One of the most challenging aspects of learning new material is that it often requires reading. In some cases, it may require extensive reading. Some college courses require multiple textbooks that need to be read and understood for examination purposes. Students often make the mistake, however, of trying to read quickly rather than efficiently. Waiting until just prior to an examination to read the textbook does very little for knowledge retention. Reading efficiently, however, can provide a solution to the problem of knowledge retention; it allows you to read both quickly and intelligently. Reading efficiently involves a number of different steps you can use to improve your retention of the material. You should always preview the entire book or publication you are reading, looking for the main idea in the opening paragraph and how the publication is structured. Then read it in its entirety, but do so by skimming the material and slowing down to pay attention to the main ideas. By slowing down occasionally, you call attention to that material and tell your mind that it is important to make note of it. Whenever possible, write down a few notes whenever you slow down so that you can go back and review them later.
Another well-known technique for learning large lists of material is through creating what are known as memory "peg lists." This approach, espoused by Kevin Trudeau in his "Mega Memory" book, suggests creatively visualizing various items on a list and "pegging" them to something familiar. This is similar to creating mnemonic devices where you remember the first letter of every item on a list by creating a sentence out of them. For instance, children are taught to remember the music notes E, G, B, D and F using the sentence: "Every good boy does fine." Mnemonic devices and peg lists create a way for you to recall information by connecting it to other items you see on a regular basis. The key is to be as elaborate as possible with your visualization.
Reading and studying in smaller blocks of time can be one of the most advantageous ways to learn. The mind tends to wander after a longer period of study time. Divide up your study sessions into blocks of 20 to 25 minutes and take short five- to 10-minute breaks before returning to the material. Also, you should plan to study over the long-term rather than trying to cram all of the information into your mind a day or two before you will need it. Spending 10 hours preparing for an exam over two weeks of time can be far more effective than studying 10 hours the day before. The day before an exam should be set aside to to review the material briefly.