1. Quiz Yourself Daily
Studies have shown that the best way to remember the information you’ve read or studied is to test yourself. Why? It appears to be that the mere act of pulling information out of your brain and tucking it away again works like a sort of “body-building technique” for memories. Through a process called retrieval practice, it seems that information becomes sturdier and more implanted as we exercise it.

2. Reduce Your Cell Phone Use
It should come as no surprise that spending too much time on the cell phone can impact your grades. But the relationship between phones and grades is not simple; it’s not just a matter of time spent wisely (or not).

Studies show that there is a relationship between cell phone use, anxiety, and student performance. Increased time on the phone seems to be associated to increased feelings of anxiety, and that leads to lower student performance. Another relationship has been realized between increased time on cell phones and a decrease in physical activity. Students who spend more time on phones, in other words, tend to be less active which also causes a buildup of stress and anxiety.

In fact, science also indicates that students who take part in aerobic exercise benefit from better long term memory. It’s just a good policy to limit time on cell phones and increase physical activity. By reducing the anxiety in your life and getting in better physical shape, you’ll free up your brain to learn and retain.

3. Stop Trying to Memorize
Mnemonic devices are handy when you need to memorize a list of items that you wish to recall in the next day or two. Memorization is a skill that comes in handy for short term memory. But short term memory is only good if you’re cramming for a test and you don’t care about learning. For truly learning from the material that you cover in class, long term memory is the goal.

A recent study shows that memorization impairs your ability to recall details and that can be a problem if you’re taking a test with essay or multiple choice questions.

To commit information to your long term memory, you will need to venture beyond memorizing facts. You must strive to acquire a meaningful understanding of concepts beyond the words and names on your list of terms. This leads to true learning as opposed to short-term memorization. Long term memory comes from getting active with material and studying the same information several times over a few weeks.