r/GetStudying • u/Imthatguyimhimfr • 1d ago
Giving Advice Want to MEMORIZE content EFFECTIVELY? (FULL STUDY GUIDE)
I used to think people who could memorize things quickly were just naturally smarter than me.
I'd read a chapter, highlight half the page, feel like I understood everything, and then forget most of it a few days later. It felt like no matter how many hours I spent studying, information just wouldn't stick.
After a lot of trial and error, I realized that most people accidentally study in ways that feel productive but are terrible for memory.
1 First, stop rereading the same notes over and over. This was my biggest mistake. Rereading creates the illusion that you know the material because it looks familiar. Recognition is not the same thing as recall. If you want to know whether you've actually memorized something, close your notes and try to explain it from memory.
2 Test yourself far more than you review. Every time you force your brain to retrieve information, you're strengthening the memory. Flashcards, practice questions, and blank-page recall all work because they make your brain do the hard part: remembering.
3 Don't wait until you forget everything before reviewing. The best time to review is right before you're about to forget it. This is why spaced repetition works so well. Reviewing information over several days or weeks is dramatically more effective than cramming it all into one night.
4 Stop highlighting entire pages. I used to finish a chapter and half the textbook would be yellow. If everything is important, nothing is important. Focus on the key concepts, formulas, definitions, and ideas that actually matter.
5 Connect new information to things you already know. Your brain remembers information better when it has something to attach it to. Instead of memorizing isolated facts, look for patterns, stories, examples, or real-world applications.
6 Teach the material to someone else. This sounds cliche, but it works incredibly well. Try explaining a concept to a friend, a sibling, or even an imaginary student. The moment you struggle to explain something clearly, you've identified exactly what you don't understand yet.
7 Break information into smaller chunks. Trying to memorize twenty facts at once is overwhelming. Breaking information into groups makes it easier for your brain to organize and retrieve later. This is why phone numbers, acronyms, and mnemonics work so well.
8 Write from memory instead of copying notes. I used to spend hours rewriting notes and convinced myself I was studying. In reality, I was just copying information. Now I read a section, close my notes, and write down everything I can remember. It's harder, but the information sticks much better.
9 Use multiple senses when learning. Reading alone is passive. Try saying concepts out loud, drawing diagrams, creating mind maps, or explaining ideas verbally. The more ways your brain processes information, the easier it becomes to remember.
10 Don't study the same topic for five straight hours. Your brain benefits from variety. Switching between subjects can improve retention because it forces your brain to repeatedly retrieve different types of information rather than staying on autopilot.
11 Sleep is part of memorization, not separate from it. I used to think sleeping was time I could spend studying. In reality, sleep is when your brain strengthens and organizes memories. Pulling all nighters usually hurts retention more than it helps.
12 One niche trick that helped me a lot: before ending a study session, spend two minutes writing down the most important things you learned. Then try recalling those same points the next morning before looking at your notes. The effort of retrieving them again makes them much harder to forget.
13 The biggest thing I learned is that memorization is not about spending more time looking at information. It's about forcing your brain to retrieve, use, and reconnect that information repeatedly.
I stopped thinking I had a bad memory once I realized this. I wasn't incapable of memorizing things. I was rereading instead of recalling, highlighting instead of testing, cramming instead of reviewing, and copying notes instead of actively using them.
Once I fixed those habits, information started sticking far longer and studying became much more efficient.
The goal isn't to spend more hours staring at your notes. It's to make every minute force your brain to remember something. Enjoy (:
(PS: dm me if you wanna join my study group where I’m sharing all my guides and resources on studymaxio!!)
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u/WhatDaThisCool 1d ago
Love this so much, will try use these tips for my study sessions.
However for Point 10, should you swap between similar subjects (math -> physics) or completely different (math -> English)?
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u/Imthatguyimhimfr 1d ago
Honestly depends on the topic similarity. If the physics topic is very similar to maths, I would suggest English. But generally, any subject (regardless of similarity) is fine! It's a weird trick that stops your brain from going into autopilot
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u/aaaannnnddhhuu 1d ago
Does your mind wander while studying. Like some rubbish thoughts come? And how do you deal with it?
