5 Studying Tricks (Part 1)

While studying Anatomy and Physiology the other day I realized the many study tricks I use to process, learn and memorize information while I study.

This article is part 1 of Studying Tricks because there are many more tricks to come. These tricks will help you take in a lot of information, understand it, process it and finally memorize it.

You will remember the information you learn using these tricks, every single time you try to remember it, because the memorizing process is very efficient.

I know many of you, including myself, tend to forget information when we need it the most, like on tests. Make sure you follow all tricks to study efficiently.

Here is the list:

1: Reduce Content. In my case I had to study a chapter of 54 pages, I looked at it as a very big chapter and so I felt intimidated and already tired (without beginning to study). When you reach a case like this you must trick your brain. Trick it by making your job seem smaller. What I did was the following:

•  I wrote down every section within the chapter on a paper. (Chapter 21 section 1, chapter 21 section 2 and so on)

• I revised every section to see if any of them were really long. I found section 2 to be 6 pages long so I looked for subtitles within the section and wrote it below the section name.

Example:
            Chapter 21 Section 2:
                   a) Aorta
                   b) Coronary Arteries
                   c) Arteries of the Upper Limb

• When I would finish a subtitle I would use a marker to cross it off the list. When I finished all the              subtitles within the section I would then cross off the section.

I did this to give me a sense of advancement and completion. I would trick my brain into thinking "Oh I am almost done, look all I have crossed off already!" This is very efficient do it with all that seems too long. Also focus only on what you are reading, forget what comes next.

2: Repeat Mentally. While reading the content of the subtitle "Aorta" I would read a sentence and right away mentally repeat it without looking at the sentence. This trick would let me know If I am reading properly and understanding what I am reading. If I was unable to do so I would re-read the sentence again to make sure I go it memorized.

3: Recall the Section. Try to recall what the section was all about by giving a small summary of it within your mind. This step will hep you memorize the information even more.

4: Write and Compare. Lets say you have to memorize the functions of the heart. Study them first then write or type what you read, paraphrased, and then compare it with the real text and check if you got the functions correctly. If you did not, review which function you got wrong until you get it correctly. This small exercise will help you identify your weak points within your studying and help you reinforce them as soon as possible.

5: Visualize. You must create a mental image of what you are studying while you study so that you use more functions of your brain. This will aid in memorization. I would imagine the position of my heart within my body to help me memorize the position correctly.

Use these tricks, don't just read them. You can apply them to anything you are studying, they will help you memorize information the most, but make sure you understand what you are reading before trying to memorize it. Look up the words online or ask your teacher to explain it during the next class.

Remember to summarize as much as you can everything you want to memorize, this is a very important step in the process of memorization.