You can dramatically improve your memory by swapping passive reading for active encoding strategies and structured study habits. Techniques like mnemonics, chunking, and distributed practice help move information efficiently from short-term into long-term memory. Put these methods to work and you build strong retrieval cues that fend off forgetting and support accurate recall when exam day arrives.
Entrance exams often ask you to tell maintenance and elaborative rehearsal apart, and the key point to carry in is that only elaborative rehearsal actually moves material into long-term memory. Students also mix up the method of loci with the peg word method, so keep them straight this way: "loci" relies strictly on spatial locations, while "peg word" relies on an ordered list of rhyming words or numbers. Finally, be ready to pick out examples of chunking, like memorizing a long phone number in short segments.
Part of Basic Psychology, module “Memory”. Sign in (free) to read the full notes, flashcards and the lesson quiz.