Ways to Retain More Information

5/18/2017

SpeedyPrep is your source for CLEP study guides, helping you learn effectively and earn college credit in a way that’s easy and fun! We’re passionate about giving you all the CLEP prep materials you need to succeed.

However, there’s only so much we can do to help you pass your CLEP exam. It’s up to you to put in the hard work to learn the course material and prepare properly for your test. Luckily, with some of our tips, test preparation is easier than ever.

In this blog, SpeedyPrep will give you a few tips that can accelerate and improve your learning permanence during study sessions, and help you get back on track when studying isn’t going as smoothly as you’d like.

Write down the facts.

Writing? By hand? Without a computer? While it might have been awhile since you literally put a pen to paper, writing down your study material takes kinetic energy and a great deal of time, helping to achieve learning permanence faster. Plus, you’ll have excellent, handwritten notes to pull off of until your CLEP test rolls around!

Move around.

For decades, educational institutions from preschool to grad school forced students into the belief that learning is done while sitting still and being quiet—but this isn’t necessarily the best way for some people to absorb information and achieve learning permanence. Try standing up or moving around while going through your CLEP study guides or course material—you can make kinetic associations to go along with your cognitive associations, and the added movement (and blood flow to your brain) will help your body process information faster and easier.

Even if you’re more of a stationary learner, it’s important to take breaks throughout your study sessions to increase blood flow in your body, and to give your mind a break before you dive into more material. Otherwise, you’ll end up taking a nap with your study materials as your pillow.

Study out loud.

Actors and thespians love to read their lines out loud any and every chance they get—and while it’s a great way to improve their acting abilities and vocal delivery, it’s also essential for memorizing their material (learning permanence).

While you don’t have to read your CLEP US History 1 notes like you’re Sir Ian McKellen, reading your notes aloud helps you understand and process them in writing and aurally, doubling your potential for learning permanence. If this isn’t your style, have a friend or classmate recite your notes to you—just another way to solidify the course material in your head.

Quiz yourself.

There’s no better way to figure out what you know than by figuring out what you don’t. Quizzing yourself with a CLEP practice test (or even some simple flash cards) can help you point out some flaws in your understanding of your CLEP topic, and will give you more associations to build off of as you head toward test time.

Quizzes are like simulations for the real deal. The more pressure you put yourself under while learning course material, the more likely you are to remember. This might be the best way to evaluate and predict your CLEP test results, so let SpeedyPrep help you quiz away!

Take a nap.

Not making much progress during your study session? Turn your brain off for a bit, and take a small siesta to recharge your brain. If you’re stressing out over a particular portion of your material, taking a nap break will help you disengage from the material—and more often than not, will help you analyze the material more clearly when you wake up. Sometimes, all you need is a little break to get yourself back on track. Whether it’s in the form of a nap, a walk around the block, a snack, or a beer with a friend, a break could give you a steadier mind to help you push through your study material and achieve learning permanence.

Reward yourself for hard work.

You’ve been in CLEP prep mode for weeks—and because of all your hard work, you deserve to treat yourself to keep your momentum going! Whether it’s in the form of a delicious dessert, a few beers with friends (keep in mind, hangovers do not help build study momentum or learning permanence), a day off, or just a few moments to take care of other business in your life, rewarding and celebrating your hard work is crucial to your success. When your CLEP exam is over, and you got a great score thanks to SpeedyPrep, that’s cause for celebration, too!

Study before you go to sleep.

There’s not much scientific evidence to back it up, but some scientists believe that studying a few key points right before bed will help with learning permanence because the brain solidifies memories and ideas during the first stages of sleep. Take our advice, and sit at a desk to perform your pre-sleep studying. We wouldn’t want you to smush your study materials by rolling on top of them for seven or eight hours.

Choose SpeedyPrep!

Sometimes, all you need for successful studying and learning permanence is a professionally-crafted study solution that makes learning easy and fun. That’s what SpeedyPrep is all about! Our CLEP study guide materials will help you learn basic course concepts, evaluate your knowledge, and get you prepared (and psyched) for passing your CLEP exam! With our 100% pass guarantee, you’ll pass your CLEP exam, or your money back. That’s how confident we are in our CLEP study materials.

Plus, by using SpeedyPrep and taking CLEP exams, you can save thousands of dollars and semesters worth of school. That’s time, money, and energy saved—all because we make CLEP test prep easier and better. Try it out for yourself today!