Simple Tricks for Memorizing easily !

Do you know your Brain Power ?

Remember Through Mnemonics:

We learn a lot every day in our lives. But when it comes to remembering it for an exam, we either can't put it into words or even recall it. That doesn’t mean that we are just victims of defective brains. What do you do when you have to learn material that is dull or painstaking to learn such as numbers, formulas, dates, terminology, names, places, and concepts?

Try mnemonics - A memory system developed by Greek scholars and orators to help remember long passages and speeches. Mnemonic strategies are systematic procedures for enhancing your memory.

From the following list of tips, figure out the most effective mnemonic study system suitable for you.

• Remembering Silly Sentences: When the list must be memorized in order, form a sentence from the initial letters of the words you are trying to memorize. For example: Remembering the division of the animal kingdom (in order):Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.King Paul Called Out For Gus and Sam.
  
  
• Acronyms: Make a word using the first letter from each word that needs to be remembered. This works only when the list is fairly short and when the order of the words can't be shifted. For example: The four stages of mitosis are Prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase. The only thing you need to remember is PMAT.
  
  
• Flashcards: Write the name on one side of the card, and the definition, formula, or relevant information on the other side.
  
  
• Mind Mapping: Train to use your eyes as highly advanced cameras. It may sound silly, but if we pretend to be a camera we can easily engrave things in our memory. Make a practice of taking your notes in different colour pens and include peculiar easy to understand drawings on the pages. Later on just take a mental snapshot of the page so that you easily recall the items on that page.
  
  
• Music: Most of us tend to remember the lyrics of songs we heard a decade ago. Try to implement this philosophy while learning your lessons. Try to read your lessons monotonously and all of a sudden try to implement something new by reading a difficult or a nagging sentence in a particular tone of your favourite music.
  
  
• The Pegword Method: Pegwords can be used when numbered or ordered information needs to be remembered. Pegwords are rhyming words for numbers and include the following: One is bun, two is shoe, three is tree, five is hive, eight is gate and ten is hen.Mnemonic techniques can really work wonders to enhance your long term memory.
  
  
• It requires a little bit of practice, till you get a hang of this technique. Before you switch on to this unique technique of enhancing your memory power, make sure that you have enough time on your hand prior to your exams.

Tips for Memory and Learning

Some are born with excellent memory and others with normal ones. Good memory is a pre-requisite for remembering what you study properly. Those who have realized that they lack the gift of a good memory have to adopt some special measures to aid them to memorize all the necessary information.

Practice tips below regularly:

• Be attentive and concentrate fully on what you are studying.
  
  
• Show sincere interest in the topic of study and a sense of purpose to the task.
  
  
• Ensure that you study in a place that is free from any distraction or disturbance.
  
  
• Read your notes two or three times and make sure that you understand what you read.
  
  
• Make a list of dates and keywords most useful in explaining the idea or content of the lesson.
  
  
• Make your own notes in the form of points. Each point should be related to one concept that you are trying to study.
  
  
• Practice by writing definitions, laws, formulae etc. Solving problems in Science or Mathematics cannot be learnt without regular writing practice.
  Review your notes by thinking about them, writing or even talking loudly at the end of the day and again at the end of the week.
  
  
• Explain to your parents, brother/sister or friends certain interesting parts of your lesson e.g. you may relate how a particular incident happened and what were its highlights.
  
  
• Do not study continuously for more than an hour. Take a break of about 10 minutes in between.
  
  
• Do not study the same subject continuously. Change the subject or task. Research has shown that the brain cannot assimilate the same or similar material after sometime.
  
  
• Make memorizing interesting. First in your own voice with a smile on your face read out the difficult formulae, definitions, laws etc., into a cassette player. Then play back the tape. Listening to yourself speak, ensures better retention in your memory.
  
  
• Try establishing a regular routine of eating, sleeping, and exercising. This is because the ability to concentrate depends on adequate sleep, proper nutrition, and the relaxation with some suitable light exercise.
  
  
• Finally make a regular habit of saying a short prayer or do meditation either in the beginning or at the end of the study each day.

Most of these steps are easy to practice and they will ensure, what you learn will be retained in your memory and help you to recall at the crucial time i.e. while writing the exams.