How to remember crucial information for your exams

However much we study, it becomes tricky to remember everything easily. There are things that will remain in our minds for eternity, while others seem to come in one ear and go out through the other. The KCSE and KCPE exams are around the corner and this would be the best time to make use of these ‘remembering tips’:
Ensure you understand the information you intend to remember by focusing your attention on the materials you are studying. You can only do this if you are interested in what you are learning. This will allow you to relate what you must remember to what you already know.Pick a person, place, object, situation, or emotion and associate it with the information you must remember.
Frequently review the information by reciting and writing it down. This repetition makes it easier to recall information and keeps you from cramming.

Structure the information by creating a graphic organiser for the information you must remember. Put the information in related clusters. This makes it easier to remember the information in an organised manner than if it is scattered all over the place.
Relate the information to something about you, to make it easier to remember. You can also relate the new information to something you already know; this way, you increase the likelihood of recalling it.

Visual imagery like pictures of what you must remember are a powerful tool for remembering. Find a way of leveraging your visual memory.
Test yourself by writing a question on the information you must remember, then attempt to answer it and see how you have performed. You can also attempt to teach a study partner or friend the information you have learned.
Create games using the information and make it a fun activity. You can, for example, create acronyms for easier remembrance. Acronyms make it easier to memorise facts.
Mnemonics can also be considered as mind games. This is about translating ideas into a ‘language’ you best understand.

When I was young, I mastered the colours of the rainbow by creating the word ROYGBIV. These are the initial letters of all the colours (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet). This ‘word’ has never left my mind.
Be tough and merciless with yourself by trying tougher questions.

Stretch your mind and you will be surprised at how much storage capacity your brain has.
Making a summary of everything you read from one paragraph in a margin will also help in memory retention.

Vary your study routine by studying at different places and at different times. How about you study in the evening, instead of your usual morning routine?