Ever wonder why most of the time you could remember faces better than names? That’s because there’s a part of our mind that lets us recall images better. And according to multiple intelligences proponent Howard Gardner, there’s and intelligence such as visual-spatial intelligence. Some studies have even shown that men are more visual than women. (Yeah, hence the contention why guys like porn while women prefer steamy novels).

Going back to faces over names, isn’t it common for us to remember people because of their unique physical features? Like “that man with the big nose” or “the girl with a freckled nose.” What you could do is to associate these features with parts of their names like “Freckled Fran.” Kind of rude kid’s play but they sure work. Just make sure you keep the mnemonics to yourself.

Here’s another one which is a pretty complex way I managed to recall details for exams.

One way I get to remember details was to re-write my notes on note cards.

1. I keep the related information on the same note cards.
2. I then annotate them with small pictures that I could associate with concepts.
3. Then, I number each card. During the exam, I try to remember what note card contains the general topic.
4. From there, I try to recall the details.

It kind of worked for me. It’s really a combination of chunking and imagery.