[Tips] Remembering Names and Dates in History & Current

Hi friend, I saw discussion on memorizing facts and figures...and found very useful to discuss, since civil service at the starting level only deals with these things...

while attempting GS, in the starting attempts, we try to load ourselves with much facts and figures so that all mix-up ending in disaster!!!

But I want to share some things with you.

1. Whatever you forgot, is only because you just took your 100% concentration from that word/phrase/sentence.

2. Forgetting becomes much when we can realize what we are reading, is reading inducing some sort of understanding or just we go on getting words and their meanings.

3. Forgetting specially facts and figures means, we not read analytically. Specially coming to History part, which should be read chronologically?

4. Forgetting facts really, means you not hit the fact so that many themes come out of it. Suppose I say, 'Hitler is responsible for India getting freedom' seems something unusual...but if you go through it. You understand it completely and never forget it.

“Because of Hitler we had 2nd world war. Due to war, Brittan's power weakened and it couldn’t overstretch its resources in far flung areas to maintain its colonies. Because of war, England had a change of power and labour party came to power. Because of war we got independence. So in effect, because of Hitler we got independence.”

5. Forgetting facts means we never took them into our mental conversation with our self, as one friend said, we need to talk to one regarding that person or that figure, and feel our self as explaining that forgettable name, figures to someone. While explaining to others we get much ideas and clues, how to remember it.

6. Most imp thing is linking everything. Every subject got its inter-links, moreover we need to remember so much facts that after passing prelims those stuff need to throw away. But we have to read and remember, so we need to remember them, so we need to link them somehow. I followed this step and remember much facts which i read in May month of 2009 (actually that was the dangerous time to read these kind of things)

For Ex: Einstein was born in Germany. To remember it I saw somewhere they tell a student that you see his hairs, there are so many germs in that. So he was linked with Germany, funny but these kinds of things to be followed.

7. Timeline: is the god, which helps you to solve your problem regarding remembering facts..., post a large empty paper in your reading room. Write timeline and fill them when you saw/read new facts and figures. Many factories, development programmes are crowded near 1947-50 since India just planning to wake up from the British rule and much infrastructural things started from there.

8. Names: Every time I followed linking technique to work on this. Many times you have to make a joke of that name so that you can remember how you laughed at his awkward name (if it difficult to spell/pronounce). Many time only the persons who did remarkable thing were asked in any Prelims questions...every question enters there after lot of discussion. So he must be a great person in that field, only we didn’t know him. Many things are there, it depends on how you work on yourself, with your own technique to remember them, now I didn’t get dishearten when I need to remember much facts. I work them in different way.

Enjoy reading !!!