I have worked so hard, I

wish
I remember my answers.
Oh God! Help me not to
forget n e
e o
my work . Please m t a
s o n
Please!! h ve ll. d
is in pi l a n
I’m scared, feeling I w uld ory pil
sick, nervous and co em n a the
m i t
could not sleep all p u .
Po p o ers
night! po sw
an

This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services

We all have our time
machines. Some take
us back, they're called
memories.
Some take us forward,
they're called dreams.”

------Jeremy Irons
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
IMPROVING YOUR
MEMORY

This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services

It’s frustrating to a
student to find that
after all the hard work,
you’ve forgotten what
you studied. But wait!

Before you call yourself

or someone else
names , there are
various strategies that
you could use to
prevent memory loss
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
 Memory is not a quantity of
something that we are born
with.
Memory is affected by many
things like
Amount of study,
Time and pace of study,
Effort put in while studying,
Techniques employed while
studying etc.
Therefore, it would be fruitful to
keep a few facts in mind.
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
 Start Ahead
Memory is Short term and
Long term.
Anything that you learn goes
into short term memory, only
after continuous repetition will
the
learnt material pass into long-
term memory from where it is
retrieved.
You need to start preparing well
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
 Attention and Intention
Pay attention to what you're
learning, and decide to remember
it.

We learn and retain information

best when we have a strong
motivation for committing the
material to memory.
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
 Set
reasonable
goals

 Aimto study a
reasonable
amount every day.

 Studying in short
sessions is better
than marathon
sessions. This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
 Eliminate distractions
while studying.
 Use a "cue" - e.g., when you are wearing
a certain baseball hat, you are not to be
disturbed. Use your desk to read, review,
write letters but use your bed only to sit
on for a relaxing break.

 Remove obstacles, a sound or visual

background which is unobtrusive may
help to screen out distractions

This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services

 Have all of your equipment
available before you begin,
lamp, pencil, good comfortable
chair, books and paper clips, etc.
 Record stray thoughts on a note

pad, but don't act upon them. Call

this your worry pad, e.g., personal
tasks that need to be completed.
Make your to-do list for the week
before you start, or to get random
thoughts out of your head.
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
Organize the material
Use external organizers to
help you remember , like:
 Alarm watches

 Calendars

 Coloured stickers

 Daily action plans

 Diaries

This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services

 ..Cont..

 Electronic calculators and organizers

 Organisers [such as the Day Runnes or
Filofax systems]
 Lists

 Note pads or jotters

 Post-it notes

 Pin boards and wall charts

This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services

 Techniques to
Improve memory
Use rhymes. Make up a simple
poem to remember information.
Use acronyms. Take the first
letter of each word you want
to
remember and make up one
word to stand for all the
information.
Example: the word homes is an
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
 …Cont
Use acrostics. Take the first
letter of each part of information
you want to remember and make
a new word.
Then make up a phrase with
these words.
Example: “Mary's Violent Eyes
Made John Stay Up Nights
Pining" is an acrostic for the
names of the nine planets in our
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
 ..Cont
Create structures.
a) Sequencing: numerical,
alphabetical or chronological.
b) Categorizing: put things in
groups with similar things.
c) Relational imagery: associate
things that are visually
similar.
Don't forget to remember. Make
an effort to remember.
Personalize information so
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
 Use all your senses while
 Read aloudstudying:
and recite your
answers.
 Use color to highlight important

points.
 Draw out diagrams, do practice

maps , make charts or tables to

classify information.
 Use flashcards to note down

important points.
 Visualize the material learnt.
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
 According to Dr Bruno
Frost
on an average we remember

25% of what we read

35% of what we hear
50% of what we see
60% of what say
75% of what we do

95% of what we read, hear, say,

This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
 Review the Same Day.

 When you learn

something new, go
over the points the
same day.
 You will recognize it

better the next time

you study and
therefore recall will
also be better.
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
 Understand the “Brain
Fade”phenomemon

 Itis normal for the brain to

forget things sometimes.
 See your brain as depositing

layers of knowledge.
 As more layers are deposited,

the lower layers will be covered.

This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
..Cont

 The trick is to create a review

schedule. Once every 2-3 study
sessions, review the material
learnt. A quick overview will
often be enough.
 Sometimes, maybe after 10
study sessions, you
could do a complete
review of the material learnt.
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
..Cont Memory Techniques
SQ3R..
Survey, Question, Read,
Recite and Review

PQRST..
Preview, Question, Read
actively, Summarize and
Test. This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services
Last but not the Least

PRACTICE,
PRACTICE ,
PRACTICE and PRACTICE

Only if you PRACTICE

these techniques will
they work for you and
become a habit too.
This material is developed by GEMS Counselling Services