Memory techniques that work, from self-testing to the memory palace

It's the night before a big test. Your notes are open, you've read them three times and the highlighter is nearly dry. It feels like hard work, yet a major review rated rereading and highlighting as low value for remembering [1].

Close the notes and try to recall what was on the page. That's retrieval practice, and together with spacing out your study it came top of the same review [1]. This guide covers the techniques with the best evidence, how to build a memory palace, chunking and the everyday habits that help memory stick.

Which memory techniques work best?

A 2013 review rated ten common study techniques on how well they help people learn and remember [1]. Later reviews have added to the picture for the memory palace [2].

Rereading and highlighting don't consistently improve results, so the review's authors suggest testing yourself instead [1].

What is retrieval practice?

Retrieval practice means bringing what you've learned back to mind, without looking. It works even when you do it silently and nobody tells you the answer, which suggests the act of recalling is what strengthens the memory [3].

A review of 222 classroom studies with over 48,000 students found that quizzing improved results compared with restudying and other methods [4]. Recalling an answer from scratch helped more than picking it from a list of options [5].

Start with this routine.

1. Read one section once.
2. Close the book or turn over the page.
3. Write or say everything you remember.
4. Check your notes and mark what you missed.

What is spaced repetition?

Spaced repetition means coming back to the same material over several sessions instead of cramming it into one. A review of 317 experiments found spaced study beat massed study. The best gap between sessions grew the longer people needed to remember the material [6].

So if you need something next week, review it over a few days. If you need it in a few months, leave longer gaps between reviews [6]. Put the next review in your calendar today.

How do you build a memory palace?

A memory palace, also called the method of loci, means picturing the things you want to remember at points along a route you know well [7]. Try it with a shopping list.

1. Pick a place you know well, such as your home.
2. Choose a route with clear stops, such as the front door, hallway, kitchen and stairs.
3. Turn each item into a vivid picture and leave it at one stop.
4. To recall the list, walk the route in your mind.

A 2025 review of 83 studies found the method gave a large boost to recalling a list in order, compared with repeating it, though most studies were small and at high risk of bias [2].

In one trial, 51 men with no memory training spent six weeks practising it, in 40 sessions of 30 minutes. Their recall of a 72-word list improved far more than in men who did other brain training or none, and the gain was still there four months later. Top memory athletes recalled about 71 of the 72 words [8].

The catch is sticking with it. In a three-year follow-up of older adults, only one person still used the method, and most had lost the benefit [2].

What is chunking?

Chunking means grouping single items into bigger, meaningful units. Young adults can hold only about three to five meaningful items in mind at once, so grouping helps you hold more [9]. That's why a phone number is easier to remember as three groups than as eleven separate digits.

What else helps memory?

Start with sleep. During deep sleep, recent memories are replayed and turned into long-term memory [10]. Our guide to deep sleep covers how to get more of it.

Keep moving. In a year-long trial of 120 older adults, aerobic exercise made the hippocampus, a brain area central to memory, larger, while it shrank in a stretching group. The exercise group's spatial memory improved too [11].

Older adults can benefit too. A review of 35 studies found memory-strategy training helped healthy older adults remember more than those who weren't trained, and no single strategy beat the others [12]. So pick one technique from this guide and try it tomorrow.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best memory technique?

Testing yourself and spacing out your study have the strongest evidence. A major review rated both as high value for learners of all ages [1].

How can I memorise something quickly?

For a list you need in order, a memory palace works well in studies. For anything you need to keep, test yourself and review it again over several days [2][6].

Does the memory palace work for everyone?

It works well in studies, but the gains fade if people stop using it. In a three-year follow-up, most older adults had stopped and lost the benefit [2].

How do memory champions remember so much?

Mostly through training. Ordinary people who practised the memory palace for six weeks improved a lot, and their brain networks shifted towards the pattern seen in memory athletes [8].

Do brain-training games improve memory?

They make you better at the games themselves. A review found little evidence that they improve other tasks or everyday thinking [13].

Can you improve your memory at any age?

Training helps later in life too. Memory-strategy training helped healthy older adults remember more than those who weren't trained, across 35 studies [12].

Read more about working on one task at a time in our Pomodoro technique guide.

References

Every source here is listed so you can read it yourself. This guide is for general information and doesn't replace advice from your GP. We check it again at least every six months.

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2. Ondřej J (2025). The method of loci in the context of psychological research: A systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Psychology 116(4): 930-986. PMID 40457944
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10. Ishii T, Taweesedt PT, Chick CF, O'Hara R, Kawai M (2024). From macro to micro: slow-wave sleep and its pivotal health implications. Frontiers in Sleep 3: 1322995. PMID 41424515
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