MEMORY STRATEGIES
1. USE YOUR COURSE OUTLINE
 Structure notes according to course outline topic headings
 Review course outline before class
 Study for exams using course outline
2. FOCUS ON STRUCTURE
a) In readings
 When reading a textbook, read in the following order:
o Table of contents
o Conclusion (of book and specific chapter)
o Tables, figures, graphs, charts
o Headings
o Text
 Turn headings into questions
o Ex: if the heading is ‘Child Development’, turn it into ‘What is child
development?’
 Pay attention to:
o Words in bold, italics or underlined
o Questions in margins, diagrams, pictures or charts and glossary of key terms
b) In lectures
 Take note of information emphasized by your professor in lectures - this is likely to
be important to remember!
c) When studying/taking notes
 Organize notes by headings and subheadings, and keep an organized, multi-level
structure (I, II, III; A, B, C; 1, 2, 3)
 Pay attention to headings when you study - the hierarchy will indicate what’s most
important to remember
3. MONITOR YOUR COMPREHENSION
 Ask yourself if you understand what you are read in your textbook/hear in lectures
 Discuss course information with classmates after class or in study groups
 Tutor a classmate
4. COME UP WITH YOUR OWN EXAMPLES
 Think of a relevant example related to course information
5. THINK IN PICTURES, COLOURS, AND SHAPES
 Create mental images of what you learn in class
 Highlight your notes, keeping colours consistent for different levels of headings and key
words
 Organize your notes and ideas using shapes:
o Create a pyramid to represent hierarchical ideas
o Make a flow chart to show a sequence
o Use a concept map to represent relationships between concepts and ideas
6. MAKE MNEMONICS (TRICKS THAT HELP YOU REMEMBER INFORMATION)
 Create an acronym:
o Take the first letter of each word
o Create a word with all of these first letters
o Ex: Colors of the rainbow (ROYGBIV)
 Create a rhyme
o Ex: Spelling – “I before E, except after C”
 Create a sentence from an acronym
o Ex: Piaget’s Stages of Development – Sensorimotor, Pre-Operational, ConcreteOperational, Formal-Operational
 Smart
 People
 Cook
 Fish
7. REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT
 Go over your notes many times (even if it’s boring!)
 When repeating, use different methods to memorize the information (mnemonics,
note-taking, create new examples)
 Recite what you read out loud
For more information, check out our website: http://www.mcgill.ca/osd/
Prepared by: Amanda Saxe (Learning Resources Intern) & Patricia Diaz del Castillo(Learning Resources Advisor)
McGill Office for Students with Disabilities
Sources:
Diaz del Castillo, P. & Pantel, S. (2012). How do I learn best? [Powerpoint Presentation].
Wong, L. (2012). Essential study skills. (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Make sure to check out:
Diaz del Castillo, P. (2012). Create your own toolbox to manage your academic anxiety. [Powerpoint Presentation].
Diaz del Castillo, P. & Pantel, S. (2012). Work hard play hard. [Powerpoint Presentation].
Diaz del Castillo, P. & Saxe, A. (2013). Testing made easy. [Powerpoint Presentation].