Memorize exams questions and answers

[Tarma (Davide)]

Hi everyone!

It’s been a couple of months since I joined Art of Memory.

Since then, I’ve been lurking around, reading all these wonderful posts, gaining great insights from you guys!

I was able to get around my most pressing memory challenge just by browsing the forum!

Eventually, here I am, posing my first question about memory techniques!

So, a little bit of background.

My primary application of memory techniques is with exams.

The exams I’m taking are all made of 30 questions, each of them have 4 possible answers.

The questions are taken from a pool of around 600 questions, which I know the answers to.

Now, a little disclaimer. This is NOT a good way to study. I’m not suggesting you should memorize the answers to pass your exams. Instead, you should understand the topic at hand and elaborate the answers with your own words. In this case, we’re talking about low-level exams which only purpose is to give access to a more advanced education. That said, this is not a good way to study either.

But, let’s just focus on the mnemonics, for now.

So, my objective is to memorize the answers to these 600 questions.

What I’m doing is this (see image below):

1. I identify the keyword of the question (GREEN)
2. I identify the keyword(s) (BLUE) of the correct answer (CIRCLED IN RED)
3. I transform the keyword of the question in an image (GREEN)
4. I transform the keyword(s) of the correct answer in a image (BLUE)
5. I put the image of the question (GREEN) and the answer (BLUE) in a loci
6. Repeat for other questions

I need the image of the question and the answer to be on the same loci, so I know those keywords are connected and represent the question and the answer to that question.

Thins is, a lot of times, the answer is made up of more keywords (BLUE + ORANGE + PURPLE). This is especially true when the answer are fairly similar from one another.

I still need the images of the question and the answer to be on the same loci, so I don’t get confused.

So what I’m doing is use the loci + the link method.

I imagine one keyword (the question) and then I create a small story that starts from the keyword that represent the answer (BLUE), all starting from the same loci. This way I can add up more keywords (ORANGE + PURPLE), while still keep the link to the loci (see image below).

What do you think about this?

Do you have any suggestion to improve this?

Thanks! Your help is really appreciated!

[CelineDL (Céline)]

When I have to do it, I use a lil difference.
I find a keyword in the question that I transform into an image and this image has already a specific location.

Example : What is the powerhouse of the cell ?

Here the keyword is “powerhouse” or just house and this become in front of my house.

Then, the answer is mitochondria. So I transform it into an image, that is for me someone called “Tito”. And then, I just connect the 2 images. Tito that is in front of my house, ringing the bell and get so mad cause I dont answer.

With this, I dont use much the loci method bc you need so many loci. I just connect the 2 images in an action together and it’s good. When I see the question, I automatically think about the situation of the images together and here Iam. You can also use flashcards for your questions (keywords).

So actually, I dont put all the keywords of questions in the same place.

[Tarma (Davide)]

Hi guys,

I wanted to thank you for your answers, you helped me a lot.

This is a small update.

So I followed your advice, ditched the Journey Method completely and I just used te Story Method to link question and answers.

Turns out the journey method wasn’t necessary.

As a result I was able to memorize more information with less time and my exams went very well.

So, I just wanted to stop by and thank you all for your help!

[vanessaq (Vanessa)]

Are you saying that using the story method for exams is better than using the memory palace? I need a good memory system for my exams please. I would really appreciate your help

[aicreator]

Edit: I accidentally pressed a key and my incomplete post got posted it is under review and I do nt know the time it will be approved and I may not be able to edit it immediately when it will be improved and so please ignore an extra letter(For me that is nonsense)!,

And may be the moderators may be able to remove it before it(my post) is posted

And,

Cheers.

[aicreator]

I do not think that using the story method is great because if I remember correctly if you will learn something using the story method and you will forget the story then you will forget everything that you learnt that has been encoded in the story,

I recommend you to write down in a piece of paper the names of all the topics and sub topics that you know, You may be surprised by how much you know but may only work if your textbook is not open while you are doing this,

Do you know that near the starting of exams the questions that are asked in tests have a higher probability of appearing in the exams and the things which teachers focus on during lectures is also asked in exams with the things about which teachers ask questions having a higher probability of coming in the exam also,

You can do questions of sample papers for your class and do not forget to do the scoring questions that some people procrastinate practicing and then after their exams they think what went wrong as those are very scoring questions(Ex-Diagrams, Long Answer Questions…)

Stay awake for long hours before your last exam but not for so long that you feel sleepy and then face the benefits(in your exams: Marks are permanent) and the consequences(In your real life: Temporary) later but not during your exams.

For Maths check your answers, A lot of students do not know that they can quickly check the answers for their word problems also and you may also get some marks for writing the values in your questions(Ex-X=Insert Random Number Here, To Prove etc.)

For English, You will not be able to solve questions if you without knowlage,logic and vocabulary and I recommend you to improve them if any of that is weak.

I had created a Memory Technique for remembering text which works for familiar text, You can use that technique to learn faster if it works for you with in the first hour(It takes some time for a few if not all memory techniques to work fully) and you can use that with the memory palace

Fast Verbatim memorization technique for memorizing long term(Included in this Post)!,

I recommend you to use dual coded memory palaces as by using them you can learn twice as fast and twice as much in a period of time,

I recommend you to cram notes containing the things which you do not know some time before the exam as this will surely increase your marks,

Tips Not for entrance or Glade 10 Exams(Ask your teachers before using them)-
For MCQs the longest answer is usually the correct one
Option C is mostly correct
None of the Above,All of the above if it exists then the options then it has a high probability of being correct
Eliminate the offset values from the MCQs
Read the options of the MCQs before reading the questions
Be Careful of the 1st option in Physics even if it seems correct it is mostly the incorrect option
If two words sound or are spelled similarly then it is extremely likely that one of them is the correct answer,

And,

Cheers.

[Josh (Josh Cohen)]

Sorry, I didn’t see your message until now. If there is a problem with a post, feel free to send me a private message, and I’ll help you edit it.