Have you wondered what knowledge retention really means? Basically, it’s how you establish your understanding. It helps you pull facts and concepts from memory and apply them to real-world situations, whether you’re interacting with a patient or submitting insurance claims to settle accounts. 

Being able to retain knowledge is important for daily life – at work, at home or even running errands in town. But sometimes, stress gets in the way. Stressful situations can make it hard to remember key concepts or terms when you’re in the heat of the moment. 

6 Tips to Retain More Knowledge

Retaining information comes easily for some people. For others, it’s about finding what works for you and sticking to it. Here are six tips for improving knowledge retention as you work through your MedCerts courses. 

1. Teach Someone Else

When you teach someone what you’ve learned, you’re more likely to remember it later on. This is because your brain reworks the concept, breaking it into smaller pieces and reassembling them as you explain it. This technique also helps you see your weaknesses so you can revisit problem areas for better understanding.  

2. Follow Your Learning Style

Knowing how you learn best – and then using those techniques for studying – gives you a boost for memory recall. The most common learning styles are visual, kinesthetic and linguistic, but you might also have a musical, mathematical or auditory learning style. 

To identify your learning style, think about your interests and what you gravitate toward. Images? Sounds? Hands-on sensations? You could also try different methods or take an assessment like VARK. Once you know your learning style, you can tailor your study sessions to include more of the learning strategies that excite your brain.

3. Keep Your Focus

Multitasking is draining. It’s also a common way to lose your focus and stop important facts from entering your long-term memory. Instead of working on many topics or tasks, schedule your review sessions using time blocking. Focus on one topic or even one lesson at a time to increase your knowledge retention.

4. Get Rid of Distractions

Learning how to remember more also means getting rid of distractions. If your phone is near you while you study, it’s time to move it out of sight or at least out of arm’s reach. Set the phone on silent, close extra tabs in your browser and position yourself where the sights and sounds of daily life aren’t bothersome.   

5. Summarize Through Writing

Regardless of how you learn, summarizing a topic and writing it out helps activate parts of your brain – most often your frontal lobe, your brain center for reasoning, problem-solving and creativity. However, it also triggers your temporal lobe, which works with memory. Writing, language and working memory can connect in powerful ways and help you retain knowledge for exams that sticks throughout your career. 

6. Use Spaced Repetition

Spacing out your practice sessions is a game for your brain. By revisiting material at different intervals, you let your brain take charge and pull from memory. Sometimes, your brain finds the answer right away. Other times, it takes longer. If you need a prompt, consider flashcards or word-sound associations. 

Excite Your Brain With Engaging Programs From MedCerts

At MedCerts, each program is designed to be immersive, interactive and stimulating for your brain. When you find a subject you love, you can’t wait to dive in and learn. MedCerts programs keep up that initial excitement throughout the course material to ensure success in your career goals.