{"id":32107,"date":"2016-02-11T15:00:16","date_gmt":"2016-02-11T22:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/boost-your-memory-and-your-gmat-score-pt-1\/"},"modified":"2016-02-11T15:00:16","modified_gmt":"2016-02-11T22:00:16","slug":"boost-your-memory-and-your-gmat-score-pt-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/boost-your-memory-and-your-gmat-score-pt-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Boost Your Memory\u2014and Your GMAT Score Pt. 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"What\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

Techniques for enhancing memory could improve your MCAT Test Day performance. #PredictYourScore<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Once upon a time, before the printing press was invented, people memorized things. Like, really long things\u2014the <\/span>Iliad<\/span><\/i>, for example. Today, few among us would bother <\/span>committing a phone number to memory<\/span>.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

For better or worse, rote memorization may seem largely obsolete in the age of Google, but it remains an essential tool for quickly expanding your knowledge base before Test Day and reaching a higher GMAT score. In Part one\u00a0of this two-part blog series, we\u2019ll explore some of the tried-and-true GMAT study methods for training your brain and enhancing your memory.<\/span><\/p>\n

Better memory, better GMAT score<\/b><\/h4>\n

You may have heard that the <\/span>GMAT<\/span><\/a> is really a test of critical thinking and logical reasoning. It\u2019s true; you\u2019ll be challenged in ways that differ significantly from what you encounter on your college final exams\u2014but that\u2019s not to say knowing content isn\u2019t just as important. If your predicted GMAT score<\/a> is on the low side, it could indicate you need to put serious effort into memorizing basic concepts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, trying to take in new content, especially a lot of it at once, does not make for efficient studying\u2014unless you have a systematic learning strategy in place that allows you to prep smarter, not harder. Moreover, much of what\u2019s on the GMAT, such as geometry and statistics, will be information you\u2019ve perhaps already learned in high school and college but have since forgotten.<\/span><\/p>\n

How can you quickly and effectively expand your foundational GMAT knowledge? You may not need to learn anything quite so daunting as an epic poem, but you will need to know specific mathematical concepts and demonstrate verbal proficiency on GMAT Test Day. Mnemonic devices and structured learning techniques, such as spaced repetition, have aided human beings in memorizing large volumes of information since antiquity, and these methods can help you improve retention while studying for the GMAT, as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mnemonic devices for quantitative rules<\/b><\/h4>\n

Perhaps the most ubiquitous of memorization techniques, mnemonic devices are likely already something you\u2019ve encountered either as an undergraduate or high school student. You may know, for instance, that the order of metric conversions (abbreviated as KHDBDCM), can be rendered as any variation of phrases ranging from \u201cKing Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk\u201d to \u201cKittens Hate Dogs But Do Chase Mice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is what\u2019s known as an expression or word mnemonic\u2014weaving together each particular piece of information with a catchy phrase, often in a specific order. One mnemonic phrase you\u2019ll need to know for the quantitative section of the GMAT is \u201cPlease Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally,\u201d which stands in for the mathematical order of operations (parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction). If you can remember that simple phrase, you\u2019ll know the order in which to process each mathematical operation in a complex problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mnemonic words or phrases can be employed in studying almost any <\/span>quantitative rule<\/span><\/a>. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re studying the triangle inequality theorem and need to remember that the length of one side of a triangle must be bigger than the difference but smaller than the sum of the other two sides. You can remember the rule\u2014Bigger than the Difference, Smaller than the Sum (BDSS)\u2014as the phrase \u201cBig Daddy Says So.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As you review other quantitative and verbal content, you may find it helpful to make up your own mnemonic phrases that are easiest to remember.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spaced repetition for long-term memory<\/b><\/h4>\n

Using a mnemonic device helps when there\u2019s a relatively finite rule, sequence, or equation to memorize, but you\u2019ll also need to commit that information to your long-term memory. That\u2019s where <\/span>spaced repetition<\/span><\/a> comes in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spaced repetition is a mnemonic technique for assimilating large volumes of new information and is often used when learning another language. The basic idea is simple: By increasing the intervals of time between reviewing content as you go, you gradually condition your brain, relaying the knowledge from your short-term to your long-term memory. According to <\/span>neuroscience research<\/span><\/a>, the reason spaced repetition is so effective is that \u201crepeated stimuli, with precisely timed gaps, are one of the most reliable ways to convince neurons that an event is memory-worthy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Conversely, <\/span>research asserts<\/span><\/a>\u00a0what you may already know from experience: cramming just doesn\u2019t work. Acquiring all the definitions and quantitative rules you need to know for the GMAT is in fact not that different from learning a foreign language, and just as you probably can\u2019t pick up conversational Italian overnight, cramming before Test Day will not likely do much for your GMAT score.<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is that unfamiliar or difficult information can be learned by repeated and structured exposure. The most common way to incorporate spaced repetition into your GMAT study plan is to use <\/span>flashcards<\/span><\/a>. Outline a schedule for <\/span>reviewing your flashcards<\/span> that gradually spaces out sessions as you progress. So, your initial weekly schedule might look like this:<\/span><\/p>\n