Memorization Tricks
 

Some people have to different ways to remember things, so what are your methods?

Usually pointless, stupid stuff just sinks in and I will remember it forever (such as the lyrics for songs, or the script to certain games, movies, or shows) But usually the important stuff causes more problems for me to remember, so I usually try and memorize it using something stupid as a clue.

Such as when we were supposed to memorize fifty musical terms, I took them and chose a stupid little thing to remember each one by, and to this day I can still get a perfect score on the music terms quiz (we first learned them my freshmen year) Such as:
Legato-"Smooth and connected"- when you shave your legs they become smooth.
Allargando-"Louder and Slower"- Allegators are slow, and loud I guess? heh.
Morendo-"Dying away"- I remembered a fanfiction that I read about Maranda from FF6 and it had a lot of people dying.

Sadly, relating things to my other interests helps me learn as well. In my world history class we learn about "current events" and "today in history" kind of stuff, and the biggest thing I remember from every single one we've done is that the very first WWII flying ace was named Edward. (thank you FMA)

If stupid stuff doesn't work, I just have to beat it into my head until I do remember.

So how do you memorize?

Well, most notably is the OSI model I had to memorize in CISCO. There are 7 layers and they are
Application
Presentation
Session
Transport
Network
Data Link
Physical

So I did the little trick thing to were it all made
Anal
Penetration
Sex
Tears
New
Demonic
Portal

That is so much easier to remember.

The only way I can ever memorize things is to study them for about 20 minutes right before the test. It works every time. I don't know if this will only work for visual people or not.

I also seem to remember things better when I study right before I go to sleep.

I've also tried playing tapes while I sleep. The tapes worked but I accidentally had a song in the background and I woke up remembering the song.

I actually use your method. However I also use a variation when I have to memorize thing really fast, like for a quiz by associating the answers to things in the room I am in.

I have the same problem. I can remember the stupidest things (almost all of my characters names on WoW[I only play like 2]) but can't remember schoolwork nearly as well.

I make up a lot of words with each letter standing for something important to remember (like how people use HOMES to remember the great lakes). But for the most part I can remember lots of stupid junk without much effort.

Silly Kitty: I think sleep is when the brain focuses on creating memories, so that might have to do with it.

I can hardly control what I memorize. Some things I literally forget in three seconds, and some things have lasted since I was two or three years old.

Most information DOES get stored SOMEWHERE, so if I need to remember something but don't have similar context on hand, I'll pretend my head is a computer and run a 'search engine' on it and/or related things until I remember the whole thing. Usually works nicely, despite being completely and totally imaginary. :D

I find phone numbers are much easier to remember as keypad patterns.

That's about all I've got.

There is a lot of gravity to a theory known as situational memory.
Meaning, when you study something there are certian things that you introduce into the environment, i.e. tv sounds, music, soda, drugs, alchohol, nicotine, etc. Now these things give our brain a situational landscape. A trick that I use is to study with certian music, and then take the test listening to the same music. I have found that I will answer a question, and when a certian part of the song comes on, I will remember and change the answer.
Ever lose something when you were drunk and didnt find it until the next time you got drunk? It is an interesting theory and it works for me

A friend of mine makes up the weirdest things, but they work.

For instance; anyone familiar with Cramer's Rule? It's for solving systems of equations in Algebra. Now, the one reason I remember it as
(de-bf, af-ce)
(ad-bc, ad-bc)

is my friend's little ditty: Don't Eat Bad Fish After Farting Corner Emily for the top, and that the bottom sounded vaguely like AC-DC without ever actually making the proper letters. Of course, there are better ways to solve this, but that worked perfectly for my test, and that's what mattered.

I just make sure I understand it. If I read/hear something that I know I'll need, and I comprehend it, it becomes saved in my temporary memory until about an hour after it's used. I don't know how it works, but I don't want to mess with it, else it might go away.

Edit: SpacePope, I keep reminding myself to try that, and I keep forgetting. It really works for you? Cause I certainly want to try it.

And, Loyal, we suffer from the exact same condition. I've forgotten things that have been told to me within five seconds, yet I still remember a few memories from when I was two.