Memory is such a strange thing. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast on Monday, yet I can remember all of the words to the Neighbours theme tune that I haven’t listened to in almost 20 years.
We are getting close to exam weeks, so I imagine you are probably feeling a little overwhelmed and saying things to yourself like “I will never remember all of this.”
This is simply not true. There is no upper limit on memory, it’s not like you will hit capacity and other things will be deleted out, it is merely a matter of making strong connections with the material to be able to remember it.
There is a fantastic book written by Dr. Charan Ranganath called Why we Remember that gives some practical tips on enhancing your memory. Here are 5 tips as you revise over the next few weeks:
- Make it meaningful: Your brain remembers stories, not random facts. Instead of just memorising definitions, link them to real procurement examples, work situations, or even funny personal analogies. (The weirder, the stickier.)
- Chunk, don’t cram: Memory works better when information is organised into chunks. Group concepts by theme (e.g. “ethics”, “risk”, “contracts”) rather than treating them as isolated bits.
- Revisit, don’t relearn: Spacing is everything. Instead of marathon study sessions, revisit material little and often. Each return strengthens the memory trace.
- Test yourself, don’t just read: Ranganath reminds us that memory is reconstructed, not replayed. Testing forces you to rebuild the knowledge, which makes it far more durable. Flashcards, practice questions, or even explaining it to a friend (or your dog) works.
- Sleep on it: Sleep isn’t wasted time, it’s when memories consolidate. Review key material before bed and let your brain do the overnight filing.
These are just a few tips to help you with your revision, let us know which works best for you
You’ve got this!