Want to Remember EVERYTHING that you Study? Know How the Brain Works!

Have you ever wondered why sometimes we keep going over and over things and still can't get our brain to retain that information? On the other hand, sometimes we come across something just once and can remember it for life. This is the mystery of memory! :) Our brain follows certain rules which determine what we remember and how efficiently we do so. Based on extensive research by scientists and psychologists, we now have the tools to use our memory to our best advantage. What this means for you? You too can remember maximum possible with minimum time and effort! cone of learning best study tips for students The following techniques are those recommended by top researchers and will help you both with your studies and revision.

1. Retrieval Practice - The art of recalling information from memory

Repeating Information is one of the best ways to remember it. We have all used this simple technique the most while sitting down to revise. Here are some interesting ways to go about it:

CREATE CONCEPT MAPS These represent relationships between concepts and ideas by using a graphic representation, and help you remember better.	CREATE A LIST OF QUESTIONS Get into the role of your teacher and create a list of questions for the topic alongside when you are studying. This helps breakdown into points and works best for memory.	SPEAK OUT LOUD You can also record your own speech for later. This way you are 50% more likely to remember what you studied.
TIP: You can use Meritnation's chapter wise detailed study material for help in creating concept maps and diagrams

2. Distributed Practice

The art of spreading out small revision sessions over time rather than trying to pack it all into a single session. For example, if you want to commit to memory the atomic weights of elements, then it would be more effective to go through the table once every day for 5 days, rather than revise it 5 times in a day. distributed practice study tips

The most important point to here is the need to start revisions early rather than waiting to finish the entire syllabus and then starting revisions.

TIP: MeritNation's Practice Questions feature can come in very handy here to help you stay in touch with the topic over time.

3. Using Mnemonics

Mnemonics are tools used by students to help recall information. The most common example that everyone has used is the term VIBGYOR to remember the colors of a rainbow. Most mnemonics can be used to remember specific things like dates. Some interesting ways to make mnemonics are:

		Associate Ideas with Images You can associate topics with images, best done by browsing on Google images. For example, While studying history, you can Google and view images depicting that period. The visual representation will help you remember lots of information.
Wordplay Techniques Acronyms (Eg from Trigonometry) Anagrams (LISTEN SILENT) Backronyms
	Songs and Poems If you are the musical types, you can put information you want to learn in the form of a song or poem. They do tend to stick! :)
	Creating Stories You can try and make up stories or incidents involving the material you want to memorise. It is a creative process and once you do create small or elaborate story, there is no way you will be forgetting it! :)
TIP: Make your mnemonics as funny, offensive or shocking as you want and you're guaranteed to remember them. No one else will know, so you can exercise your creativity and cook up anything weird!

4. Teach What You Learn

Research has shown that we rarely ever forget what we teach others, as teaching goes beyond just learning and gets embedded in our memory in the form of an experience. Here are some thing you can do: > Teach a friend or study partner. > Use Facebook groups and other online groups to discuss ideas with peers and answer each others questions. > Create study groups on Whatsapp and similar chatting apps > By replying to questions asked by others on Meritnation's Ask & Answer forum, you can further strengthen your concepts. You can experiment with these learning methods and soon you will be able to identify plenty that suit your personal style of learning. Once you identify those, stick to them and see how the magic works!