Effective ways to Cram up for an exam!

Gulping up everything isn't the best way to study for any exam, so before we begin, if you've a big chunk of time then I would suggest you not to cram up. If not then let's jump straight into what you can do to optimize the time you've got rather than explaining the disadvantages of the same. And NO! I'm not going to tell you the secret of Krish's Dad and how he just flips the book and absorbs everything. But, what I can do is give you some scientifically proven tricks that you can use to store a great chunk of information in your short term memory.

1. Try using the ancient technique of the Memory Palace.

This ancient technique dated back as far as 80 B.C, involves associating ideas or different content you want to memorize, with places that you're familiar with like your home, a shopping complex etc. For example; while learning chemical composition of compounds, you might place H2SO4 in the living room and kitchen will have NaCl. You get the gist.
This trick works because our visual and spatial memory is quite strong and it is easier to recollect things which are familiar to it.

2. You should also try mnemonic devices wherever possible.

Trying to learn the periodic table? Try this:-
Group 1: HeLiNaKa Ruby Cse Fraud
And the elements being (Helium, Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, Cesium, Francium)
Group 13: B A G I T
The elements being (Boron, Aluminum, Gallium, Indium, Thallium)
Wasn't that easy? You can also create rhymes and songs. The weirder you make them, the better!

3. Take a chill pill.

I know sounds crazy but, trust me. Stress releases cortisol which impairs retrieval of memory. Therefore, if you are stressed you will have a more difficult time recalling information during an exam.
So take some deep breaths!
Keeping yourself calm and composed during these stressful situations isn't going to be easy, I would recommend meditating daily so that you get the charge of your mind and not the other way around.

4. Feeling distracted?

Try a mini workout!
Studies show that those who've worked out for 15 minutes and then complete a memory task, complete tasks faster than those that haven't. Even a simple walk can make a difference. So go burn that cheese toast you just ate.

5. Learn about yourself

You need to take a minute and think about the way that is personally suited best for you. Meta-cognition is the analysis of one's own learning or thinking processes. Studies have found that students who have poor meta-cognitive skills meaning they lack awareness of assessing their own strengths and weaknesses perform worse on tests.
So get to know yourself and the ways you've been much more effective in studying and implement those strategies. If you study better alone than don't let Rahul force you on that night out "Cramming session".

6. There's also one other really important distinction to make:

Are you cramming late into the night because you know very little about the topic for your upcoming exam?
Or are you hoping to achieve perfection to an already studied topic?
If you've already studied then
GO TO SLEEP!
There is more than a century's worth of research concluding that sleep is essential for memory retention. I cannot stress this more. Just sleep okay? Sleep!

By –

Tanmay Tiwari