Memory Improvement Skills

Many computer certifications will require us to recall facts and figures at will. That this demonstrates an understanding and comprehension of the subject of the exam I’m still not sure, but it does certainly mean that there will be lots of information that you will have to memorise before taking the exam. How we all go about memorising that information will differ for just about every one of us however there are certain techniques that you can use to increase your ability to recall information at will. The topic of memory enhancement is a lengthy and varied one, and there are many theories and techniques offered by various experts. Like with most things however, it takes work and practice to be able to use these methods with any great degree of success, but the time put in, in my opinion, is worth the effort.

I’d like to introduce you to a couple of techniques that I like to use when trying to commit to memory a particular subject. This is merely an introduction to the world of memory enhancement, and there are plenty of books on the subject if you wish to study the topic further.

Mnemonics

You may have heard the phrase before. Basically a mnemonic is a memory aid, a way of assisting the memory to recall information. How you assist your brain to remember things can be done in a variety of ways, but the key to understanding mnemonics is to understand that when we learn something, or remember something, it’s normally a mix of a number of sensory stimuli that create the memory. For example, when you are introduced to someone for the first time, you’ll not only see them visually (and make judgmental observations), but you’ll also probably touch them as you shake hands, perhaps smell them (consciously or sub-consciously), as well as perhaps associating the meeting with other people, colours, a location, a particular time, or even a mood. When you recall that person, your mind will draw on all of those stimuli to bring back the memory of that person. So using mnemonics to help you remember things is really all about using the strengths of your mind and the associations you make.

Two methods that are easy to learn and I’ve found helpful are:

Word/Picture association:

I’ll use the IRQ table from the A+ exam objectives as an example here. This was one of the things that I committed to memory for the A+ exam. I can safely say that in the four years since, I’ve only ever had two occasions where I needed that info in a working environment, but I can still remember the associations I made back then. By using word or picture associations you form a mental image of the information that you wish to learn with a word or picture that you can associate it with. You can be as ludicrous with your associations as you wish – in fact, the more bizarre or silly the better as it will help to reinforce the association. Here are some examples that I used to help learn the IRQ table.

IRQ 5 = LPT2 – normally used for Soundcards
A ‘5’ looks like an ‘S’, ‘S’ is for ‘Soundcard’.

IRQ 8 = Real Time clock
The figure ‘8’ looks like an egg timer. An egg timer is a clock so to speak.

IRQ11 = Available.
Ever played Bingo? 11 is called out as ‘legs 11’. Nice pair of legs, is she available? (Don’t ask, it’s just the first thing that came into my mind!)

IRQ13 = Math co-processor.
The number 13 is considered unlucky for some, and math was unlucky for me at school.

Get the picture? Basically you want to try to associate the key information with images or words/phrases that mean something to you. Quite often the first thing, no matter how stupid that comes into your head is the easiest thing to recall.

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The Memory Workbook

Breakthrough techniques to improve your memory.

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