Memorization is not a great way to learn, by the way. You can retain most information by reading it 7 times. That means that you have to take notes in class and on the text. Then you read your notes 7 times the night before the exam, and you pass. It seems crazy, but I learned it in a college class called Learning and Memory, and it worked. College was much easier.

Another thing that helps most people is to read it aloud. Then you are hearing it and seeing it. The input comes in two ways instead of one.

I assume that you are already making sure to eliminate distractions and that you don’t study in bed.

Oh, and you retain the stuff at the beginning and the end better, so short (walk around the house/floor once) breaks are good also.

Good luck.

2. Read the book outloud and/or tape the lecture with a hand held recorder and play it back for yourself in the car, while your in the shower, cleaning……

3. Form a study group and quiz eachother. Sometimes all you need is a little competition.

4. flashcards – love flashcards………..

5. Make up a story (for lack of a better word!)

I remember the seven items a noun can represent like this: There was a man (person) with a dog (animal) in a mansion (place) and he had a bat (thing). He thought (idea) about hitting the dog and did (action) b/c he was mean (quality). That’s how I remember a noun can be a person, animal, place, thing, idea, action, or quality. It might sound rediculous but it works and I am doing awesome in my college English class!!

Good Luck!!!!

And remember…………..If you don’t try something because you are afraid to fail, fear not, you have failed already.

Example:

Sandy

Sandy went

Sandy went to

Sandy went to the

Sandy went to the store

Sandy went to the store and

Sandy went to the store and bought

Sandy went to the store and bought an

Sandy went to the store and bought an apple.

Then I would repeat it one last time:

Sandy went to the store and bought an apple.

By repeating the words each time it helps to retain them. Also you don’t really have to do every word, you can go two at a time if you think it will still work for you. This doesn’t help for all areas but for memorizing sentences, multiple word answers or short paragraphs it works great.

Study the stuff you’re most interested in at the time. Otherwise you waste half your mental effort trying to concentrate.

Find out the time of the day when your mind is at its best and use it for study. For example, I can concentrate best first thing in the morning. So if I have difficult stuff to do that’s when I do it. It might mean getting up early, but for me an hour in the morning is worth two or three in the evening.

Don’t listen to junk music–it interferes with the working of your brain. Listen to Mozart instead.

Ask your friends and your professors for help when you need it.

Hope this helps 🙂

Don’t be discouraged if your friend can memorize something in 2 or 3 reps while it may take you 5 or 6. All of us are different and some things just seem to stick with us better than others.

I feel your pain, math is one of my 10 or 12 or more reps to memorize a function but there are other things that I can have by seeing only once.

1) Do examples/test problems which require you to know those things.

2) Hand copy those things which you might need to know.

3) I usually try to summarise my notes for a particular course into a few sheets of paper.

These three methods force your brain to think about those things you need to know and they work much better than just reading your notes.

If you’re a visual person, you could try simplifying your notes into mind-maps or flow-charts. Mnemonics can help too, if you can summarise your notes into point form.

Of course the best way would be to understand the concepts you are learning, because it is easier to recall. Memorisation is not the best way to learn.

Some are better through LISTENING.

Try reading out loud 3-4 times and recording it.

THEN listen back to it several times.

That may work for you.

GOOD LUCK!