Dimension 2 - Memory

We have all been exam procrastinators. The hatred for the days before the exams, the borrowing of notes, studying the “important questions” We hated days before exams. Notes borrowing, studying only the important questions as shortcut, discussing and understanding concepts, burning the midnight oil or rather now-a-days, the tube light and praying we pass. How much of what we’ve crammed are we going to remember? Why don’t we learn through the year? Why is learning throughout the year is emphasized so much? What is its logic? Let’s shed light on some uncommon concepts…..

First let’s see how memory is formed in first place. There are three stages of memory formation: Encoding, Storage and Retrieval.

1. Encoding is set of mental operations or simply said efforts made by us to make information usable for brain’s storage system. For example-to remember someone’s name, you associate the name to their face.
2. Storage: Holding onto information for a long period of time. Depending on stage of memory, the period of time can be range from 20 seconds to relatively permanent.
3. Retrieval: Getting information that is stored into a form that can be used. On of the biggest problems of students is not being able to get information out on time, for example, you are trying hard to remember a keyword of an answer but you fail to. After you return from the exam your friend says the word and you feel deep regret that you could not remember it on time.

Memory is of various types, each useful for a particular everyday necessary skill. The following table will give you an idea about these types,

Procedural [Non Declarative] Long Term Memory	Memory for Skills, procedures, habits and Conditioned Responses. E.g. Riding a bicycle.
Declarative Memory	Conscious and Accessible information, such as general facts, names, etc. Semantic and Episodic memory are its further categories.
Semantic Memory	General knowledge and knowledge gained through formal education.
Episodic Memory	Personal information not readily available to others such as daily events and activities.

Now, we reach to a very useful topic: Methods to better memory so that we can write examinations well and score marks.

Use SQ3R formula.  

• Survey – Survery the topic of study.  Go through the major headings, subheadings, get a feel of what topic is about.
• Questions – Think about the possible questions that can be asked on the topic. If you have a question bank, go through it too.
• Read – Read actively, create links between the information and what you already know, where ever possible, take notes, understand what you are reading
• Retrieve – Make an attempt to remember what was read. Test yourself repeatedly
• Review – Take a quick review of all that was learnt in that session.

Some other very useful tips for studying and remembering

1. Minimize distraction – Try to study in a place where distraction is minimum. One major source of distraction is cell phone, so keep it away while studying. It is a good idea is to disable the distracting apps particularly social networking ones, temporarily.
2. Take short breaks - Take short breaks during studying. Do not schedule back to back study times.
3. Sleep well and eat well - One of the worst reasons for bad memory is sleep loss. Make sure you get enough sleep from 5 to 8 hours. Do not use electronic gadgets before sleep, do not go hungry before sleep. Good nutrition helps the brain to remember better so opt for a healthy diet and avoid junk.
4. Summarize – specially, long, cumbersome answers. Attempt to summarize each paragraph in a single sentence.
5. Overlearn – Overlearning improves retention. It also gives a sense of mastery.
6. Motivate yourself - you can use wallpapers of quotes such as “Keep calm and Study Hard”. Putting up charts of important formulae and concepts is helpful as well.

We suggest using apps like Study Tips by Life Hack Studios to aid the study process.  It is a free app which gives amazing tips and tricks to perform well in exams. Use the app and implement the tips. Find out for you what helps you to study well, concentrate and focus.

Study regularly, Practice writing, Keep your mind calm.

Happy Studying!

More dimensions to follow!