How To Remember Things for a Test: 4 Strategies

When your memory is firing, the terms and key skills you learned appear in record time. This rapid recall shows you know your stuff. But what about when the opposite happens? Struggling to remember can be frustrating. Sometimes, you might even forget crucial information when it matters most.

Knowing how to remember things for a test helps to hone your memorization skills. Strategies for better retention give you a boost when other life stressors get in the way.

4 Memorization Techniques To Remember Things Better

Here are four techniques to try the next time you have an exam or need to incorporate course materials.

1. Spaced Repetition

With spaced repetition, you come back and review material at specific intervals. When you first start this technique, the time in between reviewing is much shorter. As time goes on, you space out the study sessions further and further apart. Doing so also acts as a way to check your memory, so you know you’ll be prepared when it comes time for a critical exam.

2. Visual Cues

You’re more likely to remember something if the image stays in your mind. Visualization can often help you recall information better than words alone. For example, you can use your immersive learning from MedCerts to visualize the parts of the heart or how you prep a patient for a blood draw.

You can also use association, such as pairing a body cell with an image of Japanese ramen soup. Different ingredients in the ramen can signify different parts of the cell. Put together, they create something new.

3. Songs and Musical Tunes

Who doesn’t love a little music now and then? Songs and other musical tunes can be effective ways to train your brain to recall key facts. In most cases, it’s best to keep the song short. However, longer tunes can also work if they're unique or particularly pleasing to the ear. Incorporating body movement, especially your hands or legs, in time with the music can also enhance the recall.

4. Chunking

Another way to learn how to remember things better is to use a technique called chunking. Instead of trying to learn a lot of material all at once, break it down into bite-size pieces.

If you’re studying to become a Pharmacy Technician Specialist or Medication Care Coordinator, you’ll look at different pharmacy terms and drug formulations. Rather than become overwhelmed by the nomenclature, break up the learning. Spend one session on root words and another on prefixes and suffixes.

Shorter study sessions also help you mix up the learning to keep your brain engaged. For example, you can focus on similarities in the drug terms, chunking them together for easier recall. The next session can look at how many of those drugs are formulated as liquids, tablets or capsules.

MedCerts Learning Can Open Doors to Success

There's a lot to be said for effective learning. Along with the right study techniques, it helps to have immersive learning that keeps you engaged from the start. Thanks to MedCerts' 12 Elements of eLearning, you take a more active role in your education and stay better prepared for exams. It's success from day one!