Top tips for revision

Set a place and time

Try to find a quiet and distraction-free place to study. It can also help to set a specific time to study as this will support you in creating a routine which can result in you being more motivated and efficient. Your mind and body will become accustomed to the routine and can help those who might struggle with procrastination.

Make short summaries

After obtaining your revision guide/course materials and reading through the content, try to create short summaries. This can be flashcards or informative notes. The notes don’t need to look great, but instead focus on making them clear and concise. Review your summaries frequently. This can be done in a schedule time slot or throughout the day when you have a spare moment. Frequently reviewing your notes can assist in your retainment of the content.

Review past exam papers

Reviewing and practising past papers can support your understanding of the subject/s. Completing and marking your own practise papers can demonstrate areas of the subject where you may need more revision or can be certain of your knowledge in that specific area.

Review the grade specification

Look at the previous year’s grade specification for your subject’s exam. Exploring the expectations of specific grades will support your understanding of what is expected of you to pass your exam. A high grade such as an A is always deemed aspirational. However, by using your expected required grades for the degree (such as Grade C / Level 4 for teaching degrees) as a goal can decrease levels of stress.

Revision techniques

When studying your subject/s try not to focus on entire subject at once. Instead, focus on areas within a subject. For example, if you are studying Science focus on a specific area such as Chemistry - Unit 1 and work your way through, rather than all of Chemistry or all of Chemistry, Biology and Physics. This may help those feeling overwhelmed.

This again will also support your understanding of the topic and should signpost any areas where you might need further revision

Study techniques

You may have a few weeks before your exam and would therefore need to set aside some time to revise. You may only have specific days or times within the week to focus on your revision. To make the most of this time, you would need to ensure your study techniques are as efficient as they can be.

A suggestion can be to follow the Pomodoro Technique. The idea here is to set a timer for 25 minutes. In this time, you will focus on your task (revision, making summaries, etc) without any interruptions and then take a 5-minute break to reset and then refocus for another 25 minutes. For larger tasks, you may need to estimate how many ‘Pomodoros’ (such as 25-minute slots) you might need. For more information, here is a short video detailing the technique: