The Essential Eight
These techniques are drawn from decades of cognitive science research. Each one has been proven to significantly improve memory retention and recall over traditional re-reading.
Spaced repetition exploits the spacing effect — the brain remembers information better when study sessions are spread out over time rather than crammed. By reviewing material just before you're about to forget it, each review strengthens the memory trace exponentially. Tools like Anki automate this process using an algorithm to schedule your reviews perfectly.
How to do it
- Create flashcards for each concept you need to learn
- Review new cards on day 1, then again on day 3
- For cards you recall easily, push reviews to day 7, then 14, then 30
- For cards you struggle with, reset to shorter intervals
- Use Anki or a similar app to automate scheduling
Pro tips
- Do your reviews first thing in the morning
- Keep cards simple — one concept per card
- Add images to cards to boost recall by 65%
- Never skip a review session — consistency is everything
Active recall (also called retrieval practice) is the single most powerful study technique. Instead of rereading notes, you close the book and force your brain to retrieve the information from scratch. The act of struggling to remember something actually strengthens the neural pathways that store that memory — the testing effect.
How to do it
- Read a section of your notes or textbook
- Close the book completely
- Write down or say aloud everything you can remember
- Open the book and check what you missed
- Repeat — focusing only on the gaps
Pro tips
- Use past exam questions for targeted retrieval
- Practice "brain dumps" on blank paper after lectures
- Quiz yourself with a friend for accountability
- Don't peek — the struggle is the point
Used by memory champions and ancient orators alike, the Method of Loci (Memory Palace) turns abstract information into vivid spatial memories. You mentally place information in familiar locations along a route through a place you know well — your home, school, or daily walk. To recall, you mentally "walk" the route and the information comes back naturally.
How to do it
- Choose a familiar location (your home works perfectly)
- Plan a specific route through it with clear "stations"
- Assign one piece of information to each station
- Create a vivid, bizarre mental image for each item
- Walk the route mentally to encode and recall
Pro tips
- Make images as weird and colourful as possible
- Add movement, emotion, or humour to each image
- Use multiple palaces for different subjects
- Walk the palace before sleep to consolidate memories
Named after physicist Richard Feynman, this technique exposes gaps in your knowledge by forcing you to explain a concept in simple, plain language — as if teaching it to a child. When you struggle to explain something simply, it reveals exactly what you don't understand yet. It's one of the most effective ways to build genuine, deep understanding rather than surface memorisation.
How to do it
- Pick a concept and write it at the top of a blank page
- Explain it in your own words as simply as possible
- Identify any gaps or places you got stuck
- Go back to your source material to fill the gaps
- Simplify further — remove all jargon
Pro tips
- Use analogies to make abstract concepts concrete
- Actually teach it to someone else if you can
- If you can't explain it simply, you don't know it yet
- Record yourself explaining and play it back
Mnemonics are memory devices that link new information to something you already know — using rhymes, acronyms, acrostics, or vivid associations. The brain naturally remembers patterns, stories, and emotional content far better than abstract facts. Mnemonics exploit this by converting dry information into memorable, structured forms.
How to do it
- Identify the information you need to memorise
- Create an acronym from the first letter of each item
- Or build a vivid sentence where each word starts with those letters
- Connect it to something emotionally memorable
- Test yourself until it sticks automatically
Pro tips
- Rhymes are among the strongest mnemonic devices
- Make your sentence funny or absurd — it helps recall
- Combine with spaced repetition for best results
- Create your own — personally made mnemonics stick best
Our working memory can only hold 4–7 items at a time. Chunking works by grouping individual pieces of information into larger, meaningful units — reducing the load on working memory and making complex material easier to digest. Think of how a phone number is easier to remember as 3 groups than as 10 separate digits.
How to do it
- Break large amounts of content into distinct categories
- Group related items together under a single concept
- Give each chunk a memorable label or theme
- Learn one chunk fully before moving to the next
- Connect chunks by building a bigger picture narrative
Pro tips
- Mind maps are an excellent visual chunking tool
- Aim for groups of 3–5 items within each chunk
- Use headers and colour-coding in your notes
- Works brilliantly with the Method of Loci