Twelve exams this semester, sometimes several in one day – how is a person supposed to remember all the material? You prepare yourself for extreme exam stress, including enormous courage to take the gap. But that doesn't have to be the case: There are great strategies for memory training that will help you mentally store a wide variety of content such as vocabulary, dates, terms or numbers. These are called mnemonics and are considered extremely promising. We will explain to you what these methods are exactly and introduce you to four variants.
What are mnemonics?
Mnemonics are a specific type of memory training, a conscious “remembering.” The name, which is somewhat difficult to pronounce, is derived from the Greek goddess of memory, Mnemosyne. The aim of mnemonic techniques is to absorb a lot of information and process it well. In order to be able to implement this plan in practice, mnemonics are built, rhymes are formed and mental images are developed.
The concept is based on the neurological principle of remembering: Whenever we remember things, synapses - i.e. nerve connections - are generated. The more connections there are to the fact we want to remember, the easier it is for us to remember it at a later point in time. For example, if we combine a word with a sound, an emotion or a color, connections are created between the individual brain regions - the more of them there are, the better we remember.
Below we will introduce you to four mnemonic techniques that will make it easier for you to study for upcoming exams. If you would like to read more on the topic, we have a great book tip for you.
1. The Loci Method
For this mnemonic, you start with a tour of your apartment, room or shared apartment. At the beginning you choose ten conspicuous points or objects, which you repeatedly go through in the same order.
You then make associations between these points and terms or numbers that you want to memorize. Come up with the most unusual images possible.
If you are now sitting in the exam and want to retrieve the memorized data, simply mentally walk the route through your apartment. This tactic also works, for example, with the daily commute to university.
2. The story
In this memory training, you pack terms, years, codes or sequences of numbers into stories. Here's a small example: You should remember 007902412. To do this, divide the numbers into sections that make sense to you, such as 007 for James Bond, 90 for the 90s, 2412 for Christmas. From this you create the story “James Bond bought Christmas presents on his own in the 1990s.”
With this mnemonic, the crazier the story, the better you can remember it.
3. The substitute word method
Names, foreign words and vocabulary give you a headache? Then simply replace them with terms you know that sound similar.
Look at the word in question and think about what it reminds you of. For example, let's take the English term mice for mice. Mice sounds like corn to us - so imagine any picture with mice and corn on it, like little mice scurrying through corn fields. If you have to recall the word at some point, you automatically think of this picture - and therefore of the vocabulary you are looking for.
The following applies: the more similar the replacement term sounds in your native language, the greater the effect.
4. The number symbol method
Last but not least, a mnemonic technique should be mentioned that is particularly suitable for number series. To do this, you first have to assign a symbol to each number from 0 to 9. Popular examples include a candle for number 1, a swan for number 2, an elephant for number 6 or an hourglass for number 8. You are free to choose whatever you want, the main thing is that you can imagine and memorize the image well .
If you now want to remember the number sequence 268147209, first replace all numbers with the symbols you have specified. Then you come up with a creative story using these symbols, starting with, for example, a swan meeting an elephant, etc.
As with the second mnemonic described, the following applies here: the crazier, the more memorable.
With this memory training you can save the data you need and access it at any time. If you also take all the help you can get, then get it on your cell phone: With our ten best apps for learning, nothing will stand in the way of your exam success!
If you can't get enough, you can find even more helpful tips for studying during exam time in our magazine.
With these mnemonic techniques for memory training, you will be successful in every exam.
