The best ways to remember content

A large part of test revision is remembering content, but this can be quite challenging, especially for those subjects you don’t necessarily love. As you sit down with a huge and intimidating textbook, you probably find yourself quickly detaching from the study information. It can seem overwhelming at times, especially if you are not someone who learns through reading. The most effective way to learn is to find study hacks that are going to work with you and your learning style. These are some of my favourite tips I have collected over my career in education:

 1. Speak the Material:

For many students, simply reading words doesn’t put the critical information into your brain. You need to pull that information out of the pages. Try making flashcards and reading the information out loud. However, you can’t do this everywhere, e.g. in a library, but it is proven to be a more effective way to remember information than simply reading it. Explaining the information to someone who doesn’t know the content can also be incredibly useful, as it points out the gaps in your knowledge as you try and explain the concepts to them from the basics.

 2. Mix in Exercise:

Countless studies have demonstrated that exercise can boost your memory and brain power. In a particular study by Dr. Chuck Hillman of the University of Illinois, he found that just 20-minutes of exercise before an exam can improve your performance on that exam. Something like going for a walk and talking to someone about your content, or listening to your notes on a walk can help with recall. 

 3. Create a Mind Map:

With a mind map, you can literally map out how each item is connected, forming new ways to associate the information and link it to each other. This is especially useful if you are more of a visual learner, as using colours and diagrams on your mindmap can help you remember information. This is more effective than just writing out pages of notes, as it forces you not only to create links between the content you learn, but also make it more concise and therefore means you are actively thinking about it, and not mindlessly copying out a textbook.

 4. Study Apps:

There are so many apps for so many different functions. There are apps that will stop you accessing certain other applications for periods of time to help you focus and there are also apps like quizlet which can help you memorise things. Even using apps like voice notes on your phone to record yourself speaking the notes and listening back to it can help. Technology is incredible, so make use of it!

I hope this has helped give you some ideas on the best way to remember content. The most important thing is to figure out exactly how you learn, so I would recommend experimenting with different types of learning when you are young to see what works best for you.