Memory Techniques For More Effective Revision

• Spaced  Repetition
• Mnemonic Devices

Many students struggle with remembering important information when it comes to exam time. That's why we always recommend memory techniques as an effective way to help students retain the information they need to succeed in their GCSE, A Level, and IB exams.

Memory techniques have been proven to be an excellent way to improve memory retention, and they come in many different forms. Whether you are preparing for a maths exam or an English literature test, there is a memory technique that can help you memorise the information you need.

In this article, we will explore some of the most effective memory techniques for revision and how they can be incorporated into your study routine. Let's get started!

Memory Palace

The Memory Palace technique, also known as the Method of Loci, is a memory improvement technique that has been used since ancient times. It involves associating the information with specific locations or rooms in a familiar place, such as your home.

To use this technique, first, you need to choose a familiar place and then visualise yourself walking through it. Then, you can associate pieces of information with specific locations in your memory palace. For example, to remember key dates in history, you could associate each event with a room in your house and visualise a relevant object or scene in that room. This method is particularly useful for subjects that require memorization of sequential or chronological information.

A study by Bower and Winzenz (1970) found that the Memory Palace technique was effective in improving memory retention. In the study, participants who used the Memory Palace technique to memorise a list of words recalled significantly more words than those who used other memorisation techniques.

Active Recall

So, what is an active recall? Active Recall is a memory technique that involves actively retrieving information from your memory rather than just re-reading it. This technique can be particularly effective when combined with other memory techniques like the Memory Palace.

The 3-step Active Recall method:

1. Try to remember the information without looking at your notes or textbooks. This can be done through flashcards, quizzes or practice questions. 
2. Check if you remembered it correctly by looking at your notes or textbook
3. Keep practising remembering the information at increasing intervals until you can remember it without needing to look at your notes or textbook

This technique is helpful because it trains your brain to remember the information better and helps you recall it more easily during exams.

A study by Roediger and Karpicke (2006) found that Active Recall was more effective than re-reading for improving memory retention. In the study, participants who used Active Recall to study a passage of text retained more information than those who simply re-read the text.

Mnemonic Devices

Mnemonic Devices are memory aids that help you remember information through association. They come in many different forms, such as acronyms, songs or rhymes.

For example, to remember the order of the planets in our solar system, you can use the mnemonic "My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas." The first letter of each word corresponds to a planet in order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

A study by Bui and McDaniel (2015) found that mnemonic devices improved memory retention for foreign language vocabulary. Participants who used mnemonic devices to memorise vocabulary words retained significantly more words than those who used other memorisation techniques.

Mnemonic devices that can be useful for GCSE and A level exams:

• Planets: "My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Noodles" (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)
• Order of Operations (Mathematics): "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction)
• Colours of the Rainbow: "ROYGBIV" (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet)
• Taxonomic Ranks (Biology): "King Phillip Came Over For Good Spaghetti" (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species)
• Electromagnetic Spectrum: "Run Xylophones In My Room Using Violins" (Radio, Microwave, Infrared, Visible, Ultraviolet, X-ray, Gamma)
• Essential Amino Acids: "Private Tim Hall" (Phenylalanine, Valine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Isoleucine, Methionine, Histidine, Arginine, Leucine, Lysine)
• Resistor Color Code: "Bad Boys Run Our Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly" (Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet, Gray, White)
• Roman Numerals: "I Value Xylophones Like Cows Do Milk" (I: 1, V: 5, X: 10, L: 50, C: 100, D: 500, M: 1000)
• The Great Lakes (North America): "HOMES" (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior)
• Geological Time Scale: "Camels Often Sit Down Carefully; Perhaps Their Joints Creak?" (Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous)
• Cranial Nerves (Biology): "Oh, Once One Takes The Anatomy Final, Very Good Vacations Are Heavenly" (Olfactory, Optic, Oculomotor, Trochlear, Trigeminal, Abducens, Facial, Vestibulocochlear, Glossopharyngeal, Vagus, Accessory, Hypoglossal)
• Mitosis Phases (Biology): "I Passed My Anatomy Test" (Interphase, Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase)

Spaced Repetition

While it's important to review material regularly in order to retain it in your long-term memory, repeating information every day can actually be counterproductive. When you repeat information too frequently, it can lead to what's known as "overlearning", where you essentially memorise the information for the short term but don't actually retain it in your long-term memory. Spaced Repetition is a memory technique that involves repeating information at increasing intervals. This technique is based on the idea that spaced repetition helps to strengthen long-term memory.

