The Linking Method - Memory Techniques for Exams

Another mnemonic memory technique that can be used is the Linking method.

This is a form of imagination and association combined to help remember lists of items or objects. It is less effective for abstract concepts such as theories, but can be used for these with a little extra work.

The technique works by creating a story that links all the items in the list together in a creative way. Just like the other methods, the links don’t need to make much sense, and strange or funny links can work best.

An example of the list can be created using the following items: cat, hat, flower, house and bag. This is where your imagination comes into play as it can work on creating some interesting and innovative connections or links. Each mental picture you create must have two objects in them with the first being the one you need to remember and the next being the link to the next mental picture that you need to create.

Let’s start with the cat. Most people are familiar with the story of the cat in the hat so you could start by visualising a very funny cat that’s bright blue, standing upright and wearing a bright red hat. This cat also has a flower sticking out from his hat. This flower came from the house that the cat in the hat visited to see his friend. While at this house, he found the flower and collected it in a bag to take with him from the house and from which he later took the flower out and put it in his hat. He then became the cat in the hat with a flower that came from the house where he got the bag that held this flower. At the end, you realise that you have formed a chain of mental images to help you remember each item

To apply this to more complex things such as academic theories, you will need to use the association technique discussed previously in order to create an item associated with the different complex concepts. You can then use these items to create the links and the story that supports it.

This method is similar to the journey method.