Long-term memory and working memory for MCAT

Some of you may remember from one of your courses the discussion about the types of memory. What may not have been emphasized is the central role of these types in terms of success on standardized testing. Specifically, the Long-term Memory (LTM) and the Working Memory (WM), also called short-term memory are central to standardized testing. For a high-stakes test like the MCAT, fully understanding their role can make a significant difference in overall scores. This blog will just review what they are, and then future blogs will explain how you can optimize your LTM and WM to increase your test scores.

I am not going to focus on immediate memory although it is also important, but not nearly to the degree the LTM and WM are for standardized testing.

WM is also your active memory. As you read this, as you think about anything, you are using your WM. The major feature of the WM to understand is that it has a limited capacity…only so much can be present in it at any moment. How much is not definite, but some estimate that 7 items for the average person. But, there are ways to increase that capacity and make it more effective.

LTM is your memory storage. Most theorists believe there is no measurable capacity limitation, that is, it has unlimited capacity. Additionally, most believe that whatever enters LTM is always there. While some would debate these claims, the gist is we have a lot more capacity than most of us are using and what we do place there tends to stay there a long, long time. But, LTM is inactive, you DO NOT do any thinking in your LTM.

In terms of standardized testing, ie, the MCAT, the critical feature is the retrieval of information from the LTM into our WM, so we can solve that d==n problem. That’s how many of us feel during these tests when our LTM appears to have gone to sleep and our WM is not as active as it should be. All of us have had the annoying situation of seeing a question on a test that we just knew we knew at the time. But, unfortunately, three hours later while sitting down to dinner, the answer pops into our mind. What this means is that, yes, the information was in our LTM, but, alas, we could not retrieve it into our WM at the time we needed it. We need to understand why this happens and what we can do about it. Our dreams depend on it.