Revision Tips

It is one of those things we all wish we loved BUT we don’t, and never really will… In this blog post I will be attempting to make your unavoidable revision that much better and more effective.

JUST DO IT

Listen to Nike and ‘Just Do It’, ignoring it won’t make it go away and the earlier you start the easier it’ll be.

Leave Plenty of Time

There is nothing worse than last minute studying, knowing that you could’ve started months earlier but just… didn’t?

The best way to not be left with last minute panic is to have a revision time table, lots of people use a website called get revising. I personally prefer writing it by hand, but check that out as it may be for you, you can write your deadline and exams and it will fit together times for you to get everything done. Get Revising also has lots of past papers and marks schemes so it is so useful for making sure you pass your exams.

Distractions

The worst thing about revising for me is the distractions. EVERYTHING ELSE SEEMS SO APPEALING WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO REMEMBER MATHS FORMULAS!

The best way to get over this is to leave any electronic devices in a different room and turn them off, I always then treat myself every hour or so to check on all the texts my friends haven’t sent me.

Sleep

Make sure you’ve had plenty of sleep pre-revising and more importantly the night before your exam, you revising while your tired will make you less likely to remember the information, and not having sleep the night before will make you concentrate less in the exam and forget information which you had spent revising beforehand.

But although sleep is important, I set myself an alarm to get up (on weekends i know, it’s outrageous) as otherwise i would never really wake up or get out of bed… This allows me to get more done in a day, and more productive.

Different Techniques

Different techniques work for different people, you have to find out which ones work for you by trial and error really. Flashcards, taking notes from information videos, mind maps, and practice questions the most effective for me. I do know people who can just read something and it seems like it’s engraved in their head, or even people who make up songs to help them remember facts.

Taking Breaks

When I revise I usually work for 30 minutes, then take a 5 minute break, after repeating this around 5 times I take a well earned 20 minute break. In this time you can have a snack or check Instagram etc. This works well for me but this is something you’ve got to test out yourself, to see how long you can concentrate for.

You can’t revise properly while listening to music

As much as we all like to convince ourselves that we can learn the details of the French Revolution while re watching Beyonce performances… apparently our exam results would disagree.

Apps and Websites

Quizlet – this app is great for revising vocab or key definitions. All you have to do is type the information in and it’ll test you.

Exam Countdown – This is quite self explanatory in the name… but yes you can set the dates of the exam so that you don’t forget it. There is also an app called countdown which you can put in any events including birthdays, exams etc.

My GCSE Science – This is a website which is just the greatest. It covers everything you need to know for your GCSE science exams, with video explanations and then practice questions and mark schemes after. You don’t have to pay for Core Science, but for the other two modules you have to pay. But it’s totally worth it.

Test Yourself

Do lots of past papers, or write your vocab on flash cards and ask a family member or friend to test you, to see how much you’ve learnt.