How to Visualize Concepts to Make Them Stick: A Guide for Nigerian Students
You know that sinking feeling.
You are sitting in the exam hall. The invigilator has just dropped the question paper on your desk. You look at Question 2, and you know you read this topic. You remember the exact page in your textbook. You can even remember the color of the highlighter you used.
But you cannot remember the answer.
Your mind goes blank. It’s like the signal cut on your TV. This happens to thousands of students every year during WAEC, JAMB, and university semester exams. The problem isn’t that you didn’t read; the problem is how you read.
You were probably “cramming and pouring,” which works until the pressure hits. If you really want to pass with flying colors, you need to learn how to visualize concepts to make them stick.
I’ve been a student, and I’ve been a tutor. I can tell you for free that the students who get A’s aren’t always the ones who read for 12 hours. They are the ones who turn their textbooks into mental pictures.
Here is how you can do it too.
1. Stop Memorizing, Start Seeing
Let’s be honest. The human brain is not a hard drive designed to store boring text. It is designed to remember images, emotions, and survival scenarios.
If I ask you to memorize the definition of “Osmosis,” you might struggle to recall it word-for-word in two weeks. But if I ask you to describe a scene from your favorite Wizkid music video or a crazy fight you saw at the bus stop, you will remember every detail.
Why? Because you saw it.
To learn how to visualize concepts to make them stick, you have to trick your brain. You must convert that boring Physics definition or Government date into a vivid, colorful picture.
According to research cited by Verywell Mind, using imagery can significantly improve recall because it engages more areas of the brain than simple reading does.
2. The “Nollywood” Method (Mental Movies)
This is my favorite technique for Art and Commercial students, especially for subjects like Government, History, or Literature.
Don’t just read about the Aba Women’s Riot of 1929. Direct a movie about it in your head.
How to do it:
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Close your eyes.
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Imagine the women. Are they angry? What are they wearing?
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Hear the noise. Imagine them shouting at the Warrant Chiefs.
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Feel the heat of the sun.
When you sit in the exam hall and see a question about the riot, you won’t be searching for words in a textbook. You will be replaying a scene from a movie you created. This method also helps when you need to articulate points in an essay or a speech. We talked about structuring your thoughts in our guide on how to start a debate, and the same logic applies here: if you can see it, you can say it.
3. The “Danfo” Analogy (Connecting Science to Street Life)
Science students, this one is for you. Concepts in Physics and Chemistry can be abstract. “Electron flow,” “Valency,” “Photosynthesis”—these things are invisible.
So, make them visible by using what you see every day.
Example:
Let’s look at Electric Current and Resistance.
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Current: Imagine a crowd of passengers (electrons) trying to rush into a Danfo bus.
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Voltage: That’s the conductor shouting and pushing them to move faster.
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Resistance: That’s the narrow door of the bus that makes it hard for everyone to enter at once.
If the door (resistance) is smaller, fewer people (current) can get in, no matter how much the conductor (voltage) shouts.
Suddenly, Ohm’s Law ($V = IR$) isn’t just a formula. It’s a scene at Ojuelegba. When you link a concept to a real-life scenario, it becomes almost impossible to forget. This is one of the 10 effective study habits every student should develop if you want to stop retaking exams.
4. The Doodle Strategy (Draw It to Know It)
You don’t need to be an artist. In fact, the uglier your drawing, the better.
When you are reading a complex topic, stop writing notes for a second. Try to draw the concept.
If you are studying Biology and looking at the digestive system, draw a funny-looking stomach. Give the enzymes faces. Maybe “Pepsin” is a guy with a hammer breaking down proteins.
When you draw, you are forcing your brain to process the information deeply. You are translating text into a visual format. Official bodies like WAEC often require labeled diagrams in their marking schemes because they know that a student who can draw it, understands it.
5. Why “La Cram, La Pour” Fails
We have all done it. You memorize a definition five minutes before the paper starts. You enter the hall, you write it down, and you pass.
But two days later? It’s gone.
The problem with cramming is that it stores information in your short-term memory. It’s like writing on sand near the beach. One wave (or one stressful moment in the exam hall), and it’s washed away.
Learning how to visualize concepts to make them stick moves that information to your long-term memory. It’s like carving your name into a rock. It stays there.
Conclusion
Visualization isn’t magic, and it isn’t childish. It is a powerful tool used by memory champions and top-performing students worldwide.
Next time you pick up your textbook, don’t just stare at the words until your eyes pain you. Close your eyes. Direct a movie. Draw a funny picture. Connect the topic to something you saw on the street.
It might feel weird at first, but when you are the only one smiling in the exam hall because you are “watching a movie” in your head while others are sweating, you will be glad you started.
Have you ever used a funny song or picture to remember a topic? Tell me about it in the comments!
