Top Tips for Exam Revision
Revision is when you revisit what you have learnt, in preparation for an exam. The more interesting, effective and enjoyable you make revision, the better your chances of exam success.
- Start revising for your exams as soon as possible. You could make revision notes as you learn new things, and read these over every few weeks.
- Find out as much information about the exam as you can. When will it be? How many questions will there be? Try and find a previous exam paper to look at if you can. Look at the key instruction words used in the questions, like describe or evaluate, and think about how you would adapt your answer to hit these keywords.
- Experiment with different ways of revising – see the ideas below.
- If you have study leave, make a plan for what you will revise and when. Think about the different exams you have to take, when they will take place, and how much of your overall mark they will count for. Try and stick to your plan if you can, but be flexible with it if you need to.
- Break down your revision into separate topics and then tackle these one by one. Give yourself variety by not studying the same subject for too long at a time.
- Explore ways to stop yourself getting distracted. You might need to turn off your phone, or move to a different room.
- If the exam is handwritten, make sure to practice writing by hand beforehand. You could handwrite your revision notes to help prepare your hand for the physical challenge.
Revision Methods
In ‘The Exam Skills Handbook’, Stella Cottrell (2019) suggests using a mixture of the following strategies to keep revision interesting and challenging;
- Use historical, fictional or sporting heroes to characterise revision material you are learning.
- Use pencils, markers or other pens to highlight items in your notes, linking connected points by colour themes.
- Vary the amount of time that you spend on each topic. Spend several very short spells on topics that you find difficult, and longer amounts of time (filled with various short activities) on topics that are easier.
- Invent questions that you could be asked based on past papers and the material you have covered. Create mind maps of how you would answer these.
- Make a mind map that highlights the links between areas, theories and topics.
- Read new wider reading content that you could then add in to the work that you have done.
- Don’t just learn theories and arguments, instead decide which is more convincing and why.
- Revise in multiple locations.Set personal challenges and reward yourself for achieving them.
