How to Use Mnemonics and Mind Maps for Retention

By: Justin 4/9/2025

Reviewing for exams like the Civil Service Exam or Board Exams can feel overwhelming — especially when there’s so much to memorize. The good news? You don’t have to memorize everything the hard way.

Two of the most powerful tools for retention are mnemonics and mind maps. In this article, we’ll show you how to use both to study smarter, not harder.

🧠 What Are Mnemonics?

Mnemonics are memory aids that help you remember facts by turning them into simple, catchy, or visual formats. They make information easier to recall by adding meaning, humor, or rhythm.

✅ Types of Mnemonics

  1. Acronyms – Use the first letter of each item to form a word.
    Example: ROYGBIV – Colors of the rainbow (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet)

  2. Acrostics – Create a sentence where each word starts with the same letter as the item you need to remember.
    Example: "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos"
    (Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)

  3. Rhymes and Songs – Add rhythm or melody to information.
    Example: “Thirty days hath September…” to remember days in each month.

  4. Chunking – Break down long lists or numbers into smaller groups.
    Example: A phone number is easier to remember as 0927-123-4567 instead of 09271234567.

🧠 Use mnemonics for formulas, laws, steps in a process, classifications, or lists.

🗺 What Is a Mind Map?

A mind map is a visual tool that organizes information around a central idea. It helps you connect related concepts and see the “big picture.”

You start with the main topic in the center, then draw branches to subtopics, and add keywords, symbols, or images.

📌 Example:

If you're studying The Legislative Department under the Philippine Constitution:

  • Center: Legislative Department
    • Branch: Congress
      • Sub-branch: Senate (24 members, 6 years)
      • Sub-branch: House (district + party-list reps)
    • Branch: Powers
      • Pass laws
      • Approve national budget
      • Check executive branch

🖍 Use colors, shapes, or images to make your map more memorable.

🛠 How to Use Mnemonics and Mind Maps Together

Combine both for maximum impact:

  1. Use a mind map to organize a large topic (e.g., human body systems).
  2. Add mnemonics on the branches to remember specific lists or terms (e.g., “MURDER” for the 6 essential nutrients: Minerals, Urea, Roughage, Dietary fiber, Energy, and Rest).

You’ll remember more by seeing the relationships between ideas and recalling simplified triggers from mnemonics.

✍️ Tools You Can Use

  • Paper and colored pens – Great for DIY mind maps
  • Apps like XMind, MindMeister, or Miro – For digital mind maps
  • Brevph Notes section – Summarize difficult topics using mnemonics
  • Quiz cards – Use mnemonic-based flashcards for daily review

🧪 Best Topics to Use Them On

  • Math formulas and rules
  • Science classifications (e.g., kingdoms, body systems)
  • History timelines and presidents
  • Grammar rules
  • Constitution articles and key laws
  • Word associations and definitions

Final Thoughts

If you're tired of forgetting what you just studied, try mnemonics and mind maps — they make learning faster, fun, and far more effective.

🎯 With tools like Brevph Practice, you can review tough concepts, then reinforce them with your own memory tricks.

📚 Study visually. Remember more. Pass with confidence.

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