Help with Memory Techniques for University Entrance Exam Preparation

[SuperBearxD (Roberto Carlos Juarez)]

Dear Art of Memory community,

I am reaching out for advice and assistance as I prepare for my university entrance exam, which is scheduled for June 8, 2025. Currently, it is October 23, 2024, and I have just begun organizing my study materials using the Anki flashcard app. Despite my efforts, I find myself struggling to retain the information effectively, especially when it comes to reviewing the flashcards. I would greatly appreciate any guidance on how to enhance my memorization process, particularly with complex topics.

My exam covers a wide range of subjects, including biology, chemistry, physics, history, reading comprehension, essay writing, mathematics, and English. So far, I have been creating around 10 flashcards per subtopic, but I feel that my current study methods are not yielding the desired results.

For reference, here is a fragment of the material I am working through in the subject of biology:

Biology (Page 517)
Unit 1: Cellular Biology

• Bioelements (Page 517)
• Biomolecules (Page 518)
• Cell structure and function (Page 523)
• Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells (Page 526)
• Tissues (Page 527)
• Metabolism: Anabolism and catabolism (Page 528)
• Cell division (Page 530) (exercises on page 533)

Unit 2: Genetics

• Inheritance (Page 534)
• Mendel’s Laws (Page 534)
• Mutation theory (Page 536)
• Genetic engineering (Page 536) (exercises on page 538)

The material continues through several more units, such as Ecology, Human Anatomy, and Evolution. I generate about 10 flashcards per subtopic to keep things manageable.

I would love to hear your recommendations for any memorization techniques that could help me retain large amounts of information over the long term, particularly with technical subjects. Whether it involves mnemonic devices, memory palaces, spaced repetition optimization, or other strategies, I am open to all suggestions.

Thank you in advance for your time and insights!

Best regards,
Robert.

[beau2am]

How fortunate! With that many available days to study in advance of the test, you may want to take a look at this thread.

Among other things, it contains a very detailed studying procedure I wrote up (why I was compelled to write something so detailed to a stranger’s seemingly hastily written request for help , I have no idea).

The procedure is definitely a concentrated version of things I do. I wrote it to offer a technique that would absolutely work if he was genuinely committed to working through it.

Apparently he needed to study a lot of material to pass a comprehensive test containing 1,500 multiple choice questions. The testing date was only 12 days away!

I admit, I was very blunt in my assessment of what I thought was and was not reasonable to accomplish in a 12 day timeframe.
But, even though he delayed studying for several more days , he returned to the forum some days after taking the test to share that–even with so little time–he employed some of the techniques offered and apparently passed with ease!

Your test, Robert, I suspect may be more comprehensive.

The beautiful part about your situation, however, @SuperBearxD, is how many more days you have to prepare!

That provides you a lot more flexibility for experimentation with the process and playing around to allow yourself to really enjoy yourself and potentially have a remarkable experience.

I don’t have the energy at the moment to provide a detailed suggestion for your specific situation, but hopefully the thread provides food for thought and maybe even some inspiration.

Take a look. Please feel welcome to ask any questions or share any thoughts or concerns that might arise for you.

Hopefully we (folks in this forum, I mean) can provide some tools or techniques you can apply to your study regimen that will work wonderfully specifically for you and your situation:

Studying for a test with 1500 multiple choice questions in 12 days ;(

Hey I have to study For a medical entrance exam where I have a multiple choice test. I received 1500 questions with each 8 options. The test will have 200 questions with each question having 4 options. I htgaufht this was easy and tried to learn with Anki but it is so hard. Especially when I only have 4 options because I do not recognize the answers anymore. Pls help me what do you think is the best way to learn them. I can study 12 hours daily. I tried the memory palace but A memory palace seem…

Kind Regards,
Beau

[SuperBearxD (Roberto Carlos Juarez)]

Hi Beau. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me and for sharing such valuable insights! I’ll definitely take the time to carefully go through the thread you mentioned. It sounds incredibly helpful, and I’m eager to analyze it in more detail.

If any questions come up while I work through it, I’ll be sure to reach out with confidence. I truly appreciate your willingness to assist, and your experience with similar situations is inspiring.

Wishing you a great day or night, depending on the time where you are!

[zeozea]

Use AnkiApp for making flashcards. You can ask ChatGPT to make you a deck based on the sources you’re giving it

And I would also make a memory palace for individual pieces of information which are harder to memorize. Mind palaces are very time-consuming but theyre going to be the easiest ones to recall during an exam

[RMBittner]

First, congratulations on asking these questions so long before your exam! You should have more than enough time to learn new memory techniques (if needed) and figure out which ones will be the most beneficial for you.

To me — a non-user of Anki and flash cards — I’d suggest focusing your attention on memorizing using a memory palace (or series of palaces). I think of flash cards as a way to brute-force memorizing by rote OR as a way to review information already memorized. (And I see rote memorizing as an absolutely last-ditch alternative.)

“Biology” is a popular interest here. You may find some valuable tips from searching that word or checking out some of these discussions:

Memorizing Biology

Dear all, thank you for all advices. @userrname: Yeah, I am thinking about using Anki cards to note the QA (in some subjects I use cards for writing down all my notes instead of separate notes) as well as the journey/story which I am using during learning. Good hint! @Lynne I admire your skill more than 400 birds, wow! Using singing, dancing or other physical activities is perfect idea, I am definitely going to try it! About lucasa board, in my case I am currently trying to le…

Needing help for study method for college

Dear Memorizers, I’m in fourth grade of VWO now and I finally want to develop a good study method for college. Note: I’m sorry if my English isn’t well. I already heard a lot about memory palaces and how they work, but have some trouble how to apply them for school. I have this year to experiment with it, because next year my grades will really count towards my certificate, or for a study I want to go to. So I want to get good grades next year as you understand . And of course for th…

For a wide-ranging but incredibly interesting (to me) discussion along more general-education lines, you will definitely find some useful information in this thread:

Un-Stupiding Myself - a Memory Training Journal

So, I was very inspired by reading Lynne Kelly’s “Memory Craft”. It got me thinking: what must it be like to keep an encyclopedia’s worth of information inside your head? What kind of connections can a well-filled memory make? What am I missing out on? The head is especially empty, alas, due to some mental trauma and depression I’d experienced immediately postpartum. I was severely sleep deprived for two years, and my brain does not feel the same anymore. The depression also led me to a ph…

I’d also recommend reading a number of books on memory techniques, including How to Pass Exams by Dominic O’Brien, Memory Craft by Dr. Lynne Kelly, and Remember It! by Nelson Dellis.