Take a minute to look at the following list of words; then close the book, and see how many you can write down correctly from your memory in a minute or two. Then, when you finish, look in the book and score 1 point for each correct word, subtract 1 point for each incorrect word, and total your score.

Now see how well you can do when you engage in another activity before testing your recall. As in the first test, take a minute to look at the following list of words, then close the book. But before you try to recall, do something else for 20 minutes. Do whatever you want, such as taking a walk, reading a newspaper, having a snack, or shooting baskets in your backyard. Just don’t think about the words on the word list. Then, see how many words you can write down correctly from your memory in a minute or two. As before, when you finish, look in the book and score 1 point for each correct word, subtract 1 point for each incorrect word, and total your score. Compare your results with the immediate recall test. Generally, you will recall less than when you immediately tried to recall the words. This will give you a general sense of your ability to retain information in your working memory and how quickly you forget.

Take a minute to look at the left-hand column (Set 1) of the following first list of words; then cover up these words with a sheet of paper, and look at the left-hand column of the second list, directly below it. Check off which words you just saw on the first list. When you finish, look at the first list again, score 1 point for each word you recognized correctly, subtract 1 point for each incorrect word, and total your score. At the end of 30 days, repeat the test with the words in the first list in the right-hand column (Set 2) and the words in the second list, directly below it.

Now how well can you recognize what you saw when they are mixed in with other words that you didn’t see before when you engage in another activity before seeing what you can recognize? Take a minute to look at the left-hand column of the following first list of words; then cover up these words with a sheet of paper. But before you do the recognition test with the second list, do something else for 20 minutes. Again do whatever you want, such as taking a walk, reading a newspaper, having a snack, or shooting baskets in your backyard. Just don’t think about the words on the word list. Then, for the test, look at the left-hand column of the second list directly below it and check off which words you just saw on the first list. When you finish, look at the first list again, score 1 point for each word you recognized correctly, subtract 1 point for each incorrect word, and total your score. Then, compare your results with the immediate recognition test. Generally, you will recognize less accurately than when you immediately tried to recognize the words. This will give you a general sense of your ability to retain information in your working memory and how quickly you forget. At the end of 30 days, repeat the test with the first list of words in the right-hand column (Set 2) and the words in the second list, directly below it.

Take a minute to review the list and remember as much as you can. Then, close the book and write down whatever you remember in sequence. Give yourself 1 point for each item you remember on the list—until you miss an item. Take this as either an immediate recall test, or as a delayed recall test, where you do something else for 20 minutes and don’t think of anything on the test. In either case, use the same timing—immediate or delayed—when you retake the test using the list in Set 2, and compare how well you did after working on memory improvement for 30 days.

Look at the following set of faces for 4 or 5 minutes; then cover it up, and see how much you can remember in the second set. Take this as an immediate or delayed memory test, as you choose.

FACE RECOGNITION TEXT—SET 1

FACE RECOGNITION TEST: WHO DO YOU REMEMBER FROM SET 1

After you fill in as much information as you can for the faces that were in the first test, give yourself 1 point for each correct face recognition, 1 point for the correct name, and 1 point for the correct occupation. Subtract 3 points for each face you incorrectly identify as having been in the first test. Then, try this test again in 30 days, and compare the results. Make sure to write down whether you took this test immediately or after a delay, so that when you repeat the test, you use the same conditions.

See how long you can retain a visual image. You can do this as a series of tests or you can draw two, three, or four images at the same time.

Look at each image below for 30 seconds and remember as much as you can. Then, close the book and try to draw it from memory. Next, without looking back at the image or your drawing, do something else for 30 minutes and try to draw it again. Compare your two drawings to the original to see how much you remember. Then, try the same test 30 days later and see how your second set of drawings compare to your first test.

Here’s a test where you look at a room or some people doing something and try to remember everything you see there. In fact, you can create your own test for this—just go into a room or observe any group of people, look away, and see how much detail you can remember.

You’ll see two similar images for your initial test and your test after 30 days. In each case, look at the image for 1 minute, look away, and write down as many things as you remember. Then, look back at the image and see how many things you have remembered correctly. Score 1 point for each item you correctly remember; deduct 1 point for each item you incorrectly recorded or omitted completely. Then, compare your current and 30 days later scores. While the scenes to look at are slightly different, they are of similar types of scenes for the two time periods.

IN THE OFFICE TEST
Set 1: To Test Yourself Now	Set 2: To Test Yourself in 30 Days

PEOPLE TALKING TEST
Set 1: To Test Yourself Now	Set 2: To Test Yourself In 30 Days