It's your exam this week and you're still struggling on encoding your lessons inside your brain! Well, I present to you techniques and strategies that can help you hone your studying effectively!

1. Use elaborative rehearsal
In 1972, Craik and Lockhart formed a theory called levels of processing. This theory discussed that information we process more deeply goes into long-term memory (where our memories and learnings stay for long).  If you are interested in something and want to remember it,  think about it more deeply and make it memorable by linking it to other information or existing memories. For example, while learning the parts of the brain, you will encounter "hippocampus" which is involved with memory processing. In order to remember this information, you can envision a hippopotamus with excellent memory. In this case, you are able to encode the hippocampus inside your brain!

2. Apply the self-reference effect
After reading the first technique, don't you think it's better to relate it to yourself for it to be more meaningful? Let's use the self-reference effect! You can do this by writing notes in your own words. Write definitions from the text, and then rewrite them in your own words. You can then relate the material to something you have already learned for another class, or think how you can apply the concepts to your own life.

3. Don’t forget the forgetting curve 
I'm sure you've encountered experiences where the information you studied dare easily forgotten with the passage of time. However, even if you think you already know the material, study it again right before your test in order to increase the likelihood the information will remain in your memory. Overlearning can help prevent storage decay (forgetting of memories stored in your brain.)

4. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse
Like the tip above, review the material over and over again in a study sessions that is spaced, organized and where you can think well without disturbance. Organize and study your notes, and take practice quizzes/exams. Link the new information to other information you already know well.

5. Be aware of interference
To reduce the likelihood of interference, study during a quiet time without interruptions or distractions (like television or music).

6. Keep moving
Hey! Exercise is not just for our body, but it's a huge deal for our minds! Research suggests that regular aerobic exercise (anything that gets your heart rate elevated) is beneficial for memory (Van Praag, 2008). Aerobic exercise promotes neurogenesis: the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus, an area of the brain known to play a role in memory and learning.

7. Get enough sleep
While you are sleeping, your brain is still at work. During sleep the brain organizes and consolidates information to be stored in long-term memory (Abel & Bäuml, 2013).

8. Make use of mnemonic devices
Mnemonic devices often help us to remember and recall information. There are different types of mnemonic devices, including acronym. An acronym is a word formed by the first letter of each of the words you want to remember. For example, HOMES is an acronym that represents Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior: the five Great Lakes. 

Another type of mnemonic device is an acrostic wherein you make a phrase of all the first letters of the words. For example, if you are struggling with the arrangement of operations which is also known as PEMDAS, then you can also remember it through acrostic which results to “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally." You can also use jingles, which are rhyming tunes that contain key words related to the concept!

Welp, I hope that helps! Let's go on and continue studying, together let's reach our bright destination! See you around!

(Learned from my class and lumenlearning)