High School: How To Memorize Test Material More Effectively

How can I memorize high school test material more effectively?

Believe it or not, today very few teachers want students to do straight memorization. We want you to learn things in context. There's method to the madness as they say, or there's a reason. Old-school memorization of basic rote material is okay in some areas, but you want to be able to add it to something else. If it's vocabulary, perhaps I want to put that vocabulary in a story, where I can show I really understand the meaning of the word. I don't want to memorize basic terms; I want to be able to use them in sentences, or use them as they relate to a particular genre of literature. Or, perhaps that's a terminology that goes with something in math. I want to add it to something else. Usually the old-school memorization is out. I'll learn it better if I can add it to something else; that will help me memorize it or learn it in its context.