1. Review new information the day you learn it.
Studies show that if you review material within 24 hours of hearing it for the first time, you can prevent yourself from forgetting up to 80% of it. Do this every day for a week, and you should be able to recall 100% of the information after glancing at it for just five minutes.
2. Engage in Active Recall.
Rereading the textbook over and over is ineffective. Instead, after reading a chapter, close the book and try to recall as much information as you can remember. Saying it out loud is best, but if you’re at the library and can’t speak, write it down.
3. Use print materials.
We all love our tablets, computers and smartphones but turns out they’re less effective in studying than print materials. Electronic reading can cause up to a 10% delay in reading speed. A professor of psychology at the University of Leicester in England found that his students who preferred electronic studying required more repeition to learn and memorize the information than did his students who used print materials. By printing your notes or reading a physical book, your brain understands the information as more tangible and memorable than it would have been on the computer or mobile phone.
4. Listen to music.
It might be a bit too distracting to study with Kanye West blaring in the background, but classical music is worth a shot. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have found that listening to the Pandora station, “Obscure 18th Century Composers,” is extremely effective in maintaining concentration and aiding memorization. This music, along with other variants of classical, activate certain parts of the brain involved in attention. It also helps that there’s no lyrics to distract you.
5. Stop multitasking.
Answering those text messages or checking Facebook can be tempting, but they can also be detrimental to your grades. Researchers at Indiana University found that multitasking interrupts the brain’s process of absorbing, coding, processing and storing information. Ohio University studies came to the same conclusion.
6. Take study breaks and relax.
Stress hinders learning. A study at University of California Irvine found that stress encourages the release of certain hormones that disrupt the brain’s process of creating strong memories. Socializing with animals has been shown to decrease blood pressure and stress so petting your cat or playing with your dog might be a great way to relax and take a break. If you don’t have a pet, watch a funny YouTube video or do some leisure reading.
7. Review the information before bed.
Your brain puts a lot of information into long-term memory while you sleep. So even if you have no time to study, at least read through your notes the night before the exam. When you wake up the next morning to cram, you should be able to better recognize the material. Pulling an all-nighter and studying everything is less effective than studying less and then going to sleep. Sleep deprivation results in decreased concentration and your brain won’t have the opportunity to maximize the storage of long term memories that usually occurs overnight.
8. Exercise.
According to the Indiana University Medical Center, exercising before studying or taking the test will increase oxygen flow to your brain thereby increasing alertness and brain activity.
9. Change the scenery.
Research has shown that studying in multiple places can greatly increase the brain’s ability to remember information. This is probably because the brain associates the information with the area in which it is learned so by adding new settings, the brain is better able to distinctify between a lot of memorized terms and concepts. Studying outdoors has been extremely effective.
10. Chew gum while studying and again for the test.
Chewing gum increases your brain’s arousal and alertness by providing more blood flow to the brain. A study at Baylor College of Medicine found that students who chewed gum while studying performed significantly better on the exam than those who did not. If you chew the same type of gum during or before the test as you did when studying the information, there is a greater chance that you will be able to recall it because your brain associates the taste of the gum with the material learned.
11. Rewrite your notes by hand.
Rewriting information helps with muscle memory, so your hands will be more prone to writing the information when it needs to be recalled for the test. Writing your notes equates to repeating that information in your head 7x.
12. Drink water.
While caffeine can be a tempting way to stay awake and alert, it is only a short term fix. Water brings vital nutrients to the brain, which will increase its ability to focus and remember.