“What was the answer for this question again?”

“Wait, how do I divide fractions again?”

“We went through this last week. How do I tackle these questions again?” 

These internal monologues consisting purely of unanswerable questions may be familiar to you if you find it hard to memorise and retain class content. Fortunately, this is an easily amendable issue - these 5 memory retention tips will transform you from a master of asking rhetorical questions to a legendary champion of answering questions; even the ones you thought you didn’t know the answers to!

TIP 1: WRITE NOTES IN CLASS

You may think that listening to your teacher intently and absorbing every morsel of wisdom is the best way to learn but without writing any notes, you are essentially allowing precious knowledge to fly through your ear canal, slide off your slippery brain, and straight out the other ear. 

Studies have shown that using pen and paper is an effective way to improve memory retention. This is due to the muscle memory involved with the motor actions of physical writing which helps reinforce the information in your brain. Furthermore, you will be able to review the concepts again at home while attempting your homework, giving you a little mental refresher every time you open your notebook. So if you are the type of student that has gotten the same ratio question wrong for five weeks in a row, this may be the step you need to take to finally conquer your foe.

TIP 2: AT HOME REVISION

Is it possible to completely memorise a whole lesson’s worth of content without looking back at your materials/notes? Maybe, if you’re a genius with the ability to remember everything you see to extreme detail! Unfortunately, odds are that this is not the case so it is extremely useful to look over your class work at home after the lesson to give your brain another chance to have a look at the content.

Various techniques can be applied to different topics to help you better remember class content. For example, to better memorise vocabulary, keep a notebook of all vocabulary words, their definitions, example sentences and synonyms so you can easily go back and revise on these new terms. For maths, separate notes by topics and include the necessary formulas and example questions to remind yourself how to apply theory from the topic to questions.

If you are finding it hard to remember some content, try using a mnemonic. This might look like a fancy word, but it is really just a memory device that you use to help you remember something. A popular example is “Never Eat Soggy Weetbix” which is used to remember “North East South West”.

TIP 3: GET ENOUGH SLEEP

It’s midnight and way past your bedtime already, but you think you could squeeze out another game of Fortnite. Or maybe a quick game of Brawlstars underneath your blankets after your parents have gone to bed. 

Unfortunately for you, one game turns into two, two games turn into three, and before you know it, the morning birds outside have already started chirping, mocking you for losing sleep over a useless video game. How are you meant to remember anything at school if you haven’t slept at all? Deep sleep is required to be able to consolidate all the information you have learnt that day, sorting it from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. 

Furthermore, sleeping well helps you concentrate the next day. Without sleep, it is much easier to lose focus or doze off in class, making your school time/study time ineffectual. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night to make sure you are sharp, focused, and ready to learn!

TIP 4: MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BODY

Exercise is very important for not just your physical health, but your mental health as well. By taking a walk or playing some sport with a couple of friends, you can improve your mood and reduce stress and anxiety, two negative factors that can impair your cognitive abilities. This can reduce distracting thoughts while studying, creating a focused mental state that can memorise information more efficiently.

A healthy body is not just built through exercise; you must also consider your diet. Avoiding junk food with refined carbohydrates (eg. cakes, cookies) can help with improving your short term memory. Other trace minerals and vitamins (eg. Vitamin D, iron) within healthier food groups can also help with ensuring that your mind is bright and active during class time. Try to think of all the junk food that you eat during the week and take a moment to decide just one thing to cut out. Eventually, you will want to continue to cut down on junk food until it is just an occasional treat, rather than a daily staple. 

TIP 5: TEST YOURSELF

If you feel like you have everything stored nicely in your brain, it’s time to unleash some of it on some test questions. Look for questions in previous booklets or old trial tests that you can’t remember the answers for anymore and try redoing all the work or try your hand at completely new worksheets. See if you can make up random questions regarding content that you have learnt and teach it to yourself as if you were a student that doesn’t understand the topic. You’ll find that putting your knowledge into practice is one of the best ways to memorise your material. 

These tips may help you with your memory, but remember, everyone is different, so you may have some techniques that work for you better than these do! However, if you do find that you struggle with retaining class content, give these tips a shot, and maybe you’ll see that your memory isn’t so bad after all!

If you would like some extra OC/Selective materials to test your memory, join our Opportunity Class [OC] Discussion Group or Selective Test Discussion Group for weekly worksheets!

Published 9 October 2021