Let’s set the scene for a second: it’s May, your final exam is right around the corner, and you realize that none of your notes really make any sense. This blog is here to support you in your short-term, yet intense, journey of shoving months worth of content into your brain in a short period of time with a side bonus of absolutely no judgment! (For the record this is not the cure to poor time management skills or, for some of us, lack of executive function, but for those of you ever in a bind, these three tips might just help you turn that F into a P.)
1. Write it down
Notice I didn’t say “type it up," because it is imperative that you physically, with your hand, WRITE IT DOWN. Now what is the “it” that I am referring to? Well, it's whatever content is applicable to your test or assignment.
Step 1: Identify what information you need to know for the exam within your notes/textbooks/class materials. If you don’t have the information, find it!
Step 2: Get yourself some handy-dandy lined paper because we are bringing it back to the 90’s with some good old hand-written notes!
Step 3: Re-write, yes I said RE-WRITE, the relevant notes on the new pieces of paper.
Why are we doing this? The act of you physically writing down information engages your fine motor skills, which increases connectivity across different regions of your brain. These regions happen to be connected to memory storage. So, when you write it down, your brain remembers it better!
2. Talk to yourself
This is not a pep talk. Rather, I want you to talk through your notes out loud.
Step 1: Take a look at your hand-written notes and choose which chunk of content that you would like to start with.
Step 2: Try your absolute best to rephrase or put the content in your own words.
Step 3: Say it out loud. Talk to yourself like you are having a conversation, and explain to yourself what the concept is in your own words. It is important that we are not regurgitating your notes word for word because the rephrasing element is where our brains begin to store the information.
Let's take a look at an example!
Content: The mitochondria is an organelle found in large numbers in most cells, in which the biochemical processes of respiration and energy production occur.
Rephrase: The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
Jump around in topics or content if you can so you can keep your brain engaged!
3. Quiz, quiz, quiz, quiz
Quizzing yourself, or having someone else quiz you, is crucial for the art of cramming: the recall that comes with quizzing helps neural pathways develop, meaning there’s a better chance you remember the information!
Step 1: There's a few ways to start this. You can be a flash card person, you can model your quizzing after study guides or questions your teacher/prof has given you throughout the semester, or you can simply make up your own questions on the topic.
Step 2: Get someone else involved. Working with someone else helps our recall skills and forces us to talk out loud - both actions help improve short term memory storage.
Step 3: Repeat randomly and repeat frequently. Do your best to randomize the questions and/or topics that you are quizzed on. The more randomized the questions are, the better your recall skills will become.
Not only does quizzing help store the content in our short-term memory, but it’s also builds muscle memory for taking exams. If you have practiced being tested on the information, you are much less likely to panic or forget when you’re in the exam for real!
Comments