How to Improve Memory for Studying: 10 Tips to Help You Succeed
Do you want to knock your next SAT out of the park? Do you struggle to remember new words you learned just a few days ago while those around you remember a lot of information with seemingly no effort? Wondering how they do this??
You’ll be happy to know that anyone can learn how to improve their memory and concentration! Just as you can strengthen parts of your body, you can also train your brain to remember more. Ready to learn how? Well, here are ten easy tips that will help you learn how to improve your memory for studying.
The Ten Study Hacks to Improve Your Memory
Improve your memory with a rewards system.
Taking part in any competition is no easy feat. If you’re running a race, you must improve your diet, practice running every day, and adopt a positive mindset. But winning a trophy at the end of the track is what any runner wants. It makes all the hard work that came before worthwhile.
In the same way, remind yourself that you can indulge in a reward once you’ve memorized material for an exam. Then you’ll be more likely to do the hard work to get your desired result. Whether this means watching your favorite TV show or having a bigger scoop of ice cream, the actual reward is entirely up to you!
2. Use mental associations to improve memory power
When you come across a new piece of information, your brain subconsciously also picks up any images, sounds or physical feelings that were occurring at the same time. This means that you can improve memory if you actively associate an image, sound or a feeling to what you’re learning. For instance, you’re more likely to remember a great weekend with your friends when you think about what you were wearing, the conversations you had, and your feelings of happiness. Use any of these four mental association techniques to improve memory retention:
Keyword mnemonics: Improve memory for exams by creating mental associations to the information you are trying to learn using keyword mnemonics. This technique involves choosing a keyword or an image that compels you to think of a word. For example, if you want to remember the French word for star, which is étoile, you could think of a towel in English.
Chunking: Additionally, you could also try chunking. This involves breaking down number phrases of words into manageable pieces of information. For instance, ‘onomatopoeia’ can become three separate phrases of ‘onom’, ‘atop’, ’eia’. You could also try creating an acronym or rhyme to remember elements within the periodic table. Think Fresh Prince of Bel Air!
Explore your memory palace: There’s also the memory palace brain game which involves you imagining a room or path in a building with objects. Following this, you associate any information you need to remember with specific objects or locations in the building.
Songs: Are you having a hard time learning those physics equations? Try associating the equations with songs to improve memory and brain function.
3. Watch a Ted Talk on your study topic
Do you notice how captivated you are when someone tells you a story? All that person does is put together facts and opinions in a way that is easier to digest. So, if you’re having a hard time memorizing information from a book, improve your memory by watching an educational video on it. We love Ted-Ed talks where you can discover several animations or videos related to STEM subjects, which will help you study better. Whether you’re struggling to understand what a vector is or need to understand the science behind your skin, Ted Talks can help you learn through visual and auditory aids.
4. USE APPS THAT HELP YOU STUDY WITHOUT DISTRACTION
Find yourself going on Instagram or Facebook too much? Find apps to block these sites for a certain amount of time so that you can focus on your exams!
For example, you could try the free app Leech Block which only gives you a set amount of time to access distracting sites and then blocks you out for the rest of the day. A similar technique is the Pomodoro technique, and there are tons of free apps available to help you try that technique out.
You could also download Mindful Browsing for free, which improves the memory power of your brain by blocking a list of websites of your choice. Then if you try and visit these sites, it reminds you of useful things you could be doing instead based on what you say your goals are when signing up.
5. Use the “Spaced Repetition” technique to plan your study schedule.
When trying to improve your memory while studying, don’t type out the information. Write it down on a flashcard so that your brain remains active as you form each letter. If you’re not a fan of flashcards, you can also create mind maps for subjects that you are learning to improve memory retention.
Then, use “spaced repetition” to review the information you’ve written down over several days. This technique involves planning a set of revision sessions that aim to transfer what you just learned into your long-term memory. Your first practice session should be two or three days after while the next practice session should be nine days away. Then, the third session can be two months away while the fourth can be six months away. This helps make sure this information stays in your long-term memory!
6. Don’t forget to Take regular study breaks
We all need rest after a long day of school, and so does your brain. It’s not a machine as it is attached to a human, i.e. you. So, make sure you take regular, short breaks after a period of studying continuously to improve memory power and concentration. You can use free apps like Gnome Pomodoro, which aims to improve the quality of your learning by encouraging you to take short breaks. You could also use the Tomatoes app on the web which improves memory retention by tracking time using 25-minute slots known as ‘pomodoros’.
7. Listen to music while studying
Listening to the right type of music can improve memory and recall. Studies have shown that mellow, calming sounds can enhance the functioning of your brain and increase your level of concentration. Download Noisli for free on the web to boost your focus while studying. It has 16 sounds in total, which include natural sounds that you can mix. You can also improve your memory for exams by using Rainy Mood for free on the web. It has classic rain sounds to boost your memory. Interested in study-specific music apps? Try the Study music memory booster app on Google Play.
8. Try meditation and exercise
When anyone meditates, they can reduce their stress levels and improve their standard of focus. That’s two great reasons to take at least ten minutes to soothe your mind while improving memory retention. In the same way, exercise can soothe your mind and body as it helps you feel better about yourself. This has been proved by a recent study by the University College London which said that individuals who exercise every day reduce their levels of stress and anxiety by 40%.
It follows that if you spend less time worrying, your brain has more time to focus on what’s important to you. So, if you have at least five minutes of your day to improve your memory for studying, try Smiling Mind. It's a free meditation app that has sessions which can improve your sleep patterns and relationships.
You can also start exercising to improve memory loss using apps like Adidas training by Runtastic. This app has over 30 free workouts which range from 10 to 30 minutes.
9. Get a healthy dose of the ZZZ’s.
Getting a good night’s sleep or indulging in a quick power nap for about 45 minutes can help improve your memory for study. Cramming right before a test or staying up all night before an exam rarely works in the long run. Our brain has had no time to ‘reset’ or rest to save any information we have recently learned.
If you have trouble getting a good 8-10 hours’ sleep everyday, avoid using your phone just before you sleep, exercise at least three hours before you sleep and meditate just before you go to bed. Deep breathing can also encourage your body to relax.
Bonus tip: Try to keep your room cool at night to improve memory retention. Why? Research has shown that individuals who tried to sleep in a hotter room had difficulty falling asleep and experienced a poor sleep quality. On the other hand, those who slept in a cooler room had a better sleep experience.
10. Participate in a study group
Being involved in a study group is a commitment. You will need to commit to meeting up with your peers at a dedicated time, and you need to contribute during that session. If someone fails to contribute during a session, there should be consequences.
In other words, a study group can help you improve your memory fast and be more effective in your revision. If you are stuck on a topic, you can ask others for help and might also learn new skills in the process. A study group can also help learning feel less overwhelming and can also give members a boost as they support each other.
Finally, it can be a way of getting more creative about your learning alongside a small group of like-minded students, something that’s not always possible within the confines a classroom.
Final Thoughts on Improving Your Memory for Studying
Learning how to improve your memory for studying isn’t necessarily easy, but by practicing techniques and making changes to your lifestyle, forgetting important information will soon be a thing of the past. Just remember that putting anything new into practice takes time and so don’t be too hard on yourself if it doesn’t work immediately. Let us know your memory power tips in the comments.
For more individualized memorization tips, come talk to a free UPchieve tutor. They are available online 24/7, and offer 100% free homework help for qualifying students.