# How best to improve your memory for one big push? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 7, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-improve-your-memory-for-one-big-push/605373 "2011-12-07T14:54:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-improve-your-memory-for-one-big-push/605373/1 "2011-12-07T14:54:49Z")
Let’s say you have something coming up where you’re going to have to spend a day dragging a bunch of stuff out of the dank, dark recesses of your brain, and you’re going to have to do it fast and on the spot and exercise a lot of judgment about it. What’s the _best_ way to prepare? (Besides the obvious “study” answer.) Does gingko work? Studying in short bursts? Long cram sessions? (Obviously practicing as closely as possible to anticipated conditions is a good idea, right?) What’s the state of the science here, and what definitely works? I’d have put this in GQ but I also want opinion and experiences from people who’ve had to, say, sit a bar exam or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-improve-your-memory-for-one-big-push/605373/2 "2011-12-07T17:04:28Z")
Is this a test of some sort? If so, working on similar tests (maybe past versions) is probably the best way. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-improve-your-memory-for-one-big-push/605373/3 "2011-12-07T17:08:01Z")
I can’t say what it is, but yes, I can work on past versions. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-improve-your-memory-for-one-big-push/605373/4 "2011-12-07T17:50:16Z")
Read up on the concept of “memory palaces”, specifically the book “Moonwalking with Einstein” by Josh Foer. Should be very helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-improve-your-memory-for-one-big-push/605373/5 "2011-12-08T19:03:46Z")
By the way, I only have about six weeks. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-improve-your-memory-for-one-big-push/605373/6 "2011-12-08T19:36:28Z")
Plenty of sleep, healthy food, moderate exercise, lot’s of studying. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-improve-your-memory-for-one-big-push/605373/7 "2011-12-08T20:30:23Z")
I realize it’s not the bar exam, but when I took NCLEX (nursing boards) I took the information in small chunks and studied a little at a time and when I had something down I put it away. I didn’t keep going over stuff I knew and waste my time. Then I set aside a bit of time at the end to review it all one more time. I remember and learn visually so I wrote on index cards to make visually pleasing blocks of info. The act of writing it helped also. Knowing how you learn can definitely help and streamline the learning/recall process. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-improve-your-memory-for-one-big-push/605373/8 "2011-12-08T20:58:37Z")
Chewing gum during the test, a good breakfast (and\or lunch), a wrist watch to keep time. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-improve-your-memory-for-one-big-push/605373/9 "2011-12-08T21:27:54Z")
Study what you don’t know. Trust your brain for what you do. Get plenty of sleep. Recognize that there will be things you forget. See if you can identify problem areas. Write things by hand. Mnemonic devices. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-improve-your-memory-for-one-big-push/605373/10 "2011-12-08T22:40:58Z")
Practice in context. If you’re going to be asked essay questions, practice writing essay questions. If you’re going to be asked to write long lists, practice writing long lists. You want to be able to recall in the same manner that you’re going to be asked to recall. So if it’s an oral memory check and you’ve only practiced written questions, it could throw you. Also, figure out which is more beneficial for your goal - figure out whether it is better to be perfect on the part you already mostly know or better for you to have a broader base of knowledge. Focus appropriately. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-best-to-improve-your-memory-for-one-big-push/605373/11 "2011-12-09T01:08:05Z")
This is easy. This method works and you can remember as much information as you want and recall it perfectly at any time: > **[Method of loci](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_loci)** > > The method of loci is a strategy for memory enhancement, which uses visualizations of familiar spatial environments in order to enhance the recall of information. The method of loci is also known as the memory journey, memory palace, journey method, memory spaces, or mind palace technique. This method is a mnemonic device adopted in ancient Roman and Greek rhetorical treatises (in the anonymous Rhetorica ad Herennium, Cicero's De Oratore, and Quintilian's Institutio Oratoria). Many memory contes...