Advanced Application of The Ancient Roman Memory Method

Study Once And Never Forget

Introduction

Everyone wants a shortcut to long term memory. Having a great memory is indeed a great skill, which comes in handy at work, during the study, exams, and the list goes on. People are always the envy of people who has a great memory. But it’s nothing to be jealous of. This article will reveal all the shortcut methods of ancient Roman, which will help you to develop your memory for a longer duration. My favorite tip is number 8, the memory method in the 8^th tip makes it easier for me to excel my examination with flying colors.

1 Method of Loci

It is one of a method of memory improvement, which can be achieved by imagining the image using the spatial memory, which helps to gather the required information of the ones surrounding. As mentioned by Cicero, the method of Loci was created by a poet Simonides of Ceos, who was the sole person saved from a building that collapsed during one dinner Simonides was attending.

Simonides identified the dead bodies, which were severely damaged by recalling the exact location the guests were sitting. This experience made the poet realize that this technique can be used to remember anything easily by creating an imaginary image in the mind. The Greeks and Romans often used this memory technique.

Method of Loci is also known as Mnemonic Device as it creates a visual picture and imprints it in the memory. This technique is also known as superior memorizers as this engages the regions of the brain, which is associated with spatial recognition.

You can use this method to apply for your CAMS examination. This advance professional examination is taken to stop financial crimes. To prepare for the examination you can remember the diagrams and imprint it in your memory. Keep on re-reading the diagrams and imprint it in your memory. By visual imagination, it will be a piece of cake for you to pass the examination with flying colors.

2 Fictional portrayals

It is one of the methods of loci from ancient Greek mythology. Even in one of the renowned TV series in BBC Sherlock, the lead character uses the method of loci technique to resolve all the mysteries. Therefore, by memorizing everything as an image and keeping count of it and revisiting the scenario repeatedly will help you to create photographic-like a memory for a longer duration.

3 Building a Memory Palace

Building a memory palace means you are going to build an image in your imagination where you will be able to keep the mnemonic pictures. A most familiar type of memory palace can be created by exploring the location and remember every little required detail and keep visiting the same place over and over again at the same order to imprint it into memory. Loci is a Latin word for location.

To create a memory palace in your mind, follow the below steps;
• Choose a location that you are familiar with
• Design the whole path
• Write down all the things that you want to remember
• Take each item and note it down in the location that it is supposed to be in your memory
• Use your senses to imprint the mnemonic images in your memory

You can use the memory palace technique to prepare for your CAMS examination. Let’s say you want to memorize the three stages of the money laundering cycle. At first draw a mindmap to figure out what you have to memorize. List down the things that you have to remember, tie each item with an image to memorize the terms for the examination. Use your senses to imprint the images into your memory. This will help you to excel in your examination.

4 Say it aloud that you are trying to memorize

While memorizing anything reading it out loud helps a lot as this helps to imprint it in your memory for a longer period of time. A recent research study has found out that the dual effect of reading and listening to yourself has a greater effect in your memory for a long period that especially the students are looking for to excel in their examination.

In one of the recent researches which were held among 95 students in a college to make them memorize as many words from a list of 160 nouns. One group read the words and memorized it silently, while the other group read the list aloud and tried to memorize it. The students who read out loud remembered more words than the group of students who tried to memorize it silently.

5 Make your own mnemonics

It is a technique that is used to remember things for a longer period of time. A mnemonic can be of any type such as sound, song, sentence or anything that helps you to remember the thing that you are trying to memorize.

