Improving test performance through memory techniques and study strategies

¶ … Overlearning

One of my greatest faults when preparing for a test is my tendency to procrastinate. This ineffective habit limits my ability to make use of the study technique of 'overlearning' or rehearsing the facts I must remember over and over again. As soon as I get a review sheet for a test, I should go over and over the list of ideas and concepts and review the relevant, previous exercises I have been assigned. I must be able to easily retrieve these facts without hesitation and to use the ideas on which I am being tested in sample problems. Overlearning will enhance my explicit memory recall of specific facts and figures.

Maintenance rehearsal

Maintenance rehearsal is the repetition of concepts by rote, to facilitate the retention of the subject matter in the student's short-term memory. I am attempting to reduce my reliance upon cramming as a strategy. But I also think that provided maintenance rehearsal is combined with regular study that taking some quiet moments to review material before a test can be valuable. I need to make a plan to get up early and have some time to look over my notes, in the hours immediately before a test.

Mnemonics

Using mnemonics is a useful and fun method of fact retrieval and create indelible memories. For example, back when I first studied the planets, I remember learning a series of fun mnemonic devices to remember their order. Similarly, in biology I remember learning the mnemonic 'King Phillip came over for good spaghetti' to recall the taxonomy order of Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. Mnemonics provide more effective retrieval cues than simply memorizing information by rote: creating my own retrieval methods would be a fun way to use this technique in a more personalized fashion, and a way to remember the facts I learned. Mnemonic learning takes what is objective data and transfers it from a process of storing it as 'semantic memory' (memories unrelated to experience) into something connected to lived, personal and tangible memories. For example, when remembering the taxonomy mnemonic from biology, I always recall a cartoon my biology teacher showed me of a king eating good spaghetti!

Elaborative rehearsal

In general, I need to work harder to associate the material I am learning currently with material I have learned in the past. That is why going over what I learn every day is so important -- to build on what has been learned in the past day-by-day. In the past, I have tended to be very strong at the beginning of the semester, but once my energy flags I can lose the day-to-day reinforcement and discipline necessary for creating a learning scaffold.