Question

why do I forget formulas as soon as I enter the exam?

Answer 1

Might be nervousness. You could try writing down any formulas you know as soon as you sit down.

Answer 2

do you ever give yourself a practice test? self quizing without notes and then correcting with notes is a very good way to learn.     It's probably nerves.    what types of formulas?

Answer 3

Repetition is the best, i used to write out the formula 10 times in a row and repeating the process until i could write it each of the 10 times without having to check it again

Answer 4

Quick question, when you study a formula, do you learn it as a series of symbols or steps, or do you aim to develop an intuition for what the formula is doing and how it works?

If you're just trying to memorize the formulas, it can be easy to forget steps or operations. When you develop an intuition for the formula, re-creating the notation to express it is trivial.

Answer 5

Likewise. Most exams I have done I forget everything when I start the exam. If I’m lucky formulae and facts will come back. If not… well I’ve done really badly in some exams I should have aced.

With me it’s exam stress. Manage that and the memory will come back. If it’s the same with you I’d recommend learning some breathing exercises to reduce stress. Yoga and meditation are both good pathways to learning this.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

If your exam allows use of scrap paper, write down all important formulae for that test immediately as the test starts from you prepared (short term) memory. Then you don't have to worry about remembering and you can focus on problem solving!

Answer 7

Understanding why the formula is the way it is or at least why its form makes sense helps with memorization.  It allows you to pull both from some memorization and some understanding.  Memorizing things without context is just hard.

Answer 8

Honestly I never memorize formulas. Trying to brute force it into your head is always gonna be a tough task. I recommend when you study to do problems without formulas in front of you and only check them when you have to. Doing this repeatedly without cheating will tell your brain this is something you need to remember, since you're consistently trying to recollect it.

If you do this already you might have some issues with test anxiety, or you're not doing it over a consistent basis. You'll remember things better if you study a bit every day instead of a lot two days before. You should be doing these to the point wheres it's mind numbing.

Answer 9

This work for me but may not works for you.

When you cram for your test, make sure you read and understand the theorem so that you can derive the formula yourself. all that jazz is just a way some dude put the concept together to simplify things for him, but you have to have the same understanding of the material to keep those formulas in your mind.

In short, understand rules so you can make your own formula on the go.

Answer 10

Set up some practice exams for yourself when you feel that you are prepared for an exam. Either use an old exam, or select a bunch of questions you felt were important. Remove all of your resources and try to solve those problems in an hour or two.

If you can do this in an empty class room, that’d be even better.

The idea is to put yourself in an exam situation before it actually happens. This will help you find gaps in your knowledge.