Memory techniques that work

The best-supported memory techniques are simple: test yourself, spread your review over days, and link new facts to things you already know. Here is how to use each one, and where memory tricks like the memory palace fit in.

From Super Learning Music, publisher of the album High Performance Superlearning & Relaxation Music · Updated October 2026

1. Test yourself

Recalling information strengthens memory far more than reading it again. This is called the testing effect.

• After a study block, close your notes and write down everything you remember.
• Turn headings into questions and answer them without looking.
• Use flashcards, and say the answer before you flip the card.

2. Space your review

Studying the same material in several short sessions spread over days beats one long session, even when the total time is the same.

• Review new material the next day, then after about 3 days, then after a week.
• Flashcard apps with spaced repetition schedule this for you.
• Start revising for exams weeks ahead, not the night before.

3. Build a memory palace

The method of loci, or memory palace, dates back to ancient Greece. You picture a familiar place, such as your home, and "place" each item you want to remember at a spot along a route through it. To recall the list, you walk the route in your mind.

It works well for ordered lists, speeches and sequences. In a 2017 study published in Neuron, people with no memory training practised the method for six weeks and more than doubled the number of words they could recall.

1. Pick a route you know well with 10 or more stops.
2. Turn each item into a vivid, odd image.
3. Place one image at each stop.
4. Walk the route in your mind to recall the items in order.

4. Make it meaningful

• Explain it. Ask yourself why a fact is true, and how it connects to what you already know.
• Use your own words. Summarise a page as if teaching a friend.
• Mix topics. Switching between related problem types during practice helps you learn when to use each method.

5. Look after the basics

• Sleep: memories are consolidated during sleep, so late-night cramming works against you.
• Attention: you cannot remember what you never noticed. Remove distractions while you study.
• Calm: a steady routine, a quiet space, and slow instrumental music can help you settle into focused work.

What does not work well

Rereading, highlighting and summarising were all rated low in the 2013 review. They feel productive because the material starts to look familiar, but familiarity is not the same as being able to recall it.

Sources

Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J. & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1). · Dresler, M. et al. (2017). Mnemonic training reshapes brain networks to support superior memory. Neuron, 93(5).