietly read it out to yourself

You need to quietly read out the lines to yourself. Research shows that “reading out loud improves your memory and retention.” This method will help you to learn faster and remember everything you have learned. Do not fall into the temptation of reading it out too loud, rather you should silently read it in your mind in a way you can hear yourself from inside.

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7. Adopt the Spaced repetition method

This method has to do with “reviewing material at systematic intervals. At the beginning of the learning process, the intervals are spaced closely together (for example, one hour; four hours; one day). As the material is reviewed, the intervals become systematically longer (four days; one week; two weeks).”

One of the importance of the spaced repetition technique is that it is simple but highly effective. All you just have to do is to plan short and frequent review sessions. Review over an extended period of time, take a break and come back again. Continue doing this until you’ve mastered the information.

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8. Share your ideas with friends

Studying alone is good but most times, the ideas you got or shared with friends stick to the brain more than the ones you kept to yourself.

The last hack on how to memorize faster is to discuss your ideas with friends. Join and engage in group discussions if that doesn’t make you forget what you have read so far. If it will, then look for a close friend to share your ideas with, instead of joining a group chat or interaction class.

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