Revision Survival Guide

In this blog post my aim is to help you feel confident during your exams. It is important to remember that exams are not designed to catch you out, but to find out what you know, what you understand and what you can do. If you have prepared well, you will have nothing to fear.

Step 1.

Make a plan – It is easy to just delve straight into revision with no clear plan, and this is where the amount of work you have to do can become daunting. This can lead to students becoming overwhelmed and often leads to a lack of focus as they jump from 1 topic to another trying to make sure they cover everything.

However if you take 20 minutes to sit down and create a revision time table, you can rest assured that you have factored in enough time for each subject. This means you can be more focused when revising, as you know this is the only subject you have to revise for at this specified time.

Below is a good example of a revision time table, it doesn't have to be down to the exact minute just rough times, so you know you are keeping on track.

Step 2.

Ideas on how to revise – It is easy to say, just revise at these specified times, but you will want to know the way you are revising is effective and actually helping you.

•          Make your notes imaginative and creative. This will help you recall the information more easily. In contrast if you just make pages and pages of similar looking notes you will find it hard to pick out specific topics as it will all merge into one.
•          For really important information, make posters and stick them to your wall. That way you will see them on a regular basis and it will help the information to stick into your memory.
•      Record information and play it back when you are relaxing or doing a mundane task.
•          Study with a  group of friends. Conversation is another great way for your brain to process information. If you don’t understand something, asking a friend to help explain it to you can be much more effective than trying to teach yourself from your notes.
•          If you have time it is always a good idea to read around the topic. This will give you a deeper understanding of the topic you are trying to learn.

Step 3.

Preparing to revise – Before you start, make sure you have a nice quiet place to revise with a drink and a snack ready, as well as any other pens, pencils, books and paper you will need. This way you can avoid distractions and really focus on the task in hand.

Step 4.

Take care of yourself – During revision it is easy to get absorbed in revising as many hours as you possibly can. This isn't always the best technique, it is important to take regular breaks every 30 minutes or so, and longer breaks after a couple of hours. This isn't time wasted, your brain needs time to process the information it has absorbed. Also if you don’t take breaks you will lose your focus and won’t take anything in at all.

It is always important to eat healthily and exercise. Things like energy drinks and junk food won’t help you revise and will only make you lose focus in the long term as you have a sugar low. Exercise can also help you de-stress and take your mind off revision.

Spend time with your friends and family. You still need time to relax and enjoy yourself especially during revision. This gives your brain a rest and gives you a chance to enjoy yourself helping to get rid of stress and stay relaxed.

Step 5.

During the exam – If you are nervous before exams don’t worry this is a good thing and is completely normal. It means you are getting ready to focus and give the exam your full attention.

•         It is important to remember that the examiner wants to give you marks. Exams aren't there to catch you out they are there to give you an opportunity to show off what you can do.
•          Make sure you read the questions. This may seem obvious, but when you are eager to get started it is easy to miss read a question and give the wrong answer.
•          Make sure the examiner can read your hand writing. You don't want to lose marks because you were in a rush.
•          Make sure you answer all parts of the question, it is easy to delve in and miss one part of the question.
•       Keep answers short, simple and direct. This will help you save time and big fancy words won’t get you extra marks.

At the end of the day revision comes down to being focused and putting in the time. The key is to start early so you have plenty of time to go over what you need. Then you can go into your exams with confidence and show off what you can do, good luck!