When studying for exams, many students are wondering if the capacity of their memory could be increased to help them person remember everything they need for the upcoming test. Due to the inherent plasticity of the human brain, it may be possible to expand memorizing capabilities in a timely manner to increase the amount of information that could be remembered by an individual. Therefore, it should be noted that there may be numerous ways to improve memory functioning and study for exams more efficiently.
The first approach relies on the principle of differentiation, where the same content would be learned by the student in multiple different ways: YouTube videos, audio podcasts, text, images, and more. Dai et al. suggest that further activation of sensory memory could be beneficial as well, as it would allow for a more creative approach to learning. If a student makes it interesting for themselves, they will have more chances to learn and memorize everything successfully.
The second approach relies on the human ability to memorize smaller parts of information first. The working memory will only get activated as soon as the student is ready to pay attention to what they read, see, or listen to, so it may be essential to study easier topics first. This would improve the student’s chances of properly structuring their response during the exam and avoid cognitive overload.
The third idea when trying to prepare for exams and make the best use of one’s memory is to capitalize on the existing knowledge when learning something new. Human memory is often operating on the basis of inherent interconnections, where limitless associations simplify access to the deepest corners of one’s mind. Bearing this in mind, students could exploit the capacity of their long-term memory and use context and experience to memorize the required information quicker.
