Have you ever considered that there are different types of memory? Broadly speaking, they can be short-term, like the name of someone we've just met, or long-term – which encompass significant moments in our lives, activities we've learned (riding a bicycle, for example), or facts and curiosities we've retained.
If you're preparing for college entrance exams, you know how important it is to cultivate this second group of memories, right? After all, nobody likes studying hard only to forget the material shortly after. The good news is that there are memorization techniques to help you on this journey.
Ready to discover these powerful study tools and how to adopt them today? Check out the list of the best memorization techniques!
1. Flashcards
Paper, pens, and the material to be studied: with these three items, you can put into practice one of the most interesting memorization techniques for your routine. Basically, just select questions within the topic and write them on one side of each card. On the other side, write the answers.
That's where the game begins. You need to give the correct answers to each card without checking the answer on the back – no peeking! While making the flashcards, take the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the content and begin the memorization process. In your answers, don't skimp on details: reinforce in your mind everything you need to know about the subject.
2. Mind maps
The name suggests something complex, but mind maps are quite simple. You select an important word from the content and place it in the center of a page. Then, you make connections with related topics, such as dates, characters and places, formulas, quotes, explanations, developments, and so on.
The purpose of mind maps is to use visual resources to facilitate knowledge retention. Therefore, it's worthwhile to draw, use icons, highlight terms with markers or different pens, and whatever your imagination allows. If you create a diagram with different and eye-catching colors, it becomes even easier to identify the information.
- Summaries
Perhaps this is the technique most used by students throughout their journey. This is because it is a very intuitive activity that doesn't take much time to complete. It usually comes after the reading stage, where you have your first contact with the content. Then, you work on your ability to synthesize information to put down on paper what is most important.
Summaries can appear as continuous text or bullet points: you choose the best format. If possible, make the information as visible and easy to locate as possible to help with later review of the material. It's worth using lists (called bullet points), timelines, drawings, and even highlighting keywords from your material.
It's best to make summaries by hand to reinforce learning. Even more so if you have a photographic memory, which is activated by visual cues; you'll remember more easily even the exact position on the page where the information is located. But nothing prevents you from using a computer or cell phone for this, right? See what offers the best results for your studies!
4. Self-explanation
This memorization technique has the same purpose as summarizing and can even be used in conjunction with it. After reading the topics and selecting the most important parts, the exercise is to explain everything you understood in your own words and in your own way. At this point, try to reconstruct every detail of the content aloud and clearly.
Self-explanation works just as well as group study, but without the interference of side conversations. Think about explaining something to someone in a way that they fully understand the topic, not just a part of it.
- Simulations
Have you noticed that repetition makes it easier to retain information? That's exactly what those ads that constantly play during YouTube videos try to do: make you remember their name whenever possible. So, try to do the same with the content you're going to study.
The idea is to put your knowledge into practice. After reading about a subject, for example, look for questions or even entire practice tests to answer – and try to imagine yourself on the day of the exam. Do them carefully and, if possible, without consulting your materials, to really stimulate your memory.
- Acronyms
Do you know when you need to memorize a series of formulas, groups with some kind of order, and so on? It's common to be unsure, without any guarantee that what you thought is actually correct. To avoid mistakes, many students resort to acronyms. The idea is to combine letters or syllables to form a word, invented or real.
Have you ever heard of REFICOFAGE? Anyone who studies Biology should know that it's a memorization technique for remembering:
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RE: kingdom;
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FI: son;
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C: class;
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O: order;
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FA: family;
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G: gender;
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E: species.
Acronyms are part of mnemonic techniques. These also include acrostics (usually used to remember names like Ministry of Education/MEC or Supreme Federal Court/STF) and keywords.
See how your studies can be even more focused and effective with memorization techniques? No more wasting weeks on end with content that just won't stick in your head through reading! To achieve better results, eliminate distractions and invest in healthy habits, including diet, sleep, and physical exercise.
