Customer Reviews

How to Pass Exams: Accelerate Your Learning, Memorise Key Facts, Revise Effectively

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If you are just starting out learning how to improve your memory, then a book by Harry Lorayne might be more appropriate for you. But if you already have a trained memory and want to take your skills to the next level, then I recommend this title strongly. O'Brien explains his DOMINIC system quite well in this work; now I understand why he uses people instead of only objects. While I don't believe that a beginner would find the DOMINIC system as easy to learn and use as the Major System, I still encourage people to try both apporaches to determine which works best for them.

Dominic also expatiates on his language learning approach, offers mathematical shortcuts, and presents ways to memorize quotes and speeches. Some great ideas based largely on the loci system can be found here.

In many ways I like this updated version of How to Pass Exams better than How to Develop a Perfect Memory, another book by O'Brien that I own. Dominic has contributed some unique refinements to the field of mnemotechny, so I view his books as worthwhile purchases for any memory training expert and perhaps for a few mnemonics neophytes, too.

This book is an easy and interesting read. This book will help anyone who needs to know how to memorize information, take notes, and speed read do so. Dominic covers topics such as speed reading, mind mapping, the link method, giving presentations, how to learn foreign languages, remembering quotes, remembering historical dates, geography, and when to review information so that you don't forget what you've learned. This book was a huge help to me while I was in college. The information contained in this book saved my college career. I was struggling in school. I was consistently pulling of several D's and F's in classes for a semester.

I then learned the principles that Dominic O'Brien puts forth in this book and the results were astonding. Just by swithch over to these principles of study I was able to raise my grades a letter grade. Then, through spending time each day practicing memorizing information using Dominic's method to memorise information I found my memory improving. I found that the more I practiced the more information I could memorize at one time, which meant less time to have to memorize information. This resulted in less time that it took me to study with better grades than I was making before. I even got so good that I learned that I could in some classes memorize the information get done sooner then I could before and then go back and memorize the information to chapter, chapter title, page, and paragraph number. I actually did this on one test at my University, I was able to recall information not only by quote but also by chapter, chapter title, page, and paragraph number and did so on the test. I made an A on the test.

I've also increased my reading speed 550-850 wpm simply by practicing the suggestions that Dominic makes in this book. His chapter on mind mapping has all you need to know to start mind mapping. I've tried mind mapping and have found that by mind mapping I can for once keep up with the pace that my professor is lecturing at, I could not before. Furthermore, by mind mapping I've learned to take better notes. I've found that I can retain more information in my memory after mind mapping than traditional notes.

This is what I've achieved by putting every thing into practice that Dominic has in this book and I'm a firm believer that it will work for you as well if you are willing to put it into practice. Since, that is the case I recommend practicing memorizing information at least 30 min to an hour each useing Dominic's methods and you'll find that you'll get better. A better memory comes with practice.

Finally, as far the system that Dominic uses to memorize numbers, it is much easier for a beginner than the major system. When I was a beginner I found the major system hard because the in some cases two or more different consants can both stand for one number in Dominic's system one letter always stands for one number and the letters that correspond to each number are easier to learn because for the most part it follows the alphabet. Case in point, the Dominic system is much easier and less confusing to learn. I would recommend this book to anyone.

One of my favorites.

This book is clear and concise. I bought it a while ago -- unfortunately it seems like its out of print now. If you can get your hands on a copy, don't let go. Otherwise, I think O'Brien's other books will suffice.

I wouldn't spend $80 on this book when you can buy one of O'Brien's other books for less than a quarter of the price. However, if the price seems reasonable to you, buy it quickly.

After reading so much about Dominic O'Brien, his achievements, and his books, I had great expectations about this book. Currently I am pursuing a career in Medicine, which has tough board exams; and I was hoping that this book would provide me with good advice and good techniques to improve my memory and be able to retain important information.
In my opinion, this book has no use if your academic level is beyond High School. Learning to memorize a list and to "crack" a chemical code serves no purpose to me. The tips on how to speed read, mind mapping, and how to take notes were covered in a speedy and superficial manner.
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I'm almost through most of my first semester at my local community college and this book is alright. The only three good things in this book is the mind map section, the section about memorizing numbers and the section on languages. I've been using mind mapping software a lot of the time, and for the language section I think that the only languages these techniques work for are European languages. What he has you do is connect something you know with the new word in the foreign language. But the thing is that I tried this for Japanese and it didn't work. And like I said before you can find most of this stuff on the internet.