Best Way to Revise

**Shane** · February 2nd '06

If you are having trouble revising for someting, anything, then this will be of a great help to you!

Make a timetable!

Plan your revision as far in advance as possible.
Think of it as part of the course - not something separate.
Make a revision timetable - then stick to it.
Don't try cramming all your revision into the last few days before the exam. This is a very common mistake.
Lots of people do leave it to the last minute of course. That's why they get stressed!

Manage your time

Arrange your revision into short blocks of time.
Work in regular, shorter blocks of time, rather than one long revision session.
Give yourself a reward after each session. This will help you to stay motivated.
Regular revision will help you to remember your material.
Remember! Revising one hour every day is much better than one day every week.

How to concentrate

Don't try to revise too many subjects in the same revision session.
Switching between subjects may cause confusion.
One subject in each session may be enough - because it will help you to concentrate.
It's better to do one small thing well, rather than several things badly.
A series of small successes will make you feel more confident.

Take short breaks

If you start to feel tired or fed up, have a short break.
Do something you find relaxing - but don't use this as an excuse to escape hard topics.
Some topics will be harder than others - so be prepared.
After the short break, go back to work again.
That's the secret to this approach - have a bit of fun, then get back to work!

Your best time

Some people work best in the earlier part of the day, because they feel more alert.
Others might prefer to work after school, in the library.
You might like to work at home in the evening.
Choose whichever suits you.
Decide on your best routine, then stick to it.
Working late at night isn't usually a good idea.

Feeling tired?

Don't revise until you become tired.
You will not remember what you have read, and your efforts will be wasted.
If you start to feel tired, take a short break, and maybe get some fresh air.
Short sessions of revision should help you to avoid this danger.
Remember! For efficient revising, short and often is best.

Quick revision tips

You can sometimes use very short periods for revision.
Five or ten minutes may be enough to remind yourself of a course overview.
Short periods are also useful for revising word lists, dates, or formulas.
Carry small revision cards and prompt lists for this purpose.
You can check through a list whilst you are on a bus, for instance.
Three or four shorter sessions like this might be more useful than one longer block.

Use prompt cards

Make some revision notes on small index cards.
You can carry round these prompt cards for revising in short breaks.
It's useful to have an overview of the course and its topics.
Each card can contain a definition, a short list, a formula, or a summary.
Don't try to fill the card with information. It will be difficult to read - and remember.

**Shane** · February 2nd '06

If anyone else has anything to add then please feel free to post it up, if it seems any good then I shall edit my first post.

**NATAL!E** · February 3rd '06

A couple of revising techniques:

Use post-its, write a few bullet points about a subject or whatever you're studying, on them, and stick them in places you walk past a lot etc. So on the back of the toilet door, on the fridge, at the top of the landing etc. Cause you'll get used to seeing them, and remember what they say.

You can also buy some little indexed cards from Woolworths, and on them write a quesion on one side, and the answer on the back, you can take them anywhere, test yourself or get someone else to test you on them.

Sit in different rooms of the house to revise different topics or subjects. When the exam comes around, you just think of what topic it is and what room you studied it in, and it's going to come back to you.

If you're an auditory learner, you can record yourself reading aloud some notes or a chapter of a text book, then replay it to yourself while you sleep, you're likely to learn it all if you listen to it for a couple of weeks.

If you have to remember a while load of text, for a presentation or whatever, try reciting it in small blocks to yourself, and gradually build up un til you know it all. You can also try colouring each section in in a different colour, so you remember what colour comes next, and you remember the text.

I can't think of any others right now, haha.