Below I have shared some samples of mnemonics;

• Sentence Mnemonics: You can create any types of sentences that help you to remember the things that you are trying to remember. Such as to remember the name of the planets in the solar system just make a sentence like My Very Educated Mom Just Served Us Nine Pizzas
• Mnemonics in Tune: It is really easy to memorize things when they are in tune, for example, the ABC song everyone remembers the alphabets easily when they can sing or listen to in a tune
• Mnemonics in Verse: When you can read something in verses, it easy to remember as the things that are similar are categorized together.
• Peg System: The things that you are trying to memorize, memorize it by using the peg. To memorize anything rhyming it with a word and use the peg as the image. For example, to memorize the grocery list for yourself, create an order like one egg, two banana, three tea and so on. By numbering and picturing it makes it easier to remember things for a longer period of time

6 Tie each subject to a smell

The things that you are trying to remember, by tying it up to a fragrance makes it much easier to remember. Add some fragrance in your studies; it will help you to remember the materials for a longer period.

Use of uncommon fragrance can assist you to store it in your memory for a longer period. You can use floral, fruity or any scented wood fragrance. In recent research, 2 people were selected both with no experience on this subject. The one who tried to remember things by using fragrance found it easier to recall the memories than the other person who used no fragrance to remember things.

This method of fragrance is known as retroactive interference, which means tying up your memory with the fragrance. Mostly for people, who recalled their childhood memory are mostly intertwined with certain fragrances.

7 Remember More with breaking it down to pieces

It is easier to remember things when you break it into small pieces. There are three ways to break the information into small pieces. They are
• Grouping: Group similar things into the same category and memorize it accordingly. This will help you to recall things easily.
• Patterns: Find similar pattern among the information that you are trying to remember. The master chess players remember the chess strategies due to their incredible photographic memory which they achieved by remembering the similar patterns of the images together.
• Organizing: Organize the information by sorting them into several categories based on their similarity.
Now you know how to chunk up the information, your next query might be how you will know which portion of information needs to broke down. The tips are given below
• At first, try to understand what you will achieve by learning the topics that you are trying to learn. You need to chunk up the information and make sure you do not have repetitive things to learn this will save you time and memory.
• Break it down into chunks from the information that you have learned. As it makes it more efficient for you to remember and recall it easily.
• Avoid multitasking, focus on a single thing only at a time. This will help you to remember the things that you are trying to remember for a longer period.
• Make sure that you have enough time to practice. As practice makes everyone perfect. If you do not keep enough time to practice you would not be able to remember it for a longer period as you expected it to.

8 Make New Connections That Are Visual

When you try to remember anything visually, it has a greater impact rather than trying to remember it by just reading it. It is easier to remember text rather than trying to remember names and numbers. As abstruse things are hard to remember. The tricks to remember things visually is given below

Try to remember names by pictures. By turning abstract things into pictures, it is easier to remember things for a longer period of time. To remember a person, you can use the memory place technique by imagining a picture of anything that makes it easier to remember the name of anything that you are trying to remember it for a longer period of time.
Make the image animated. The more moves you will add to the image the easier it is for you to remember abstract things as your brain will create a stronger connection with that image to store it for a longer period.
Try your best to use most of your senses as it will help your neurons to create a stronger connection to have memory for a longer period of time. Let us assume you are trying to remember the name of a person, draw the whole scenario in your brain. Try to remember every detail like the food who had or the place you have, what the person was wearing that day. All these little details will help you to remember it for a longer period of time.

9 Contemporary memory

People always look for a shortcut for long-term memory. Contemporary memory is used to store something in your memory for the long term. Contemporary is also known as redintegration, which means to retrieve the whole memory by just a part of the memory. Therefore, to memorize anything at whole just memorize the gist of it and this will help you to retrieve the whole memory.

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed the advanced application of the ancient Roman memory method for enhancement in your memory. From the method of loci, building a memory palace, reading aloud to memorize, use of mnemonics, attaching a memory to smell, chunking down the materials, remembering the things visually, fictional portrayals and contemporary memory are the several methods that can be used for building memory for a longer period.

I hope this article has motivated to enhance your memory in the study. Do not forget to share your feedback or any queries regarding this article, we are here to listen.

Hannah V. Rucker

Hannah used to work in the AML field in a financial organization. She's now an agent in CAMS EXAM in examination team. Consolidating and reviewing CAMS EXAM questions bank and study materials.