Revision
Proper preparation and revision will improve your ability in exams and will hopefully also allow you to feel calmer before you go in. Revision can be hard because it requires a lot of self-motivation and concentration - things which aren't always easy to achieve. There are ways to try and improve your concentration and make work easier.
The essentials of revision:
- Prioritise and plan - decide what you're going to revise and when.
- Practice in recalling what you have been taught.
- Practice in answering questions (and assessing your answers).
- Revision should be an active process!
It is important to be sensible to your approach to revision and not over do it. Make a revision plan with appropriate time allocated to each subject so you know you can fit it all in, but also leave some room for flexibility so you can make changes when you discover a topic takes longer than you thought for instance. Set yourself regular goals, with deadlines for each subject, so you can check you are on target and do not run out of time, but also to give you the confidence boost from achieving and making good progress.
What to revise?
Find out the format of the exam. Decide how many and which topics to revise, considering the choice given in the exam - will questions combine topics? Is there any pattern evident in past papers? (though be cautious on this one because it can all change) Think about the emphasis of the course and your own competencies. Refer to course aims and content to make sure you have a clear understanding of the objectives of the course.
Planning your revision:
Be realistic - prioritise
Consider what you have to do, take into account your personal working patterns, how much you realistically have to do and how much time you have. Do not set yourself targets that you can not achieve. If you don't have enough time go back and re-prioritise the topics you have decided on.
Use the following questions to help you prioritise:
- Which are the most important topics?
- Which subjects do you know best already, or are easiest to get 'up to scratch'?
- Which topics are compulsory?
- For which subjects do you already have the most information/research/material?
Be flexible
You need to build in time to relax and time for the ‘unexpected'. Your timetable may need to alter along the way. If you fall behind in a topic you can catch up on a ‘spare' day.
Fix your goals
Occasionally set yourself deliberately easy targets, this will make you feel good about yourself, boosting your determination continue working.
Mix and match
Mix topics frequently, mix easy and difficult topics. Likewise mix up the interesting and dull topics. However be careful of flitting from topic to topic, spread the mixture out over the course of a day, not the course of an hour.
Test each other
Once you are confident on a topic, meet up with friends and cover areas together. They may be able to bring fresh thoughts to any problems.
Reward yourself
When you've worked hard and achieved one of your goals (even if it's an easy one), reward yourself. Whether this is going out, having a relaxing bath, reading a book or speaking to a friend, look after yourself and give your brain a rest!
Now you know what you are going to do, you're ready to make your revision timetable.
How to revise
Aim to produce a good set of notes to use as a building block for your revision
(Word of warning: Be very careful when making notes. Ensure that you can tell which notes are yours and which are from a book/internet source. This is one of the most common ways of plagiarising material and you will be caught out.)
There are distinct stages of learning: acquiring, understanding, memorising and testing knowledge. Each takes time, so allow for this in your planning.
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When you sit down to revise...
Make the learning process distinctive - the more specific the learning experience, the more likely you are to remember it at the vital time.
- Try and find ways to make your work more interesting or easier to digest for example using diagrams or colours, or revising with a friend.
- Try to revise in an active way: do not just read notes through, but perhaps make a list of key points (writing reams of new notes is very time-consuming and is not an effective method of revising!). Test your memory as you go along and try to devise questions/answers concerning the information you are learning. You'll learn far better by doing rather than just reading endless notes or textbooks.
Some people find it helpful to use memory aids such as memorising a trigger word which is associated with a 'chunk' of information, making a trigger word out of the initial letters of key points or names. Some people are more visual and might like to think in pictures or associate a key point with an object in the exam room so that when you look at that object you're reminded of your idea.
Minimise distractions and boredom
Minimise distractions
- Turn off the television, your mobile phone and anything else that might catch your attention. You can always check your phone during your breaks.
- If you do not have to be online to do your work do not connect to the internet - it provides endless distractions right at your finger tips, you can easily lose an hour or two...
- Use the door hanger in your Revise pack to let your housemates know not to disturb you
- Make sure you have clear objectives at the start of each revision session. With a specific purpose in mind, your brain is less likely to be pulled in different directions.
Minimise boredom and sleepiness
- Have lots of short breaks - research suggests that the brain can only concentrate for short periods of time. Split your revision into hour slots but revise for 50 mins then break for 10. Or if you get progressively tired during the day use a sliding scale - revise for 55mins, break for 5 then the next hour revise for 50mins and break for 10, then 45/15... etc
- During your breaks try going for a walk get fresh air and wake yourself up. See our section on health/lifestyle/fun/etc.
- Mix up your surroundings - alternate between different rooms in your house, the library (and different places within the library), the Union and friends' houses. If it's nice even try your garden one of the many patches of grass around the precinct. Staying in one place for too long will start to make you feel lazy and get too fed up.
- Make sure you have time to ‘switch off' before bed (at least an hour). It's not the total number of hours of sleep you get but a regular pattern is the key to feeling refreshed.
Have breaks
Make sure you have plenty of breaks - about 10 mins every hour. Do allow time to ‘switch off' before going to bed: stop working at least an hour before you intend to sleep
Past papers
Look at past exam papers so you know what to expect. (Beware these can all change.) Use these to work out how long you will have to spend on each question so you know this before you start the exam.
Spend some time going through these past exam papers and practise answering questions within the allotted time. It doesn't matter if your attempts go wrong to start with - in fact, now is the time to make these mistakes! Such practice will give you a good idea of the format of the exam, the sorts of questions you could get, and will give you invaluable practice in planning and structuring answers under time pressure. In makes no sense to get your first 'practice' at this during the real examination!
Different methods work for different people and for different styles of exams, so find what works best for you!
Ask for help
If revision is stressing you out because you can't get your head around a certain subject, then ask for help. Whether from it's help a tutor or classmate or talking to a friend, relative, Nightline or our Student Advisors there is always someone there for you. Don't suffer alone and in silence.
See the Exam Stress section for tips to help you combat it.
