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Summer is not only the sun, walks in the park and relaxing on the beach. For students and schoolchildren, this is also the time for exams. In a short time they have to learn a huge amount of material in various subjects, and this is not an easy task. However, there are ways to help make it easier.
1. Organize information
Even neural networks are usually “fed” with prepared, specially marked information. In humans, the memory works, as a rule, worse. But we also tend to memorize ordered information.
Psychological studies have shown that most remember chains of facts – names, titles, dates, etc. – no more than 5-9 objects long. Therefore, Canadian scientists advise breaking down a large amount of data into small groups that will be well ordered inside.
Classify knowledge, highlight strong points, use associations and memory schemes.
2. Do sports before you sit down for textbooks
Paradoxically, it is worth taking care of the body first and only then the brain. Scientists from Harvard assure: physical activity has a positive effect on cognitive abilities, and this effect lasts for a long time.
From a neurobiological point of view, the phenomenon is explained as follows: during training, the body perceives physical stress as a signal that you are fighting an enemy or running away from a dangerous animal. In response to this, it activates the sympathetic nervous system: it speeds up the pulse, providing blood flow to the brain and enriching it with oxygen. As a result, you think faster and absorb information better.
Recently, it has also been shown that regular exercise promotes neurogenesis – the formation of new nerve cells, which was previously considered impossible. Therefore, training is doubly useful. Give them at least 150 minutes a week, for example, 5 times for half an hour – according to the World Health Organization, this will already be enough.
3. Chew a lot
Sometimes help comes from where it was not expected. It turns out that chewing gum can improve the brain’s ability to absorb information.
Australian scientists conducted an experiment in 2018: they compared two groups of students who attended lectures on different subjects. Some were allowed to chew gum during class, others were not. At the end of the lecture, a test was conducted on the material just studied. It turned out that the group in which the students used chewing gum did significantly better on the test.
The process of chewing through the muscles of the face stimulates the hippocampus – the part of the brain responsible for memory, attention and the ability to reason. At the same time, chewing helps to overcome stress: it reduces the level of cortisol in the blood and helps not to be distracted by excitement.
So, if you tend to be nervous and panicking before an exam, don’t forget to take a pack of gum with you, chew it for 10-15 minutes and increase your chances of getting a good grade.
4. Study for the coming dream
As it turned out, studying notes in the morning, “with a fresh mind,” is a highly overrated activity. A joint study by scientists from the University of Notre Dame and Harvard found that people remember information better if they memorize it right before they go to bed.
The fact is, explain the authors of the study, that in the process of sleep, the brain processes and organizes the information received during the day – and starts with the most recent, learned the latest. He immediately places it in declarative memory – the same one that we use to consciously recall a fact. And what we learn in the morning can be lost in the flow of other data entering the brain throughout the day.
The findings of scientists, by the way, once again emphasize how important it is not to neglect a full seven to eight hours of sleep, especially on the eve of the exam.
5. Try new formats
Our parents and grandparents prepared for exams with textbooks and lecture notes. But today this is far from the only and, perhaps, not the most effective way. American teacher Adam Judge advises using a variety of edutainment tools (from the English “education” and “entertainment” – education and entertainment) to increase student engagement.
Try to make the preparation for the session a pleasure – for example, watch a documentary or a lecture on YouTube on a given topic. Bloggers today know how to present information in such a way that you will not be bored, and at the same time they chew on difficult questions that can be caught on the exam.