Difficulty with Memorization for Exams

As I mentioned, I'm primarily using rereading and highlighting. I also try to make flashcards for biology terms and definitions. Sometimes, I'll try to explain a concept out loud to myself, but it often feels like I'm just reciting from memory rather than truly understanding and articulating it. I haven't really explored any other techniques beyond these basic ones.

For history, I'm probably dedicating about 4-5 hours per week. For biology, it's a bit more, maybe 6-7 hours per week, because there are so many terms and diagrams to learn. This feels like a lot, but I'm still not seeing the results I want.

Absolutely. The closer the exams get, the more stressed and anxious I become. I find myself constantly worrying about forgetting everything I've tried to cram in. This anxiety makes it even harder to focus and retain information, creating a vicious cycle. I often have trouble sleeping the night before a study session because my mind is racing with all the things I need to remember.

That's a good question. I think I understand the general narrative of historical events, like the causes and consequences of wars, but when it comes to specific dates, treaties, or the names of minor figures involved, it feels like I'm just memorizing them without truly grasping their significance in the bigger picture. For biology, I can often follow the steps of a process, but remembering the exact names of enzymes or the precise molecular structures feels like rote memorization without a deep understanding of *why* they are important or how they interact.

Right now, I'm mostly just rereading my textbook chapters and highlighting key dates, names, and definitions. I also have a separate notebook where I'm trying to write down lists of these facts, but it's just a long, unorganized dump of information. For biology, I'm trying to make flashcards for terms and processes, but I'm not sure if I'm making them effectively.