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Revision Tips for Students

 

Explore our comprehensive repository of revision tips and techniques, meticulously curated to empower you in your academic journey! As you gear up for those final exams, arm yourself with effective strategies tailored to diverse subjects and learning styles.  

Click Here For Some Study Tips:

  • Make sure you know what you want to achieve in your study session. Break down your goals into smaller, manageable tasks.
  • Create a Study Schedule: Allocate specific times for studying each day.
  • Use a Planner or Organiser to stay on top of your studies.
  • Identify the most important tasks and prioritise them. Focus on completing high-priority tasks first.
  • Create a Distraction-Free Environment: Find a quiet, comfortable place to study where you won't be easily distracted.
  • Before starting your study session, gather all the materials you'll need.
  • Organise your notes, textbooks, and study materials neatly.
  • Stay Consistent: Make studying a habit by sticking to your schedule and consistently putting in effort.

Click Here For Some Revision Techniques To Try: 

Mind maps

A mind map is a visual tool used for studying that could look like a tree with branches. You start with a main idea in the centre, and branch out with related topics and details. It's like drawing a picture of your notes, making it easier to understand and remember. Plus, you can personalise it with colours and pictures to make it more visual for your learning. By regularly looking at your mind map, you reinforce what you've learnt.

Practice papers

Search up your exam board for the subject you want to study and download a past paper. Begin by understanding the exam format and mimicking test conditions with timed sessions. Target weak areas first, analysing mistakes thoroughly and learning from provided solutions. Regularly practice multiple papers to track progress and build confidence. Seek feedback from teachers or peers to further improve your answers.

Listen to educational podcasts

They're great because you can learn just by listening, which is perfect if you're someone who learns better that way. They explain things in an easy-to-understand way, making complex topics simpler to grasp. You can also listen while doing other stuff like walking. Plus, you get to hear from experts in the subject, giving you valuable insights you might not get from regular study materials.

Funnelling

Write down everything about a topic – use sentences, bullets or diagrams. Then, take a sheet of paper and, from memory, write it out again, limiting the information to fit that one page. Then, l try to identify the most important thing from your work. Take a post-it and write down the most important information from memory. That’s the key thing but you’ll want more detail for the exam, so next, take one sheet of paper again and write as much as you can remember. Compare it to your original notes in step two, add in anything you missed.Now do step one again, this time from memory and compare it to the original step one, add in what’s missing.

Study groups

By working together, members can share ideas, explanations, and resources, which deepens understanding and reduces individual workload. Additionally, study groups offer a supportive environment for feedback, practice teaching, and social interaction, boosting confidence and morale during the revision process. Overall, study groups foster active engagement with the material, leading to improved comprehension and academic performance.

Watch YouTube videos

YouTube videos are helpful for studying because they explain things visually and audibly, which makes learning easier. They show different viewpoints from teachers and experts, and you can pause and replay them to go at your own pace. You could also watch various video styles like short animations or explanation videos. YouTube also suggests similar videos, which gives you more study options.

Rhymes or mnemonic devices

Using rhymes or mnemonic devices during revision is a great way to remember things better. By connecting important details to catchy phrases or patterns, these tools help you recall information more easily. You can personalise them to fit how you learn best. Whether you're studying science, history, or anything else, mnemonics can help you remember important stuff.

 

Example: Let's say you're trying to remember the order of the planets in our solar system:

Original Order: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Mnemonic Phrase: "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles."

Each word corresponds to the first letter of each planet in order.

Revision cards

They work by making you actively recall information, like a quiz. You put key facts on one side and their explanations on the other. Then, you review them regularly, focusing on the ones you find tricky. Testing yourself with the cards helps you understand and remember the material. You can also change or add new cards based on what you're struggling with. You can also use them for writing down important quotes, phrases, diagrams or key words that you can go over.

Record yourself

Recording yourself talking about key terms, dates, or other important information is a powerful revision technique. This allows you to listen to the recording multiple times and continue to go over the material. Listening back to your recordings enables self-assessment, helping you identify areas of weakness that require further review.

The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method which involves breaking your work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Here's how it works:

  • Set a Timer: Choose a task you want to work on and set a timer for 25 minutes, known as one "Pomodoro."
  • Work: Focus solely on the task at hand until the timer rings. Avoid any distractions or interruptions during this time.
  • Take a Short Break: When the timer goes off, take a short break, typically 5 minutes. Use this time to rest, stretch, or do something unrelated to work.
  • Repeat: After the break, start another Pomodoro session by setting the timer for another 25 minutes and continue working on your task.
  • Longer Breaks: After completing four Pomodoros, take a longer break, usually around 15-30 minutes. This marks the completion of one Pomodoro cycle.

Teach other people

When you explain a topic to someone, you have to really think about it, which makes your understanding clearer. It also shows you where you might need more practice. Plus, teaching helps you remember things because you're actively using the information. It's also a good way to get better at explaining things and feel more confident in what you know.

Online resources

Online resources like articles, videos, and quizzes are all available whenever you need them. You can use flashcard apps like 'Quizlet', or interactive learning websites like 'Seneca' or 'BBC Bitesize' which are all useful for testing your knowledge.

School book notes

Be sure to review them regularly to reinforce what you've learnt. Then, try covering up the notes and recalling the information from memory to strengthen your understanding. You can also turn your notes into quiz questions and test yourself to see where you might need more practice. Summarising the notes in your own words helps deepen your understanding, and looking for connections between different topics enhances comprehension.

Learning games

Learning games is great for studying because they make it fun and engaging. They motivate you to learn by giving you challenges and rewards. When you play games, you have to think and solve problems, which helps you understand things better. Games also tell you right away how you're doing, so you can fix any mistakes quickly.

Interleaving

Interleaving in revision means mixing up different things you're studying instead of focusing on just one. Instead of doing the same thing over and over, you switch between topics or types of problems. For example, you might switch between maths problems like multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. Interleaving helps you understand better, improves problem-solving, and makes it easier to remember things in the long run.