In the foregoing chapters you could see how much of the subject matter studied by you is retained by in your memory. If the subject studied isn’t revised soon, you remember only 20% of it in a day’s time. Further on only 5% of it remains in mind after one month.
This is not to say that these limitations can’t be eliminated. Forgetting can be an embarrassment, even a crime at a personal level. But then, you have to save yourself from prangs of it. And you must begin by attacking the attitude of absentmindedness.
If you convince yourself at a mental level that your forgetfulness is passe; take it that
you will redeem your memory power. Lapse of memory is a loophole—and you will plug it for ever. Come, let us deliberate on ways which can bring out the best out of our memorising abilities.
Serial Repetitions
This is one of the easiest and time tested technique to fortify your memory. Thanks to this, the subject matter revised over and over again, finds permanent place in domain of your nervous system.
It must be clear to you by now that countdown of forgetting begins just as you finish up with the process of learning. Hence a revision post 15 minutes of study can help you reinforce your memory significantly. Indeed repetitions improve your ability to withhold and deliver on intellectual plane. The exercise can pay rich dividends if done as indicated given here below :
First—Revise after 15 minutes of study.
Second—Revise after 24 hours.
Third—Revise after 1 week.
Fourth—Revise after 1 month.
Fifth—Revise after 3 months.
Sixth—Revise, if need be, after 6 months of primary studies.
If you religiously execute above said five steps (only), subject matter studied will stay in your memory for long. And, if need be, exercise sixth step as well. So, whenever you sit down to serious studies, follow this chain of revisions. Remember, if you ignore it, you run the risk of forgetting 80% of your course contents within a span of 24 hours only. So to say, only 20% of what was studied by you a day before, remains tapable from your memory.
So, go on revising systematically as explained, and come back in flying colours from examinations and competitive reckonings. This technique will take you to higher reaches of your memory. So, get going, without any loss of time.
