Most of us, if not all of us absolutely dread the thought of having to revise for exams probably more than the thought of having to take the actual exams. Revision is a necessary part of success. Some of us are blessed with being able to ace our exams without picking up the book to revise some, but it’s best not to leave it to fate. For most of us, revision is the key to getting good grades in our exams and it’s not as easy as just picking up a book or reading back over our notes.
Revision should be carried out strategically with the right note-taking process and the right time management strategy in place. The good news is that we are sharing our top tips for making the most of the revision period and how to strategically plan throughout the process.
Categories
Being organised will make your revision process more manageable, especially if you have several different topics to learn for just one subject. Separating your subjects and topics into categories also allows you to prioritise different topics and see how much information needs to be covered in each topic and subject.
Prioritise
Remember what we said about prioritising different topics or subjects? Some subjects or topics might require more information to be covered than others and if you’re pushed for time, it’s best to prioritise getting through the bigger topics rather than leaving them until the last minute. Another reason to determine a priority list comes down to where your strengths lie. It’s best to prioritise subjects or topics you are less confident in to allow yourself more time to soak up as much information as you can. This also gives you the time you need to go back over things if you need to.
Don’t Leave it Until the Last Minute
You’ll probably see by now that all of our tips will follow on from each other and link together. Remember what we said about leaving enough time to revisit a subject or topic? It might seem as though you have all the time in the world, but until you get started you might not be prepared for how much time you actually need to dedicate to each topic or subject. Although you might feel confident in a certain subject or topic, you might find yourself needing to revisit it.
Invest in Revision Cards
Revision cards are great for making short notes that contain key memorable information. The best short notes use a few words or a short sentence containing key information that summarises the topic or key findings. Even if you only have one subject or topic to revise for, you might find yourself with a huge stack of notes which is not the most convenient to carry around. The good thing about revision cards is that they are small enough to carry around in your bag which can come in handy if you want to do some last-minute revision while you’re on the bus before your exams.
Ask for Help
Remember what we said about being more confident in some subjects more than others? You are not expected to be great at everything, and you are not expected to do it alone. There is no shame in asking for help, even if you feel confident in every subject or topic, it never hurts to ask for help to check you’ve covered everything. Asking for help can feel daunting, but you will feel better once you have.
