Revision techniques for exams..

Chives

Chives

Chives

Soldato
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Well it is exam season for all GCSE,AS and A2 level students out there and I am in the midst of revision for 6 AS Level exams :(
Was just wondering what techniques people find effective as if I'm honest I'm finding it difficult. Cheers :)
 
I found procrastinating doing meta tasks took up the time I had intended to spend revising.

Not being a dick, but this is what you're doing now.

Tip - Just go ahead and revise, don't plan your revision or research the best way to do it. Just do it.
 
Not just GCSE/A-Level students :p

Just sit down with the next exam you have, work on it for a couple hours, then move on to the next exam and so on until you have to eat/sleep. Then start again the next day :)
 
I like to do it, and not just read. For example, if my maths test is coming up I don't just read, but I attempt questions and if I get them wrong then I do again to find out what is wrong then do it until it is correct :)
 
People have very different ways of revising so what works for me might well not work for you and indeed sometimes it varies by subject or level you are studying at. You've just got to get on and practice until you find something that works for you.

For whatever it is worth with subjects where there was a lot of memory recall required I found that going over my notes and condensing them down a few times worked quite well and I might end up repeating the process a couple of times so a full course may be condensed down to just a few sides of A4 e.g. business management, law etc.

For subjects where it is based around a few techniques and was more about applying them to problems then just keep doing questions until you get it in your head was the strategy I usually used. e.g. maths, accounting etc.

However it also depends how much time you've got left before exams, sometimes I've just had to read through the notes a few times and rely on my short term memory to haul me through. It's not ideal but the knowledge of what you're capable of and what works for you comes from simply doing it.

//edit if you'd like I can ban you until after your exams... :p
 
Im revising for uni exams atm, and i made a timetable for the first time ever, and it really helps to motivate me. This is because it illustrates just how much time you have, and what you need to do with it.
Also, i find that going over a past paper to pick out where i need to revise (like stress testing :p ). I revise that thing, and then go through questions on that sub-subject.

( dont make the timetable too ambitious, make it doable, so that you can easily complete it with a normal work rate, and then you have a feeling of achievement at the end of it)
also, have something else fun planned to do for when you've finished.
 
if you struggle to do an hour then do whatever you can, and increase it each time. Reward yourself as you revise. Shut yourself off from the internet.
 
6 AS exams... Psht... Know how you look back and say GCSEs were easy.... Wait until you do a degree...

Mindmaps and Cue cards are the best bet.

On top of that pile on past exam papers.

Do a past exam paper, work out what you can't do, learn that etc...

I also tend to make a double sided A4 'Cheat sheet' which is basically the few things I'm less sure about, and make sure I memorise it on the morning of the exam. It's just short cramming for the few things I can't remember.

Oh, and Chrome Nanny. It's a saint. Google it :p There are ways around it, but it stops you mindly procrastinating onto the internet when you need the internet...

kd
 
I tend to use a graph, and write down all of the most important 'areas' to revise. I then record each time I spend some time revising each area, so I can see where I have spent most time, and where I need to spend more time.

As for the revision it's self, I usually write it as I learn it. The result is a massive document with all the answers. It's a good way of making sure I have covered everything I need to cover, and it helps me remember.
 
I don't really have anything to do at college so I just revise, which means I do about 25 hours of revision.
Don't do much revision at home because of that, do a few bits in half term though.
This does work and my grades prove it :p, I actually find that even if I do revision at home I am much less productive than at college.
 
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My revision technique for A-Level was simply copying all the bookwork into my own words - which was quite time consuming, especially since I was doing 5 subjects. However, I've tried using that technique on my degree and it's near enough impossible. It took me 400 pages of notes to cover 1/20 of my modules, so I've given up with copying all the notes down.
 
The Halk said:
Tip - Just go ahead and revise, don't plan your revision or research the best way to do it. Just do it.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. I spent a few days finding out 'special' ways to revise - truth is there isn't any 'special' way... apart from actually revising.

So best is to just get on with it and stop wasting time.

Each day you spend not revising makes it harder the following day. That motivates me.
 
Past papers for things like Maths/Science. For everything else just read through your books. You've already learnt it once (assuming you attended), so should just need refreshing. Essay plans are good for subjects with essay questions.
 
Depends on the subjects. In Biology it doesn't matter how well you know the course material, if you don't know exactly what they're after then you're not going to do very well. Do past papers then learn from the mark schemes.

I think it also helps to go through your notes and copy out everything you need to know, disregarding what you already have memorized or that you won't really use. It usually makes the task much less daunting. You could even write each one on a small piece of paper and stick them on your wall if you're feeling nerdy ;)
 
I'll never understand students - it's only the rest of your life at stake, ain't that motivation enough?

This is why it's important to take good notes throughout the entire course.
 
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