As the sun hit my bedroom, I knew it was time to get up and prep myself for one more round of exams before my holiday.
I do a lot of theoretical exams these days, and I thought I would share something that I learned when I was learning the ins and outs for this particular subject.
Something that will help you to get ready. But first let me help you understand something about the way your memory works.
We have 3 types of memory sitting in our brains.
1. The sensory memory
It has a big capacity, but it only holds information for a few seconds.
2. The short term memory
It can hold just a select amount of information for a shorter time.
3. The long term memory
This is when we remember things that we learned a longer time ago. You took in the information, saved it and are able to find it back.
This happens through
*Being triggered when you recognize something. Let's say you haven't been to a certain city in a long time, but when you are there you will still be able to find the way.
*Reproduction. The ability to recall a memory out of nothing. For example: you will remember the lyrics to your favourite song.
So, how do we make sure that we remember important information?
First of all we have 'attention'
Attention works like a filter. The stimuli comes in to the sensory memory, and it's dependent on how you zoom into the information as well as motivation whether you are going to remember it.
If you want to score well on your exams, this shouldn't be a problem.
It then enters your short term memory after which the information will need an active editing to make it to your long term memory.
You can do this through the following methods:
*Repeating the information
*Catogorizing the information
*Special reminders or mnemonic aids
What is my strategy?
1. Reading the book and marking the important parts
2. Making a brief summary of important information
3. Creating a mindmap and catogorizing the information with different colors
4. Making test exams to test my knowledge
5. Making up mnemonic aids to remember the information that didn't make it so far
Here in the Netherlands we have a grading system going from 1-10.
5,5 means you passed the test. 10 is the best you can score.
I usually score between 7 & 8,5 with this method. Which is upto my satisfaction, because I don't have to be a superstar.
Here are some other ideas:
*Record the important information on your voicerecorder and listen to it.
*Share your knowledge with others.
*Turn the information into something creative like a blog or a vlog.- See, what I'm doing here?
*Do anything with the newfound knowledge directly in your workfield/internship. Take it into the world.
For those of you who are also still in school, I would love to hear your methods for remembering.
Have you blogged about it? Please insert links below.
Love and blessings,
Rainbow
It is interesting how our brain works, especially when it comes to memory. I found it challenging to study for an exam if I am not engaged in the topic. These are great strategies to be solid for an upcoming exam! I always found it helpful when I write down whatever I am trying to remember several times. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteNancy ♥ exquisitely.me
Great post!! I actually think that turning your studies into a vlog or blog to help others is a fantastic idea!! Wish I thought about it before hehe
ReplyDeleteSarah | www.dukesavenue.com
xxx