To use this technique, you should review information at regular intervals, starting with a short interval and gradually increasing the interval as you become more familiar with the information. 

When it comes to spaced repetition schedules for GCSE, A Level and IB revision, there is no one-size-fits-all answer as everyone's learning needs and preferences are different. However, there are some general guidelines that can be helpful when setting up a spaced repetition schedule.

Here is a spaced repetition schedule for GCSE, A Level and IB revision:

• 1st repetition: 1 day after the initial learning session
• 2nd repetition: 3-5 days after the initial learning session
• 3rd repetition: 7-10 days after the initial learning session
• 4th repetition: 2-4 weeks after the initial learning session
• 5th repetition: 1-2 months after the initial learning session

It's important to note that these intervals are not set in stone and can be adjusted to suit your individual learning needs. For example, if you find that you're forgetting information quickly, you may want to schedule more frequent repetitions. On the other hand, if you're retaining information well, you can space out the repetitions further.

Additionally, it's important to make sure that you're reviewing the material actively during each repetition. Simply re-reading notes or textbook passages isn't enough. Instead, try to recall the information from memory, quiz yourself with flashcards or practice questions, or explain the concept to someone else.

Research studies have shown that spaced repetition can improve memory retention. In a study by Kang et al. (2016), medical students who used spaced repetition to study anatomy retained more information than those who used traditional study methods. Another study by Cepeda et al. (2006) found that spaced repetition was more effective than other study methods for learning foreign language vocabulary.

Visualisation

Visualisation is a memory technique that involves creating mental images to help you remember information. This technique is particularly useful for remembering complex ideas or sequences of events.

To use this technique, you should try to create a mental image that represents the information you want to remember. For example, to remember the different stages of the water cycle, you can visualise a raindrop falling from a cloud, flowing into a river, evaporating into the air, and then condensing back into a cloud.

A study by Paivio et al. (1971) found that visual imagery was an effective memory improvement technique for learning verbal information. Participants who used visual imagery to memorise a list of words recalled more words than those who used other memorisation techniques.

Chunking Revision Technique

The Chunking Revision Technique involves breaking down large amounts of information into smaller, more manageable chunks. This technique is particularly useful for subjects like history or literature, where you need to remember a lot of information.

For example to use chunking technique, you can break down a chapter in a history book into different sections based on the main topics covered in each section.

A study by Karpicke and Roediger (2008) found that the Chunking Revision Technique was effective in improving memory retention. In the study, participants who used chunking to memorise a list of words recalled significantly more words than those who used other memorisation techniques.

Memory Techniques Summary

Research studies have shown that memory techniques can be a valuable tool for students preparing for their GCSE, A Level and IB exams. By incorporating memory techniques into their revision routine, students can improve their ability to remember and recall important information during the exam. Whether it's the Memory Palace, Active Recall, Mnemonic Devices, Spaced Repetition, Association, Visualisation or Chunking Revision Technique, there is a memory technique that can help you remember the information you need to succeed.

Bibliography

Bower, G. H., & Winzenz, D. (1970). Comparison of associative learning strategies. Psychonomic Science, 20(3), 119-120.

Bui, D. C., & McDaniel, M. A. (2015). Enhancing learning during lecture note-taking using outlines and illustrative diagrams. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 4(2), 129-135.

Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354-380.

Kang, S. H., Gollan, T. H., & Pashler, H. (2016). The effect of study schedule on long-term retention: Implications for theories of memory. Psychological Science, 27(12), 1599-1614.

Karpicke, J. D., & Roediger, H. L. (2008). The critical importance of retrieval for learning. Science, 319(5865), 966-968.

Paivio, A., Yuille, J. C., & Madigan, S. A. (1971). Concreteness, imagery, and meaningfulness values for 925 nouns. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 76(1), 1-25.

Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249-255.