The Student Room Group

What is the best way to memorise notes?

Bio, psychology and soc?
The day I start sixth form , I want to memorise the notes straight away so I never forget. How do I keep it in my head?
Reply 1
Original post by Emerald7770
Bio, psychology and soc?
The day I start sixth form , I want to memorise the notes straight away so I never forget. How do I keep it in my head?


I think the best way that I remember notes are just by writing them all out again but neatly and using nice colours. You could also make posters on the topics you learn and stick them in your room so that you are constantly seeing them.
Original post by Kat712
I think the best way that I remember notes are just by writing them all out again but neatly and using nice colours. You could also make posters on the topics you learn and stick them in your room so that you are constantly seeing them.

Oh thanks about the poster thing.. I might just do that. But what do you mean by writing them out again? Like do I write my notes in pencil then rub it out and write it again? Like just keep doing that or
Original post by Emerald7770
Bio, psychology and soc?
The day I start sixth form , I want to memorise the notes straight away so I never forget. How do I keep it in my head?


I would also recommend talking your notes out loud or teaching them to someone else, perhaps make a podcast of yourself talking through your notes. I also found writing big mind maps helped visualise the content more easily.
Reply 4
Use mnemonics. Create them for lists of things, pretty useful in science subjects.

For Psychology, you can use mind maps.

For remembering psychologist names you can also use word association to help, like Marmite to remember Marmot et al as an example.
Original post by Cubone-r
I would also recommend talking your notes out loud or teaching them to someone else, perhaps make a podcast of yourself talking through your notes. I also found writing big mind maps helped visualise the content more easily.


Original post by UWS
Use mnemonics. Create them for lists of things, pretty useful in science subjects.

For Psychology, you can use mind maps.

For remembering psychologist names you can also use word association to help, like Marmite to remember Marmot et al as an example.


Great! Thanks :smile:
Reply 6
Imagery. Try to turn key points into images in your mind. This may not work for people who don't learn well visually. Also try to make them as ridiculous and obscene as possible - that'll make everything more memorable.

I also agree with UWS; turn bullet points into acronyms. I had a list, turned it into "CoPS CaT", which I can associate with a neat little image in my head :smile:

EDIT: Also, try making larger and larger spaces between the times you study the same thing. So like, go over something the next day, then next week, then in a month etc etc. This REALLY strengthens memory for long term.
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 7
Original post by Emerald7770
Oh thanks about the poster thing.. I might just do that. But what do you mean by writing them out again? Like do I write my notes in pencil then rub it out and write it again? Like just keep doing that or


I think flash cards also help some people. And by writing them out again I mean that once you have learnt something at school and written things down in the lesson, you could then go home and write out the information again in a notebook or something, but in bullet points of just the key information or facts you need to remember.
You take a sentence or a few sentences and repeat them to yourself x80 times, you read looking x5 and then alternate to repeating from memory x5 until you have done a sum of 80 readings, the info is now in your short term memory. You also have to connect sentences together so once you have memorised 1 sentence and the next sentence you have to repeat both of these together for another x30 times with alternation of looking and repeating from memory.
Once you have done the above keep looking at your notes now and again to refresh your short term memory, you have to do another x20 readings before sleeping.
By the next morning the information will be in your head (will be transferred from short term memory to your long term memory) inshallah.

I use a similar method and I think I have memorised around 30+ ish pages of pure text like this word for word and tons of marksceme answers for computer science ha.

Yh writing out/typing out is good too. Its a good way to test yourself and just memorisation in general but you have to do it sentence by sentence.

You can also use loci memorisation, it can be a better method for certain notes if used correctly.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by 0zzu
Imagery. Try to turn key points into images in your mind. This may not work for people who don't learn well visually. Also try to make them as ridiculous and obscene as possible - that'll make everything more memorable.

I also agree with UWS; turn bullet points into acronyms. I had a list, turned it into "CoPS CaT", which I can associate with a neat little image in my head :smile:

EDIT: Also, try making larger and larger spaces between the times you study the same thing. So like, go over something the next day, then next week, then in a month etc etc. This REALLY strengthens memory for long term.


I definitely learn better visually. Thank you very much!


Original post by Kat712
I think flash cards also help some people. And by writing them out again I mean that once you have learnt something at school and written things down in the lesson, you could then go home and write out the information again in a notebook or something, but in bullet points of just the key information or facts you need to remember.



Understood, thanks!
Original post by Taymiyyah
You take a sentence or a few sentences and repeat them to yourself x80 times, you read looking x5 and then alternate to repeating from memory x5 until you have done a sum of 80 readings, the info is now in your short term memory. You also have to connect sentences together so once you have memorised 1 sentence and the next sentence you have to repeat both of these together for another x30 times with alternation of looking and repeating from memory.
Once you have done the above keep looking at your notes now and again to refresh your short term memory, you have to do another x20 readings before sleeping.
By the next morning the information will be in your head (will be transferred from short term memory to your long term memory) inshallah.

I use a similar method and I think I have memorised around 30+ ish pages of pure text like this word for word and tons of marksceme answers for computer science ha.

You can also use loci memorisation, it can be a better method for certain notes if used correctly.


80 times?????
Original post by Emerald7770



80 times?????


tbh I only do around x15-50 times, but for some texts I think I did x80 if I remember correctly.
I think loci will be the better in your case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2zUIw1ESbE
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Original post by Taymiyyah
tbh I only do around x15-50 times, but for some texts I think I did x80 if I remember correctly.
I think loci will be the better in your case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2zUIw1ESbE


This really helps. Jazkallah khair bro.

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