Memory, Recall, and Test Taking

Most research suggests that we remember virtually everything that happens to us. Unfortunately (sometimes fortunately), we can’t easily recall all of those memories.

Studying for a test has for two related main goals:

1. Understanding the intellectual concepts to be covered on the exam
2. Making what we understand available for recall

There are several factors, which make information more easily recalled. Essentially, the more your brain works with, thinks about and repeats information, the easier you will be able to recall it. Here are the basic factors involved in making information “stick”

Repetition: The more often you encounter an idea, the easier it is to recall. In studying for a test, this means that looking at your notes (and by extension, taking good notes) frequently will be more effective than looking at them once.

Association/Connection: Connecting the information you are studying with something you already know or feel will make retaining the information easier. These connections also make it easier to use this information in other contexts. For example, if you make connections about cell divisions in a biology class, say with any previous courses in biology or health education, or even with how your own body is made up of many of these dividing cells, the better you’ll remember how the process works.

The key here is to make connections that make sense to you. Its great if you can fit an idea into a logical framework, but if the framework doesn’t have some personal meaning, you are not going to remember it.

Intensity: Think back to an incident you found terrifying or very exciting. It could be a near-wreck in a car or the first time you got an A in class; chances are, you remember such incidents with more clarity than most other incidents. For test taking, this is both a good and a bad thing. You may, for instance find the pressure of cramming for a test may make you sharper, because the fear of failing the test can make the information more memorable.

There are a couple of problems with this, though. The first is that you often remember the fear is just fine, but the actual information isn’t what you found intense and therefore isn’t what you remember. The other, related problem is that you do get anxious, this fear causes paralysis rather than efficiency. Again, you end up remembering the study session, not the actual topics you studied.

Involvement: The more senses you use when dealing with an idea, the more you manipulate that idea in your head, hands, eyes, ears and nose, the better you will remember it. Also, working with information in more than one form is helpful. If you write down notes about material you’ve read or heard, that process your brain more than just reading or listening would.

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