Learn from General to Specific. Don’t look at the details first. Look at the major topics covered in the text or your notes. Familiarize yourself with these first, then work on learning the details under each major topic area.
Create Associations or Acronyms. Relate a topic to your own experiences to help retain them. Or, create acronyms to help remember lists of information or difficult concepts.
Actively Learn. Students remember 90% of what they do, 75% of what they see, and 20% of what they hear. When studying, try walking around and reading aloud to help with retention of information.
Create Pictures or Lists. Creating a drawing of how different concepts relate to one another or re-writing your notes can help you retain the information.
Distribute Learning. Attempting to use short-term memory to retain a lot of information is not effective. Study in short periods of time over the course of the week. It is better to study in three two-hour sessions than one large six-hour session.
Select the Right Time & Place. Choose a time when you are alert. Studying when you are tired is often not productive. Choose a place with few distractions. Multiple interruptions during a study session can decrease the retention of information. Often studying in a setting similar to a classroom environment (sitting up at a desk or table) can also aid in recall.
