MEMORIZE WORDS - TIPS

IF LEARNING and remembering hundreds of new words seems an overwhelming task, remember these seven memory tips that will help you build your vocabulary and boost your GRE Verbal Ability score:

Break up the task into bite-size pieces:
Don't try to learn hundreds of words in one session. You'll overload your mental circuits. Try tackling perhaps 20–30 words at a time. The words in my book are divided up this way to help you.

Take meaningful breaks between sessions:
Limit yourself to three or four sessions per day (20–30 words per session), depending on how much time you have to prepare for your exam. Take healthy breaks—at least a few hours—between study sessions.

Sleep on it:
Study a new batch of words just before bedtime. Your mind is more likely to retain information received just prior to sleep.

Vocalize as you learn:
Saying words aloud or hearing somebody else say them helps you to recall them later. Try reading sample sentences and definitions aloud as well.

Learn words in the context of a story or picture:
You remember new words more easily if you learn them in the context of a brief "story"—an interesting and instructive sentence or short paragraph. As well when you learn words related to a picture you tend to remember the word and the picture. This method of retaining words through pictures is called "Memory Mapping"

Incorporate new words into everyday conversation:
This may seem like hackneyed advice, but it's nevertheless good advice. Use new words as you converse with friends. Pause to explain what the word means, and ask your friends if they know any similar or contrary words. You're bound to discover even more testworthy words this way!

Review, review, review:
It's not enough to "learn" a word once. Unless you review it, the word will soon vanish from your memory banks.