By: Alex Yang

In the late 19th century, Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist, tested his memory over various periods of time. What he discovered was that memory decays over time, something he called the forgetting curve. When you first learn something, the memory is fresh in your mind, but the more time passes, the more of it you forget.

Studies show by day 2, if you have done nothing with the information you learned, you can forget over 50 percent it, moving the curve down. But the shape of this curve can be changed! By practicing what you learn, you can expose your brain to the same information repeatedly, allowing you to more strongly remember it. Therefore, reviewing information helps you retain it.

Reviewing is not the only way to flatten the curve, though. Another great way to make sure the information is easy to remember is to guarantee it’s easy to learn. And the most effective method is to preview knowledge before you learn it in class or in a lecture. By doing this, your curve does not start at zero, then launch to 100 when you first learn it, and you spend less effort than trying to take it in for the first time.

Furthermore, making what you learn relevant and engaging is a great way to learn and remember. The human brain is selective and has a limited capacity, which naturally accelerates the forgetting curve. So, when learning, you should make sure what you learn is relevant to you, giving that information more priority to be remembered by your brain.

A new Harvard study shows techniques designed to get students to participate in the learning process produces better educational outcomes. The authors found that students felt as if they learned more from the lectures, but in fact scored higher following the active learning sessions.

In conclusion, the forgetting curve is a variable that makes it hard to remember knowledge and perform well on tests. But there are many ways to help this common problem, some being reviewing information, previewing information, and making learning relevant and engaging to you. By applying these strategies to your learning, you can greatly improve your efficiency and ability to remember what want to remember.