1. Learning in time is better than learning just before the exam.
It is scientifically proven that the human brain deletes 36% of the stored information every day. Some key memories fade away harder - but that also means that information that the brain considers useless is deleted a lot faster. Most things you learn in school/college is considered to be useless by our brains, and therefore are subject to speedy deletion. For example, if you start learning a week earlier than the exam, by the time you are sitting with the test papers in your hand, you already have forgotten 95.5% of what you learned on the first day. On the other hand, if you try to learn everything the day before the test, you will still remember 64% of what you learned yesterday.
2. Being well-rested helps you retain information better.
Studies have shown that sleeping increases the level of the asinus magnus hormone, which in turn decreases the portion of the brain one uses. It is a well known fact that Albert Einstein only slept 2.4 hours/day and thus managed to use up to 50% of his brain (an average person only uses 10%). The only reason why you feel that you learn harder when tired is the sheer rate of information absorption you achieve, therefore it is important that you sleep as little as possible in the weeks before your exams.
3. Talking with others (or doing anything else) reduces learning efficiency.
Did you notice how quickly it becomes tiresome to learn in a library or a silent room? It is because the lack of stimuli. We have developed a great capacity, and also a great need to notice many things in the same time to avoid the dangers and quickly exploit the opportunities in our surroundings. Focusing on only one thing is very tiresome for our minds, and wears us out quickly. Talking to someone while studying greatly increases efficiency exactly for this reason - it gives our brain an opportunity to relax. So even if apparently conversation makes you unable to learn, in fact you will notice after a while that a talking partner will, passively, make studying a lot easier for you. The same thing applies to surfing the net, playing or watching TV while learning.
4. Loud music hinders learning efforts.
We often hear that one should listen to quiet music during studying hours. In fact, the opposite is true! Why? Our surroundings are filled with tiny noises, such as the rain outside, or someone walking next to our door. Now, in the third point we have proven that some distraction enhances learning, however having to focus in too many directions has a bad effect on learning. If we listen to really loud music, it masks all the other sounds, so our brain only has to process one type of sound. So turn the volume up, darlings!
That's all for today. I wish you successful learning, come back any time for more advice!
Dr. Eckstein Filip,
Learning Expert
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