Tests in a school system are built to evaluate the extent to which students have grasped the principles that have been relayed to them. For students, tests can be the worst part of the whole curriculum delivery as they put said students in a place of unsurety. Additionally, the grade received upon completion of said tests has implications that are felt even when the course has ended.
Sometimes, the best way to get through tests is to teach yourself nifty memory tricks using the content. These provide a fun way that is memorable and can be recalled during an exam. Of course, doing this requires spending time with the content prior to the exam and so you must ensure you have the time to do so. Getting homework help online or otherwise is one example of a great way to free up some time plus it gives you quality content to help your studies.
Here are a few memory tricks that you can use in your exams to help you get better grades.
Use Music
There are not many students who are not fans of at least a single genre of music. Think about a couple of the songs you have known since childhood. If those song lyrics were spoken to you, do you think you could have retained them as well?
If you are unsure, here is a test for you. Think of all the poems you learned as a child. Chances are you remember way less of those.
The reason for this is that humans tend to remember things that engage them. Even nursery rhymes have a bit of a catchy tune to them, which allows them to be fondly remembered for ages.
This memory trick is one in which you get your creative juices flowing. Use various concepts that you study and turn them into song lyrics. If you’re feeling fancy, use a tune that you make up but that you can remember. If not, consider using the tune of a song you really like. You can then swap the lyrics for stuff that are relevant to your course.
Use Mnemonics
Mnemonics are your friend where memory is concerned. In fact, the reason the concept of a mnemonic exists is to improve the chances of remembering something. A mnemonic is a sequence, pattern, custom abbreviation, or series of ideas that assists in recalling information.
It is possible that the word mnemonic is new to you, however, the concept is not. Here are a couple examples you may remember from your childhood:
- My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets – This mnemonic was used to help children remember the order and names of the planets from Mercury to Pluto by using the first letter of each word in the sentence.
- PEMDAS/BOMDAS – This mnemonic is used to teach the order of mathematical operations. Anything in brackets or parentheses first, then multiplication and division, followed by addition and subtraction.
Students have created their own mnemonics for years and the easier it is for you to remember the better. Try creating catchy sentences or abbreviations that spell something you remember well.
Use Single Sentences to Answer Objectives
Every course has objectives. Usually, teachers and lecturers give students an outline of the course objectives at the course’s beginning and this is a powerful tool that you should take advantage of.
In almost any discipline, most course objectives can be broken down into smaller objectives. Break them down and turn each one into a question that you can provide a single sentence answer to. If you are having trouble coming up with said answers, using study groups or getting homework help online are great ways to do so.
Once you have an answer committed to memory, you can start looking at related concepts. During your exam, match each question to one of the objectives, recall the answer to the objective and the associated concepts are sure to follow.