Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ PhotoReading, Memory Optimizer still not convinced

I wrote a few days ago and here I am again...I'm almost done with tape 3 and still not convinced. I am a medical student and we have to memorize info from outlines-not books. So, will this even work for me? Also, I have a hard time believing that with all this PR stuff, I will actually learn anything-just knowing the "main ideas" does not get me very far. I guess to put it another way, my purpose in reading is (necessarily) to memorize as much as possible-which I still find impossible. Spring break is almost over and I need to be convinced BEFORE my next week of exams next month(ie, I am not about to experiment with this during test week! My grades will just get worse if it doesn't work!).Can anyone help me out?

I understand the skepticism, but keep at it. I am working on light material and technical material at the same time. I was skeptical and hesitant to even try it on the technical stuff. So I divided my photoreading like this: five books a day on the light stuff and five books on the tech stuff. Then I determined that I did not want to fail, so I only activated the light stuff and it worked. Now I am out of excuses and light reading books. When I mean light reading I mean consulting and marketing books, negotiating books and stuff like that. the technical material is Linux operating system, Cisco router stuff and other computer things. What I am going to do is follow Pete's suggestion and nail down few chapters at a time rather than the whole texts. I will photoread them all, but just activate portions of them

Now in regards to outlines - I kind of find it different for you, a medical student, since you are basically following the same principles as activating - even if you do not realize it.

As a medical student I know you are attributing many ACRONYMS in your studies. I know this because I attended the Special Warfare college in Ft. Bragg - studying communications - and many of my collegaues were on the medical side and basically learn as much as doctors do in a shorter period of time.

Mind mapping is the same thing I would presume.

Hope this helps.

I all else fails, just learn the way you always learned but add the Pre- or Postviewing and the Photoreading steps to your studies. This should be within the time you can afford.
This way, either it helps you or you get the learning done in your known way (which *is* activation when you PR the material before).

Hope this helps,

Jens

There's that concept of building comprehension through layering again. Its exactly the same for memorization. They key is to go through it over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. From unfamiliarity, to familiarity, to knowledge, then to mastery. Don't look to do all the memorzation in one night, it just gets shoved in to immediate short term memory.