Christopher stared at the science test question for what seemed like forever and he knew he needed higher exam scores on all his exams.

He studied really hard for this exam and reviewed it with his friend, but for whatever reason, he just couldn’t remember what he needed to get the right answers on the test.

Yesterday however he got the second highest grade in his history class.

He wondered why the difference in scores, becaused he’d worked just as hard on both subjects. He asked himself if he was just smarter in science and dumb in history.

While I know that our brains are hardwired to focus more on the negative, it’s sad that anyone ever has these types of thoughts in their mind. So, let’s do something a lot more helpful and positive.

Learning Experts Know That Higher Exam Scores are Not About Being Smart

Learning experts who understand how the brain works know precisely why students get higher grades in some subjects than others and it has nothing to do with being smart.

I’d love to share those reasons with you and show you exactly what to do in order to get higher exam scores in every class.

If you’ve ever noticed that your grades in school are inconsistent, or you feel that you’re better in one subject than another, it’s not your fault at all.

Christopher used one learning and memory strategy in history, but a different, less effective one in science.

All that was missing is one single skill and Christopher needed to know what that skill is, and that he needed to use the same one to be successful in all his courses.

Schools are Great at Telling You What to Learn, but Not in “How to Learn” It

If you were taught how to learn anything before the regular, subject area instruction even began, you wouldn’t see students in the same room, with the same instructor, doing the same work and getting different results.

You need one specific and proven system, which is called the “meta skill” to get excellent grades in all your subjects.

This “meta skill” is the single one that unlocks your success in every subject you study – whether you’re in school or deep into your career.

Want to Know the Secret “Meta Skill” You Need for Higher Exam Scores and Learning Success?

Simply put, the “meta skill” that lets you know you’ll succeed in advance in any new learning situation is knowing how to learn anything.

It is much like having a magic key to guarantee your learning success in everything you learn, and it’s all based on brain science.

This “meta skill” aligns perfectly with how your brain learns and remembers best, and is why, once you have it, you will know that you are going to accomplish higher exam scores before you even start any new learning!

In other words, this “how to learn” meta skill gives you all the confidence and the skills you need to achieve the highest scores.

You have to know “how to learn” because it provides the foundation for everything else you do.

There are 4 specific skill areas inside the primary meta skill that I teach in my Total Recall Learning: How to Learn Anything 100% Faster course that work for everyone and show them how to master any topic successfully.

In fact, over half a million people of all ages have mastered this brain-friendly system and used it to catapult their grades and their exam scores in college or career – giving them an advantage that every student should have.

Think about it this way. When an athlete steps out onto the field, what do you think they’re saying to themselves?

Do you think someone like Michael Jordan, for example, doubts whether he can make a free throw during a game?

Of course not. Michael Jordan plays confidently because he knows he has the skills he needs to succeed.

He has a proven system and he’s used it thousands of times, over and over, and he knows it works.

And when you have the meta skill of knowing “how to learn”, you now have a system you can use in every subject area that gives you higher exam scores.

1. Belief Impacts Higher Exam Scores

2. Body Position Matters

3. Association and How to Make Them to Get Higher Exam Scores

4. Making Mental Images

The 4 Most Important Factors That Create Higher Exam Scores

1. Belief

Michael Jordan is confident on the court because he has practiced and practiced and practiced so much that he knows he can succeed.

And his practice is flawless – in other words, perfect practice makes perfect. He has the right strategy for his goal – which is to get that ball into the basket and through the hoop.

Think about other professional athletes, or performers – they aren’t holding their heads down, lacking belief in themselves. They aren’t asking themselves disempowering questions either.

They know that they can do what they want to do, because they have the right strategies and they’ve practiced and rehearsed them so much that they believe in themselves and their ability.

And that’s the type of confidence you want to have when you approach any new learning situation.

Instead of being uncertain and anxious about the unfamiliar things you have to learn, when you have a proven, brain-based formula to learn anything – the meta skill of “how to learn” – you will also be confident about your success.

2. Body Position

Your body position controls how you feel about yourself and your results.

Think about how an athlete looks after they’ve just scored a basket or a touchdown. Think about how a runner looks after she crosses the finish line in first place.

Now think about someone who’s walked into work after being stuck in traffic for hours, or someone who just got passed over for a promotion.

There’s a big difference in how people hold themselves when they’re feeling successful versus when they’re feeling down, right?

Slump down, and you’ll feel sad and defeated.

Now, hold your head high and shoulders back like a gold medal champion winner. Can you notice the difference in how you feel?

Scientific studies find that when people sit up straight, they’re better able to access positive thoughts and memories – I call this the success position.

On the other hand, when you stay slumped, shoulders drooping, head down, it can leave you feeling even more drained.

So, remember that your mind and body share a two-way connection. When you’re about to begin new learning, make sure you are in your success position to place yourself in the same mindset as a gold medal winner!

3. Association

Associations are how your brain learns best – by connecting what you’re learning to what you already know.

You actually make neural connections in your brain and associate one thing with another – layering learning a new skill atop one you already know.

How Do I Create an Association?

The key to learning and remembering something new is by asking yourself one question – “What does this remind me of?”

For example, say you’re learning about the French Revolution and have to remember names like Marie Antoinette and Maximilien Robespierre.

To try and remember these names, ask yourself, “What does this remind me of?” Or “What does the sound of their name remind me of?”

Antoinette might, for example, make you think of “ant on a net”. Robespierre might remind you of “Rob’s pear” or “Rob at the pier”.

It can be as silly and ridiculous a connection as you like. In fact, since your brain loves humor, conjuring up a funny association between what you’re learning and what you want to remember, will make it stick for sure.

4. Making Pictures

Creating associations is the first half of the strategy that lets you remember everything you learn, and the second half is creating pictures of these associations.

This is because it’s scientifically proven that your brain is much, much faster at recalling and processing images than it is at recalling words and text!

In fact, 80% of your brain is involved in visual processing. Images activate both cognitive and emotional pathways in your brain – this means you grasp both concrete concepts and abstract ideas faster and better with images!

Try this out – imagine Marie the ant on a net, or Maximilien in robes holding a spear.

Which is faster – the image that you just conjured up in your mind, or remembering the names Marie Antoinette and Maximilien Robespierre?

Pictures are extremely powerful tools in helping you embed information directly into your long-term memory.

It’ll make whatever you’re learning not only easier to recall but also much faster, too!So, when you ask yourself, “What does this remind me of?” create a vivid mental movie with this association.

These four factors are the recipe to faster learning and recall and make up the meta skill that gets you the higher exam scores you want.

In Total Recall Learning, I show you a full system of brain science backed tools to help you use this recipe to ensure your learning and exam success!

Pat Wyman is the CEO of HowtoLearn.com and an internationally noted brain coach known as America’s Most Trusted Learning Expert.

Pat’s superpower is helping people learn, read and remember everything faster. She has helped over half a million people in schools and corporations such as Microsoft, Intel and Google improve their lives with her learning strategies, learning styles inventory and courses, inclluding Total Recall Learning™.

Pat is the best-selling author of more than 15 books, a university instructor, mom and golden retriever lover!

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