How to memorize better

[im rly mad]

In one of my classes there are three quizzes with about 200 hundred terms and we need to memorize the date range and terms for every single one, because he chooses only TWO of them for some reason and we need to state two facts and the exact date for them. This counts for ~15% of the grade and he does this three times in the class for a total of almost 50% of the grade.

 

I am VERY bad at memorizing anything. I'm ready to drop out of college because of this class, but I guess I might as well stick with it since I don't really have any other option.

 

I know flash cards are alright, but is there a quicker better way to memorize things that you've found?

[TidalWave]

I would question value of such class and teaching technique. It's just not right. Period.

 

Anyway, to memorize better it's good to imagine the date, I mean imagine actual numbers and then 'assign' term to it or better yet, meaning of that term.

[thejigsup]

Memorizing is NOT learning. That is so wrong! Learning something means you can recall it at will and know the reason we apply it and when we apply it and HOW to apply it! Most things we memorize we forget very easily.

[Circe]

Alright - you have to just learn them as though you were learning a speech off by heart. It can be done. Break it into chunks of 10 and give yourself an hour to learn each chunk. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Repetition is crucial to keeping it in your memory long enough to do the test (which isn't long - but long enough to get the mark). After you've learned one block of ten. Take a small break and do other stuff - then go back - and repeat the block you learnt. Then learn the next block by repeating over and over and over. Once you've learnt block 2 - say both blocks together and then take a break.

 

Keep going till you are all the way through. You can only keep it in your head for as long as you do the repetitions so as tedious as they are - don't stop.

 

You'll forget them as soon as the quiz is over but this does work, if you put the time and effort into it. I guess the lesson learnt is sometimes in life we have to put a lot of time and effort into tedious pointless crap

[mfan]

I'm afraid flashcards are the best answer. Only by forcing yourself to come up with the answer to a given question does your brain formulate ways of remembering the answer. The worst method is just reading the list over and over - that's practically useless.

 

Also, getting a good night's sleep before the test will help significantly - memories are solidified during sleep.

 

(As others have said, memorization is not learning, and this test sounds stupid. You'll forget the stuff a few days later or else you'll remember that you once knew it but you still won't know the answer and that's just useless) Good luck!

[sweetpea03]

use memory tricks... associate the dates and terms with other things. example: February 20, 1965. This date is near my friends birthday and the year ends in my favorite number. Something like that and it can be easier to recall the information. Good luck!