Use a partner to test you on what you’ve memorized. If you miss a word or forget a line, they can prompt you by telling you the next word or two. You might also want to arrange to practice in front of an audience of a few people. This will help to add some pressure, which may be beneficial to you later.

For example, you might study it for 15 minutes and take a 10-minute break before studying for another 15 minutes. Try writing out the essay once or twice. This can improve your memory. [7] X Research source Avoid cramming the night before. Memorizing something in 1 session is not the most effective way to learn it. Repetition in small chunks will help more than cramming the essay all in 1 long session.

For example, the first part of the essay might be about tiger conservation, so you might visualize tigers as you go through this part. The second part may be about their habitat, so you might think about a jungle.

Pacing can help improve recall. Some people even find doing a simple dance to be useful as they try to memorize the essay.

Practice hand gestures with your speech. Put certain gestures at specific spots in the essay. If you are allowed to use flashcards, you might write the basic outline on a series of cards. Glance down at these as you go along. You might ask a friend in the audience to give a signal if you are forgetting a line.

When you need to remember the essay, you can redraw the chart to help you remember all the different pieces you need to recall. You can also draw images in your chart or sketch out the main events of the essay in comic form.