The Student Room Group

Memorising Techniques

Hi! Does anyone have any memorising techniques I could use to help me memorise stuff I read for revision apart frpm blurting :smile:
Original post by vk.2308
Hi! Does anyone have any memorising techniques I could use to help me memorise stuff I read for revision apart frpm blurting :smile:

My opinion when it comes to memorising techniques is that their effectiveness come down to the individual and how the individual think. What works for me might not necessarily work as well for you, for example.

The sort of memorising techniques that I use include:

Chunking - group ideas and concepts together so you wouldn't need to memorise 200 things as opposed to the 5-6 that your mind is capable of remembering

Use images and diagrams instead of lists - I'm a visual learner, and I find it easier to remember a picture that represents all the items in a list than trying to remember individual items in a list

Use active recall - see the following video for a full explanation: https://aliabdaal.com/activerecallstudytechnique/

Use Notion AI for prompts and mock questions to help remembering - kind of like using flash cards.

Use questions to analyse a topic from another perspective - the more times you address a topic (especially if you analyse the topic at multiple angles), the more accustomed you are at remembering the material

Use mnemonics - a good way of remembering things, but I find it's only really useful if the number of items is long (say 6+ items)

Mindmaps - it uses multiple areas of the brain due to the way it's designed; I find it effective if you analyse all parts of the maps before memorising it

Feyman technique - see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f-qkGJBPts (if you can explain it well, you memorised it well; also, the more you talk about it, the more the memory sets in)


The sort of techniques that are commonly mentioned include:

Method of loci - See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ESBJLbRwJY (it can get a bit weird if you say walk into a kitchen and your parents find that it's covered in science post-it notes, and then a bunch of notes on French in the lounge; try to be practical where possible)

Use link/story method - see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpaItR_eRBc


The key things that I would emphasise are:

The main point in you memorising the material is to be able to perform in the exam. You can memorise everything down to the T, but if you can't produce the results in the exam there's little point. Keep your eye on the ball.

As such, I would practice more using past exam questions under timed conditions on the topics more than anything mentioned above.

Memorisation is only one part of the strategy in doing well, so I would look into the other elements in getting the high grades at the end of your GCSEs e.g.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUxv3nPsCxo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SchpNJ8Yww
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meHkA9PR-Bc

It's very difficult to memorise something if you haven't really delved into the topic. I would study the topic thoroughly before attempting to memorise it all.

Your brain works by forming synapses with other areas of the brain to form memories i.e. links. It's kind of like forming relationships between topics; the more relationships an idea has, the stronger the memory and the more important the idea becomes. As such, I would analyse a topic thoroughly and link it to as many topics as you can.

Your brain also works well when something is novel. Boredom and complacency sets in when you keep going over the same thing over and over (or look through similar things). Making things interesting and being creative (including splashing colours and having fun) is going to help memorisation of a topic.

Your brain also works well when you're being active. If you're being passive about something, you tend to remember less. So try to learn actively (doesn't mean moving around a lot, although it can help) by seeking to answer specific questions or prompts that you have in mind on a topic as opposed to just absorbing material like a sponge.



Hope the above helps. Let me know what works.
Reply 2
one of my teachers always encouraged us to use the "mind palace" technique like in sherlock but it never worked for me. I guess you have to be a very visual learner.
Reply 3
Original post by MindMax2000
My opinion when it comes to memorising techniques is that their effectiveness come down to the individual and how the individual think. What works for me might not necessarily work as well for you, for example.

The sort of memorising techniques that I use include:

Chunking - group ideas and concepts together so you wouldn't need to memorise 200 things as opposed to the 5-6 that your mind is capable of remembering

Use images and diagrams instead of lists - I'm a visual learner, and I find it easier to remember a picture that represents all the items in a list than trying to remember individual items in a list

Use active recall - see the following video for a full explanation: https://aliabdaal.com/activerecallstudytechnique/

Use Notion AI for prompts and mock questions to help remembering - kind of like using flash cards.

Use questions to analyse a topic from another perspective - the more times you address a topic (especially if you analyse the topic at multiple angles), the more accustomed you are at remembering the material

Use mnemonics - a good way of remembering things, but I find it's only really useful if the number of items is long (say 6+ items)

Mindmaps - it uses multiple areas of the brain due to the way it's designed; I find it effective if you analyse all parts of the maps before memorising it

Feyman technique - see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f-qkGJBPts (if you can explain it well, you memorised it well; also, the more you talk about it, the more the memory sets in)


The sort of techniques that are commonly mentioned include:

Method of loci - See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ESBJLbRwJY (it can get a bit weird if you say walk into a kitchen and your parents find that it's covered in science post-it notes, and then a bunch of notes on French in the lounge; try to be practical where possible)

Use link/story method - see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpaItR_eRBc


The key things that I would emphasise are:

The main point in you memorising the material is to be able to perform in the exam. You can memorise everything down to the T, but if you can't produce the results in the exam there's little point. Keep your eye on the ball.

As such, I would practice more using past exam questions under timed conditions on the topics more than anything mentioned above.

Memorisation is only one part of the strategy in doing well, so I would look into the other elements in getting the high grades at the end of your GCSEs e.g.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUxv3nPsCxo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SchpNJ8Yww
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meHkA9PR-Bc

It's very difficult to memorise something if you haven't really delved into the topic. I would study the topic thoroughly before attempting to memorise it all.

Your brain works by forming synapses with other areas of the brain to form memories i.e. links. It's kind of like forming relationships between topics; the more relationships an idea has, the stronger the memory and the more important the idea becomes. As such, I would analyse a topic thoroughly and link it to as many topics as you can.

Your brain also works well when something is novel. Boredom and complacency sets in when you keep going over the same thing over and over (or look through similar things). Making things interesting and being creative (including splashing colours and having fun) is going to help memorisation of a topic.

Your brain also works well when you're being active. If you're being passive about something, you tend to remember less. So try to learn actively (doesn't mean moving around a lot, although it can help) by seeking to answer specific questions or prompts that you have in mind on a topic as opposed to just absorbing material like a sponge.



Hope the above helps. Let me know what works.


Thank you so much! This helped a lot!!

Quick Reply

Latest