How to remember what you study? Study becomes worthy when you can remember what you have learned. Whether you’re studying for a test or paper, trying to learn a language, or just trying to retain what you learned in your college or university classes, remembering what you study can be a challenge.
If your brain is good at holding onto things you’ve learned for long periods of time, it is not always easy to get the information when you need it.
People use a few memory tricks to boost their recall. Make your brain more flexible to absorb new information by taking care of your mind and body and working in a good environment.
Are you one of those who study a lot before and during exams and still fail to remember the material during the exam? Do you work hard but still fail to get desirable results?
Here we are going to give you some quick and easy tips that will not only help you remember what you study but also boost your memory and motivate you to learn more. So without further detain, let’s get to it!
Tips to remember what you study
The following are the few best ways to study and memorize what you have learned.
Break the material into chunks
Well, it is easy to process and remember information if you break it into chunks.
Instead of trying to memorize a complete chapter of your textbook, focus on one short section or key piece of information at a time, try not to learn everything at once.
That would be just horrible! Chapters are usually divided into small sections that each provide a manageable amount of information. Focus on understanding and remembering one section before moving onto the next otherwise, your mind will not process everything that is important.
Make the notes for study
Whether you are in the class and listening to lectures or reading your text, write down important pieces of information. Don’t write every word you hear or read.
Putting the information into your own words helps you to check that you understand the material. You should summarise a point in your own words.
Underlining or highlighting motivates you to identify the most important aspects of the text. This helps to keep you attentive and prevents the loss of concentration.
After making your notes, first of all, ask yourself what you don’t understand about a certain topic. Secondly, plan a question that addresses this area.
Third, answer your question through lectures and google search. In this way, you will understand the concepts better by going through this route.
Make the information meaningful
Students often try to retain important information because it is unclear or confusing. It’s much more difficult to remember concepts when they’re not completely understood.
If you want to remember new information presented to you, in your mind summarize the information you’ve just learned in your own words.
If you are unable to do this, it is a strong sign that you do not fully comprehend the concept you’re attempting to learn–and consequently will have difficulty recalling it for future use.
Good study environment
A comfortable space is important to concentrate on a study. If you’re not comfortable, you’ll have difficulty concentrating on what you are studying. It’s important to have a private and comfortable place to properly concentrate and remember the study material.
- Select a place to study where you won’t be distracted by people talking or other distracting sounds.
- Make sure there’s plenty of light. Dim lights can distract and make it harder to see what you are studying.
- Stay away from tempting distractions such as social media, games, or things to watch when you’re studying.
Take breaks
When students try to study things without taking a break, they tend to forget what they studied. However, when you are trying to study everything at once, your mind will get jumbled and you won’t be able to process a thing.
So, when your brain is working, you need to take regular study breaks which not only helps you to absorb more information but also to keep you motivated and focused when you are working.
However, take a short break after 45-50 minutes of study as your focus and concentration will become impaired after this period. Our brains will always strengthen our memories when we take breaks.
Test yourself
When you study each section of the material, take a test of yourself. It is possible by making flashcards, writing study questions, or doing the exercises or knowledge checks that are built into your textbook.
If you’re studying with a friend, you can quiz each other. One way to test yourself is to ask yourself basic questions about the material as you go.
Self-quizzing helps you get a better idea of how well you understand the material, and it also forces your brain to work a little bit harder to remember.
Read it loudly
Students who read their lesson loudly remember their lesson longer than those who read it without a voice.
Always read out your notes loud and clear while studying. You can read your notes with friends together which will reinforce learning in a whole new way and help you keep your mind clear and full concentration. People who do so are always able to learn and remember the lesson better.
Visualization to improve memory
Visualization can be used to remember information that’s been read in a textbook or spoken during a lecture.
Research shows that it’s easier to remember a picture rather than details from a book or a lecture. It is especially useful when you study abstract or confusing subjects.
Visualization is particularly worthy of memorizing systems, cycles, and processes. It allows you to create a vivid, meaningful, and memorable story that allows you to recall information.
You can also use maps, pictures, charts, or graphs to help you visualize and remember important material.
Association
The association involves connecting a word or event with a place, feelings, people, situations, or things. This is a very powerful memory strategy that allows the brain to connect something that is already familiar with something new that is not familiar with it.
By connecting the unfamiliar to the familiar, the brain becomes more able to learn and remember the unfamiliar. It is a very effective technique for learning and remembering vocabulary words.
When you are given a new vocabulary word to memorize, connect it to the words like person, place, thing, event, or movie, with which you are familiar or combine them in a sentence to create a strong association.
Sleep and exercise
Our brain absorbs information nicely before sleep or after exercise. Research has shown that those who study before sleeping have higher memory recall or higher activity in the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain that forms new memories.
So, give time to your sleep and workout to maximize your study session. Almost 30 minutes of aerobic exercise daily is not just good for the body but also helps your brain to process things in a better way.
So always make sure to get some good exercise every now and then. You could simply jog around or go on a long brisk walk to improve your memory.