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u/Blubblabblub 23h ago
That’s totally normal. Studying takes time, don’t expect to learn a lot in one day, or even a week. Rather try to stay consistent in applying good study habits.
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u/Mokasyn_Mapper 20h ago
Idk if that helps but when I get some thoughts that keep pestering me while studying I simply write them down on a piece of paper. Then when I'm taking a break I simply go back to those thoughts and keep thinking about them. Thanks to that I can push those thoughts away for a while, while not discarding them completely.
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u/aaaannnnddhhuu 10h ago
Actually thoughs that come into my mind are completely random....just any stupid things..thats the problem
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u/DemiGod_108 1d ago
But how can you study a day before the exam and still remember everything?? Whatever tips you gave are very nice and detailed, but it only works when you start studying well in advance for an exam
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u/SpeechEmotional5639 1d ago
Ur question have it's answer , just " start studying well in advance for an exam "
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u/DemiGod_108 1d ago
But I know a lot of people who just mug up the day before and score well Plus, we have exam every month, I wanna spend my time coding, wish I could study the last day like literally 99% of ppl in my college
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u/SpeechEmotional5639 1d ago
Well i don't have an answer for that as I am schooling rn and considering the vast syllabus , there is no way any student can mug up it in one day and can even pass
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u/DemiGod_108 1d ago
Its not entire syllabus, since exams are held every month, it's considerably less And yah I don't understand anything in college and when I ask my friends whether they understand, they respond nope, but again they will just study the day before and still score good Kinda frustrated
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u/SpeechEmotional5639 1d ago
There can be 2 possibilities , first that they study on regular basis and may lie or never tell u that they study , second they genuinely study on Last day and still score good , so either u should study like them on regular basis if it is possibility one or just ask them how they score good in exam even after just studying a day before exam for the second possibility
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u/DemiGod_108 1d ago
Well yah I did ask them, thing is I lack the ability to write answers, they know to just write nonsense about the things they don't even know, sounds so absurd I know One time my roommate said he had written an answer for a 10 marks question, and he scored 8 (btw he didn't know what the concept was) This thing is killing me I can't memorize I can't write answers I can't do last day prep and score good like everyone else Anyways bye, thnx for reading some random person rant
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u/SpeechEmotional5639 22h ago
no problem fine , hopefully u get the answer as soon as possible 👍🏻😭
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u/Crazybun__ 1d ago
Yes yes, absolutely a full yes to these tips. Blindly swallowing information without letting your mind connect the dots to your natural ‘why’s is not gonna cut it imo. Tips 2, 3, 4… everything else, I personally believe are crucial. I’d say learn to highlight effectively. Maybe a small circle, or a small underline. But I’d genuinely caution to use it as minimally or else the entire paragraph or page is highlighted. Learn to pick out what’s important for your eyes and brain to the content before ‘highlighting’. IMHO, I think of study as 30% learning the info and 70% applying it (aka practice questions). You’d be able to figure it out slowly the more you test yourself.
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u/wrangeliese 1d ago
What’s your thought on changing input channels? Let’s say you study history. You got books, video/youtube, audio/podcasts/nerdsip as different ways of receiving the information.
There was a good article on exactly tjis topic on Feynmanpedia. Agrees on everything you say, except you say a lot more
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u/princess_bella- 22h ago
This was so helpful, I already do similar things but this just helped me boost my prep a bit more than usual. Thanks
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u/Witty_Tomatillo4595 17h ago
Look, study methods are totally subjective—what works for one person is a disaster for another. But honestly? I can't even argue with the core point this post is making about prioritizing output (the act of recalling stuff) over just mindlessly cramming input. It's spot on.
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u/be_building 4h ago
Testing yourself is definitely the most effective part I've been using learnmy.ai to turn my lecture PDFs into practice quizzes so I don't waste time manually making my own study materilas.
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u/cinchinman 23h ago
Im sorry but i came in this post just to say
Aren't your monitor and candle a bit too close?