Record recollection

If you have ever felt unusually lucky, think of Simonides of Ceos. The ancient Greek lyric poet was called out of a sumptuous feast to see two visitors who were asking for him outside. The second he left the hall, legend goes, it collapsed, killing everyone inside.

Simonides had to identify the guests who had been killed, although after the impact many of the bodies were damaged beyond recognition. He designed a method of memorisation based on visualising the guests' locations at the table, which allowed him to recall accurately who had been in attendance.

This method, called loci after the Latin word for "positions", became the first ever Art of Memory to be taught. But it is not an antiquated technique: nowadays, memory champions like Italy's Andrea Muzii still use it to learn up to 100,000 digits of Pi.

But we certainly know more about the science of memory nowadays. Psychologists and neuroscientists say there are many different types.

We have short-term memories, which only last from seconds to hours, and long-term memories that last for years. We also have a working memory, which is the memory we create by repeating something over and over again so that it stays in our minds for a limited time. An example would be repeating a one-time code under your breath to type it into your phone.

Furthermore, we have "declarative memory", which is made up of conscious experiences and facts like the capital of Spain or the date of your sister's birthday, and "nondeclarative memory", which is how your body remembers skills like playing the piano or swimming.

We are learning new and fascinating things about the brain every day. Scientists have recently found that our brains can store the equivalent of 2.5 petabytes of information (the equivalent of three million hours of TV) and that half of the brain's mass could be removed without significantly impacting memory.

And now, a new book by neurologist Andrew Budson and neuroscientist Elizabeth Kensinger uses this science to give us helpful tips on how to manage our memory for the best results.

Their first tip is to see memory as an "active and effortful process". They argue that memory does not just sit in the brain latently, but has to be continually refreshed and rebuilt.

Budson and Kensinger also say that you should not beat yourself up if you forget certain facts or ideas. They describe the process of forgetting as like "pruning" - if you had to remember everything that had ever happened to you every time you made a decision, it would be inefficient. Forgetting is part of a healthy brain.

And, for industrious students like yourselves, they have a helpful mnemonic device to memorise information: FOUR. The letters stand for Focus, Organise, Understand and Relate. You should first focus your attention on the information, then organise it neatly in your brain, then try to understand it, then relate it to things your brain is already familiar with.

The writers also remind readers of the importance of self-care in maintaining a healthy memory: namely, sleep eight hours a night, keep well-being high, and revise at intervals rather than cramming.¹

Yes: These are very helpful tips from professionals who know a lot about the brain. How could they not be helpful for exam revision? And some of them are anecdotally obviously true - everyone has experienced staying up all night cramming for an exam only to flunk it out of tiredness.

No: Everyone's brain works differently and these tips are very one-size-fits-all. If you want to get better at revising, you need to devise your own strategy that works for you.

Or... The tips are useful, but they are not enough on their own. You also need to have a comprehensive revision strategy focusing on your strengths, e.g. whether you are better at visual or audio learning.