Memorising quotes for a closed book exam is daunting. I’m sure you have a book full of underlined quotes and the thought of remembering all of them is incredibly intimidating. It is difficult to know which are the most important and how to memorise all of them. Fortunately for most students, your English teacher with providing you with a key quote sheet but you are still responsible for learning them.
Here are five tips to help you memorise your quotes:
1) Focus On Main Characters and Themes.
You are more likely to be asked about the main characters and themes in your exam so it would be wise to focus on these topics. Try and find quotes that apply to multiple themes in the play or novel. By doing this you will cut down the number of quotes you need to learn because can use the quotes to answer multiple exam questions. Create some flashcards and study smart.
2) Memorise In Manageable Chunks.
Though it may be tempting, do not wait till the last minute to cram your quotes into your head. Memorisation is unlocked through repetition. Break the information down into small chunks by starting with 3-5 quotes a day. Do not be hasty with this practice; look at the quotes periodically throughout the day.
3) Colour Association.
Colour plays a massive role in enhancing our attention level. To the extent that colour is strategically used in advertising to hook us in and make us remember what is being shown. Using colour is a great way to memorise your quotes because it narrows down the pool of information in our brains. For instance, if you associate quotes about love with the colour pink your brain automatically narrows down the information which makes recalling information so much easier. So get your highlighter, gel pens, and posit notes out now!
4) Read, Cover, Write.
This age-old technique is still extremely effective. It is a beneficial way to test your recollection skills and with consistency will move information into your long term memory. Once the information is there you can access it whenever you want.
5) Past Papers.
Once you have memorised your quotes test yourself by completing past papers. Get yourself accustomed to recalling information from your memory and see whether the quotes you have memorised apply to different types of questions. This is the ultimate test!