By Ryon Boswell/ reporter

People often find themselves struggling to remember things in the most critical of moments, a SE psychology professor said April 12. 

This is incredibly noticeable in college and high school students when they take exams, Vince Lembo said in a study strategies presentation. This has much more to do with study strategies than it does with an individual’s mind, though.

Lembo has put together a set of study techniques to help college students succeed, addressing issues students encounter when studying for exams.

Students should not read anything before an exam, he advised.

“Reading is a skill, not a study strategy,” he said.

It does not matter how many times students read something because “reading something is not knowing something,” Lembo said.

Lembo encourages students to use techniques, practice elaboration and retrieval strategies, use flash cards and study with other students. These techniques have proved to be much more effective in helping students recall and retain information.

Elaboration, for example, helps students effectively store information by increasing links between new and previously learned information. This technique helps organize information, making it more meaningful, which improves retrieval, Lembo said. The use of acronyms and rhymes also helps students retrieve information.

Some of the most effective study techniques are using flash cards and having study partners. These activities take the learner from a passive to an active position as they recall information using context clues, Lembo said. These techniques work well because the brain’s ability to recall information is rooted in the learning process. The technique also strips away the unnecessary information and allows students to focus on the answers.

While all of these techniques are great for helping students recall information, it does them no good if they do not practice them. Likewise, these techniques are meaningless when students are not taking care of their bodies and minds, as sleep is the key to a healthy brain, Lembo said.