Memory skills... anyone use special techniques or have tips how to memorize study materials?

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IgorSun

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Hello,

Does anybody use special techniques to memorize study materials?

How do you prepare for the exams and classes?

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I occasionally use mnemonics but mostly just Anki a bunch of times. For most classes it works fine but you don't typically want to straight up memorize. A combination of memorization and understanding the concept is ideal.
 
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I occasionally use mnemonics but mostly just Anki a bunch of times. For most classes it works fine but you don't typically want to straight up memorize. A combination of memorization and understanding the concept is ideal.

How do you memorize the Anki cards? Do you have any structure or system?
 
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How do you memorize the Anki cards? Do you have any structure or system?
Anki is a program that uses spaced repetition. It's meant to be used every day and the more often you get something right, the longer before you see that card again. If you keep getting it wrong it will show it more often. It's simple to use but you need to practice to write good flash cards.

I usually do Anki as well as review the power points to help solidify the concepts.
 
Anki is a program that uses spaced repetition. It's meant to be used every day and the more often you get something right, the longer before you see that card again. If you keep getting it wrong it will show it more often. It's simple to use but you need to practice to write good flash cards.

I usually do Anki as well as review the power points to help solidify the concepts.

So, if you stop work with anki cards the information that you have memorized before will start slowly erase from your memory and after several months you may loose it at all?
 
I've found that associating where it was on the page really helps. That being said the only reason I even manage to get As is because of my memorization, but imagining which area of the page something was on tends to help or associating something with some weird anecdote. I've also found exposure to the information through different mediums really helps me recall info on exams, ie: playing lectures on the bus even if I don't fully comprehend and rewriting my notes even if I'm not completely paying attention (this is time consuming but muscle memory is very real)
I occasionally use mnemonics but mostly just Anki a bunch of times. For most classes it works fine but you don't typically want to straight up memorize. A combination of memorization and understanding the concept is ideal.
^^^^^^ Understanding the concepts well before an exam really helps so you're not trying to learn and memorize at the same time.
 
What do you think about mnemonic techniques?
Who use them?
 
I plan on figuring out this anki thing before m1 starts this august. But in UG i found that drawing and rewriting things help me a lot. Trying to use every part of the brain when I study: reading, writing, drawing, speaking, and then finishing it up with teaching to my study groups.

Also, a crazy strange and most likely anecdotal thing that has worked well with me... sticking my hand or feet in a bucket of ice while I'm studying. Something about the cold stress exposure while you're working on things I've already learned, but am trying to commit to memory...it's worked wonders for me in the past.
 
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So, if you stop work with anki cards the information that you have memorized before will start slowly erase from your memory and after several months you may loose it at all?

Who knows, man?

You got a good brain?

Go download Anki.

You can thank us from the other side of your A's.
 
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Also, a crazy strange and most likely anecdotal thing that has worked well with me... sticking my hand or feet in a bucket of ice while I'm studying. Something about the cold stress exposure while you're working on things I've already learned, but am trying to commit to memory...it's worked wonders for me in the past.

Very interesting how you have come to the "bucket of ice")))

Have you tried headstand or handstand to enrich the brain with the oxygen?
 
Very interesting how you have come to the "bucket of ice")))

Have you tried headstand or handstand to enrich the brain with the oxygen?

Never tried that.

The ice thing was during my recovery from a sprained ankle. I was icing my ankle and cramming for an orgo exam and it just worked so well. I'm fairly certain though, this has a large anecdotal side to it.. but I did to the same thing when I broke my hand and it worked again.
 
Read the book to understand concepts. Try to talk through the concept explaining it and relating it to other concepts. Repeat the minutia that will end up on the test by going over it in multiple passes. Test yourself on the content by doing sample questions after content review.
 
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I've been wanting to try the "Mind palace" technique and be like Mr. Holmes


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I have done some search in the internet about mnemonics and have found this site.

pmemory.com

Have you heard about it?
 
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Studying in different locations. I used to study strictly in my room and I found that it gets repetitive and tiresome. Instead I would do online flashcards on the bus, go walking with my notes, etc. It's a lot effective in making new connections. It helps you associate terms with new meanings that you can refer back to
 
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You can't use mnemonics or the loci method in science courses that require conceptual understanding of materials. These methods are only useful for brute memorization of discrete pieces of facts, and not much else.
 
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Anki. and actually doing practice problems/ using the information in the real world.
 
Personally, I find a classroom, put on loud music, and sing along while saying the notes out loud. Once everything is memorized, I usually spend a day in a coffee shop trying to mentally link all of the material together, so there are absolutely no gaps. That's worked for me so far (3.97 cGPA, junior year). However, that's idiosyncratic, so I don't suggest you do that unless that path came naturally.
 
What about mnemonics and other memory techniques?
I've spent my weekends looking through the internet and have found several sites that teach how to memorize information.

What do you think about techniques given in the file? link to the PDF

Does anybody hear about this school?
 
Does anybody have something more to say?
 
there are some tips at the end of this video
 
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I'm struggling with this as well. I have found one technique that is helpful for me (flashcards never seem to work - but I still am going to try to learn Anki before going to med school): I gather a large ream of white 8.5x11 paper and use each sheet to write down what I need to know in an order that makes sense and fits together - often trying to piece parts together in a chart. Instead of straight up memorization, it helps me learn how things are related and that seems to help me remember longer.
 
feynman method to study. spaced repetition to know how often to review and review using feynman. creating mnemonics and using mind palace for things hard to memorize that cannot be inferred from understanding the core concept.

for normal values---any form of flash cards and just pure repetition.

finally, for me it helps seeing a video before reading the book (often seeing the video is all I need). I am a very visual learner so it works for me. Figure out what type of learner you are (auditory, visual, kinesthetic)
 
videos (lecturio and youtube) + lecture notes. ---- explain to imaginary audience. once perfected do practice questions.
Often drawing really helps.
 
Repetition drive learning.

I used to get a big artists sketch pad (2' x 3') and draw out biochemical pathways. Did great in biochem with these. Enzyme kinetics hurt me though.
 
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So I tried all these tricks but in the end what worked for me was pure repetition. Anki is honestly your best friend. By simply being exposed to concepts multiple times, you just WILL remember them. Brute force it, man.

This won't work for harder synthesis problems though. You'll need to just practice problems repeatedly for that.


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Repitition with Anki/Quizlet and practicing with rote recall
 
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