Q&A for How to Memorize History Lessons

Make sure you are well rested. It will be difficult to concentrate and absorb what you are studying if you are sleep-deprived. Once you have started studying, keep phones, computers, and other distractions away from you. Have a 5-10 minute break every hour to keep your mind fresh. To motivate yourself, you can also set yourself a reward for getting through a long study session.

Break up the answer into many smaller pieces and learn them one at a time in the same order. Reading or writing the answer once or twice every day will also help you remember for a long period of time.

The specific time of day doesn't matter, although some people feel more alert in the morning. However, you should try to start memorizing information for a test or exam several weeks in advance. That way you don't have to cram in a bunch of studying at the last minute.

Make summaries of it and reread these often. Using your own words and conceptualization of the chapters will help you to remember it best.

Go over the material many times. Write down or tell a friend what you plan to write and make sure you have a clear understanding of the essay topic.

Take breaks. Every 30 minutes or so, take 5 minutes to jump up and down, run a lap around the house, or eat a healthy snack.

If you have a timeline ready, keep going through it every 15 minutes while studying long Q/A. The timeline should be brief, and have all the facts.

In bold letters, write down the important dates along with the events in chronological order, and stick that page in a place where you will definitely see it every day, like on your mirror. Go through it every day, and within a week you will have it memorized. You could also record the dates in your voice on your phone, in the form of a list, and listen to this recording every day.

Yes. These methods work anywhere. They are not location-specific.

Find ways to make History a little bit more interesting by incorporating elements that you like. For example, if you are interested in drawing, you can draw pictures of historical events or create a cool timeline or important dates. Another way is to relate the historical events to your own life. Think about how different things would be for you if historical events never happened. Come up with fun little stories - what if America never won the Revolutionary War, for example?

Make flashcards and review them daily.

Keywords or key phrases are usually the names of events, places or any other important point. If you have a long section on the French revolution, for example, then keywords would be "March to Versailles", "Fall of the Bastille", "Tennis Court Oath", etc. A keyword is often used as a trigger to remember long sections. You put the keyword on the front of a flashcard, e.g., Tennis Court Oath, and on the back you talk in detail about what that word/phrase references.

Memorize your locations by shapes. For example, Italy can be recognized since it is in the shape of a boot. Learn the main cities first before focusing on the surrounding, smaller cities. Create acronyms to help you learn the names of locations. Listen to the world song by Yakko Warner to help you remember countries.

You could come up with some kind of code word or funny phrase to link a particular kingdom to its name. Those associations might make it easier for you to remember the names along with the particular kingdoms or dynasties. You could also make flashcards and practice with them regularly; repetition is great for memorization.

Make sure that you have at least a few hours. Highlight all the important information with your highlighter or your pencil. Then, write it down in your notebook, quiz yourself and repeat the procedure until you feel ready.

You can write a name or date on the front of an index card and some historical facts about the person or date on the back.

Treat the questions with the highest point values as the most important. If all of the questions are worth the same number of points, then all of them are equally important.

Read them over and over again until you remember them.

Read over your notes every day. Go over the chapter(s) and focus on the main ideas and important names, dates, and events. Ask your teacher if you have any questions. Consider forming a study group with your classmates to go over the material and quiz each other.

Try to keep revising after each lesson so the facts and teacher's analysis stay in your head at the time you first learn them. Set a schedule for revising regularly and stick to it. By the time you reach revision studies, you'll be able to revise quickly and with ease.

Yes, many of the techniques apply to any subject.