Have a Hard Exam to Study for? Here are 5 Tips to Improve Your Memory

Memory continues to be a topic of fascination because of its complicated nature. How can I remember the most embarrassing thing I did 10 years ago, but not what I ate for lunch 2 hours ago? It almost seems like my own brain is pulling a trick on me. Despite how difficult it can be to remember certain pieces of information, everyone's minds get put to the test in school. Being able to remember every fact and concept that the school curriculum deems important can be a challenging task. While going to university makes education more exciting because of the freedom to choose your classes, it is still often hard to remember all the information necessary to pass. To help make memorizing information easier, let's dive into defining human memory and the first tip to improving it!

So, how can we define memory? Memory can be simply defined as the ability of the brain to store information. This ability has been applied to a variety of concepts. For example, Thurstone's concept of intelligence argues that memory is one of the factors of intelligence. If you believe that memorizing information is difficult and therefore, should be a method of determining intelligence, then you are in agreement with L.L. Thurstone, an American psychologist who identified the seven clusters of primary mental abilities as:

• W ord Fluency
• V erbal Comprehension
• S patial Ability
• P erceptual Speed
• N umerical Ability
• I nductive Reasoning
• M emory

Did you also notice that the first letter of each mental ability listed is bolded? That is no accident. The first tip for improving your memory is to create mnemonics. Creating a mnemonic involves taking items in a sequence and using associations to help remember them. As someone who is currently taking general psychology and had to memorize Thurstone's mental abilities, I relied on using a mnemonic to help me remember them:

• W e
• V iew
• S pace
• P erfectly
• N ow
• I n
• M iles

Despite the mnemonic my brain created not making the best sense, it helped me remember these ideas for the quizzes and the exam.

Another way to make information more memorable is to present the information in a way that increases your attention level. Pay attention to the following statement: my six favorite things are video games, books , friends, family, dogs, and food. Now, quickly think of one of the things I mentioned. You likely quickly remembered that books were one of the things I listed. Since it is a different color from the rest of the list, it stands out against the background. My second tip is to use the power of colors to help with memory-related tasks. Utilizing colors is so powerful that it can even help improve the memory of someone with Alzheimer's Disease. So, how can you use color to help with your studies? You can color code information, highlight the most important topics, and you can use colors to categorize certain pieces of information.

The third tip I have to help with studying involves the repetitive recalling of information. Have you ever been in the middle of an exam and come across a question on a topic you know you studied, but the answer is out of your grasp? This is an example of an error known as "retrieval failure." In my example, the memory did not totally disappear; it was just an issue with finding the right "cue." To ensure that the memory stays in your brain, make sure to repeatedly recall information starting a week before your exam. This is because it tests how much of the facts you retained, and you can focus on studying the areas that cause confusion.

It is also important to not only repeatedly study information but to do so in an environment and headspace that allows you to focus on your material. Failing to do so may lead to "mental overcrowding," which is when there is overabundance of sensory input. External factors such as phones and social media can make it more challenging to concentrate on material that you need to know for your classes. My fourth tip is to allow yourself to be in a better state of mind by studying in a quiet environment that is free from distractions. For example, ensuring that you are not constantly checking your phone will allow your brain to concentrate more on class material and commit the concepts to memory. You can do this by putting your phone on silent or, even better, placing it out of sight. Not having your phone near you will remove the temptation to check your notifications.

The fifth tip is arguably the most important. If you do not follow this tip, it will be nearly impossible to complete the other four. I know that being a college student involves completing a lot of work, which means that you must sacrifice some sleep to complete it; however, sleep deprivation can be the single most harmful thing to your memory and health. Sleep deprivation negatively impacts your ability to concentrate and focus because it slows the cell development in the neural network. On that note, it is very important to cut back on the all-nighters. If your schedule is so rigorous that you feel as if you must constantly do work and have no time for sleeping, it may be time to speak with a counselor or advisor to make some changes to your course load!

Overall, there are multiple strategies you can implement to help your memory. Just remember to breathe, relax, and do not be too hard on yourself when you do not understand something. Your professors will always be happy to give you more specific advice on how to do well in their class.

 

Sources and Further Research

1) Bower, G. H. (1970). Analysis of a Mnemonic Device. American Scientist , 58 (5), 496–510.

2) Clark, J. M., & Paivio, A. (1991). Dual coding theory and education. Educational Psychology Review , 3 (3), 149–210.

3) Dzulkifli, M. A., & Mustafar, M. F. (2013). The influence of colour on memory performance: a review. PubMed .

4) Myers, D. G., DeWall, C. N., & Gruber, J. (2023). Psychology .

5) Skowronek J, Seifert A, Lindberg S. The mere presence of a smartphone reduces basal attentional performance. Sci Rep. 2023 Jun 8;13(1):9363.

6) Zaidi, F. Z., & Zaidi, A. R. Z. (2022). Strategies for Improving Memory in Students. Journal of Shalamar Medical & Dental College - JSHMDC , 3 (2), 197–200.