Robert Arrowood ETSU McNair Program

 The night before your GRE you should do what? (Select all that apply)  Stay up until 6 A.M watching The Walking Dead.  Become so inebriated that you black out in a road side ditch.  Get a good night’s sleep.  Cry and attempt suicide out of fear.  Remain calm and attempt to clear your head.  Go to sleep shortly after studying.

 Read the topic and only consider the words.

 Assign associations between the new knowledge and your memories.  Easier recall due to encoding (Goldstein, 2011).  Ex. The Quadratic Formula Story.

 Read and think you know it all because of your reading.

 Read and test yourself after.  Consolidation effect (Goldstein, 2011)  Ex. The review section in almost every text book.

 Take notes that require a rocket scientist or Theo to decode.

 Organize your notes so that YOU understand them.  Reduces memory load (Goldstein, 2011)  Ex. Symbols

 Read and study while laying on your bed in a noisy room with all of the luxuries that your house offers.

 Attempt to mimic the testing facility.  Increases retrieval ability by providing cues (Goldstein, 2011).  Ex. Studying in a large room while sitting behind a computer in a somewhat hard chair.

CRAM!!!

 Space out your learning.  Taking short breaks increases consolidation (Goldstein, 2011).  Ex. Resting and thinking after reading ten pages.

 These strategies  Improve encoding  Increase retrieval cues  Increase consolidation  Decreases stress  Improve memory (Goldstein, 2011).  Your scores will certainly improve if you remember these tips.

 Goldstein, B. (2011). Cognitive psychology. Belmont, California: Wadsworth.