My Top Tips for getting an A* in Biology
Hello,
Today I'm going to be sharing some of my best tips which helped me to conceptualize and memorize the mountain of facts in biology. (Scroll to the bottom for the Youtube video on this post)
1. Understand - okay so first of all you need to understand the material! If you don't understand it, it's going to be harder to memorize. When I first started learning about the Kidneys and the Loop of Henle I got really confused and I tried to learn it off by heart but that really didn't work. Once I (finally) understood what was going on, memorizing became so much easier because I could clearly 'picture' what was happening in my mind.
Don't be scared to ask a teacher for help, or ya know, there's google and YouTube!
2. Read over your notes periodically!
Okay so I never used to do this..whoops. Guys you really should read over your notes so that you don't forget previous chapters. Right now I'm learning all about heredity and I've probably forgotten all the facts I need to know for respiration. So tonight I'm going to have a quick read through my respiration notes to refresh my memory.
This way, when exam time comes you won't frantically be trying to remember facts that are long forgotten. And if you're like me and you haven't glanced over your old notes in decades...don't worry! It's not too late! Start now and try to just relaxingly read through them, and if you didn't make notes then read the chapter in the textbook to refresh your memory.
Right now it's all about keeping the facts fresh in your mind and storing them in your long term memory. You don't have to memorize each and every detail at this point, simply read through your notes.
3. Summarize and Summarize
This is vital to biology, simple because there is just so much material to learn.
So make some notes, and if you're not happy with them( like me, I'm a perfectionist) then redo them. The act of making the notes is in itself very important. You will take in a lot of information simply from writing your notes. (This has been proven!)
Once you have some decent notes, try to pinpoint the main ideas and summarize further. Then once you know certain facts really well - like off by heart, make new notes and leave out the stuff you know off by heart and just write down the crucial mainpoints, and when you're reading through these notes your brain then has to fill in the gaps of information that aren't on your notes. It's a good way to actively learn!
Comment your favorite ways to learn! Hopefully we can all help eachother :)
Part 2 coming soon ;)
Btw this was written before I got my A-level result for Biology, so I guess my own advice worked for me haha
Here's the corresponding Youtube video :)