So my main goal that I want to achieve through these all is to clear UPSC examination for which I have to read Newspaper/current affairs,static syllabus mostly non technical like geography history polity so please guide me perfecting which events would help me breeze through this examination?@Josh Cohen
@LynneKelly
Hi Vishal,
Can you elaborate more on what exact information do you want help with?
Do you already have an exact fixed content to be learnt and you want to know how you can use memory techniques to memorise it? I am not sure if the UPSC exam functions like that
The information I have to deal with is Daily News paper or Current Events in the world or national and there is something called static syllabus which is non technical stuff History,geography,politics,psychology etc.@batman
For such a wide range of subjects, I think youâll need to feel comfortable using a variety of memory techniques. Those techniques will work whether you need to learn the information in advance and then get tested on it or youâre presented information on the day of the exam that youâll need to recall later.
The basis of virtually every memory technique is to associate new information with information you already know, typically through the use of highly memorable images. Iâm not sure how much youâll be able to âbreeze throughâ an exam, though, without practicing these techniques until youâre comfortable with them.
If numbers/dates are involved, you will want to use a system that lets you associate those numbers with memorable images. The two most popular systems are called Major and Dominic. They are similar but each one has its differences and its fans. There is lots of information here about both approaches. (And if you havenât yet read the beginnerâs guide under âResources,â you should definitely start there.)
For most everything else you will want to get comfortable using whatâs called a âmemory palaceâ or a âjourney.â (Again, the beginnerâs guide will explain these.) The idea is that you create images that you then âstoreâ mentally along a journey or in a location that you know well from memory, like your childhood home or school or place of worship, whatever. As you mentally walk through that space, the locations will help you to remember what images you put there.
If youâre encountering your information on the day of the exam, you will need to be fully prepared: Have several different empty âmemory palacesâ ready to hold whatever information you have to remember and have practiced to the point where you can quickly create the images you want to store there.
Itâs also important to allow time to review your palace/journey. Walk through it in your mind as many times as possible before youâre quizzed on it. Go through it backwards, if you can. And if any of the images donât âstickâ in your memory, review them and revise them, if necessary. (BTW, Iâm American, and Iâve noticed that we use the word revise differently than, say, the British. They use it to mean âreview.â In America, revise means âto edit/alter/changeâ in some way.)
I think itâs important to remember that there is no âquick fixâ here. Memory techniques have to be learned and practiced. It may take a month or two before youâre comfortable with a number system and know the kinds of images that will be the most memorable for you.
Good luck! And I hope I havenât completely misunderstood what you were asking about!
Bob
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There is nothing like I have a task like memorising fastly in examination only test is based on stored information and recalling but syllabus is huge.I am quite aware of memory palaces built around 5,6 detalied.but point is I want my memorising speed of data like newspaper reading for suppose to be so fast what can I do? @RMBittner
Memory palaces can hold as much or as little information as you want. Some use them to store 1,000 digits of pi. Or all the worldâs countries. Or what they need to buy at the grocery store this week.
The only real secret to speed, I think, is practice. But if youâre being tested on stored information, Iâm not sure I understand why speed is that importantâŚunless, of course, your test is happening soon!
Bob
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I recommend going through the how to learn memory techniques guide. Practice with the techniques a bit. Then when you get stuck memorizing a specific piece of information, post an example of the information here and we could help brainstorm ways on how you might want to approach it. The more specific your question is, the easier it will be to answer it. 
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What about memorising books?Which methods will help me?where should I practice?How can I become better?
There are some pages about that in the guide I linked to above.
See the FAQs and these pages:
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I could not do better than the answers above! Bobâs response is wonderfully full and Joshâs resource pages are superb. It sounds like such a broad curriculum that a range of methods may be suitable. I am afraid that speed is not my forte. I am much more into long term memory methods, often implemented when out on a walk or doing art or making things. Others are far better at the speed memory, but that is usually for competition, not exams and long term knowledge.
But the starting point is always memory palaces.
All the best with it!
Lynne
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Then What I should spend time on other than Memory palace for Long term and Exam?@LynneKelly
You should at first develop a âframeworkâ using which you will be able to memorize stuffs efficiently!!
Memory Palace is just a part of the framework! It is not the end of everything. You need to have other âtoolsâ,too,besides MP. For example,you should understand and work on:
- How to convert numbers into images(Major System,Dominic System or any other system)
- How to convert text into images!
You must become proficient in these two at first,if you want to effectively memorize âdates,rules,history,newspapers,etcâ!
It is gonna take time and a lot of practice. There is no quick fix here. You need to invest time to learn the âtoolsâ first,then,memorizing textbooks will get easier using your tools!
But if your exam is near,then,it is better to just use ârote memorizationâ. But if you have a enough time to spare,then,you can try to build the âframeworkâ using which you will memorize your UPSC stuffs later.
It looks like you are not prepared for memorization techniques yet. In that case,ârote memorizationâ is gonna help you. Also,you can use âAnkiâ software to speed up the rote memorization and make things easier for youâŚ
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I have so many years I want to become expert in these tools and Memory palace I need Proper guidance or is mentoring possible?
If you have time to spare for becoming an expert in memorization techniques,then,start from this link>> Links to Art of Memory Resources
Learning âmnemonic techniquesâ is an interesting and satisfying journey. And I think,it is one of the best investments of time and effort. It is worth it!
Jump right in and start to explore. You wonât regret it⌠
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I agree with everything elitely said.
I would add using song, dance (or some form of movement) and characters. Converting abstract information to characters works very well. Itâs how we do cards for competition, but also how indigenous and early European cultures worked. Chemistry: Acid and Base become characters. So do all the elements. History has not shortage of them naturally, so use those characters to make your images and stories more lively. The Dominic system for numbers is also based on characters.
Converting any information to song or drawings or movements ensures that you engage with it, rather than just read it over or repeat it without understanding.
You have lost to do!
Lynne
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hello, i have the same goal as you
i have started using pnn method of numbers to remember constitution articles and their names.
0 - s/z
1 - t/d
2 - n
3 - m
4 - r
5 - l
6 - g/sh
7 - k
8 - f
9 - p/b
example usage,
article 21 - Protection of life and personal liberty
here decode the number 21 = 2 - 1 = n - t (refer to the list above)
so i came up with a silly anecdote,
mr. NTwarlalâs son did LLB degree
in your mind, â NT = 21 = article 21
and
LLB = life and liberty
this is a bi directional way to remember the article number and its title.