Practical Revision Tips for 2023 Exams

Our Director of Studies Liane shares her top 10 tips for effective revision this year

1. Use a calendar

a. Print out a calendar for April, May and June 2023.

b. If you prefer to use a weekly planner, you can use this one too!

c. Ask your family for dates of any commitments/trips that are planned that you will need to attend, so you know on which days revision might be tricky. Block this time out on your calendar!

d. Add your exams to the calendar.

e. For each day, on the left-hand side write the times that you have available for revision. Remember on exam days to account for travel time and the fact that your brain may need a longer break than usual.

2. Map Out The Syllabus

a. Print out a list of the syllabus (you can ask your tutor for this, as they can also remove anything not included this year from the advance information list). Then go through and allocate each topic to a day and time on your calendar. Then you’ll know you can fit it all in!

b. Keep tasks simple e.g. Read Pages 45-55 or Answer Questions 1-4 or Make notes on Chapter 1.

3. Music

Instrumental music can help many people stay focussed and/or feel calmer when working. Experiment with what type of music works for you. Youtube has lots of compilations!

4. Colour-Coding

a. Colours are particularly helpful for those of us who think, learn and memorise things visually. How you use them depends on how you like to break up information in your mind, but some suggestions are:

i. Different topics / characters in different colours

ii. Key terms / equations / diagrams / labels in different colours to the rest of the notes

iii. Different sections in different colours e.g. points in one colour, quotes in another colour, analysis in another colour

5. Hand Write

a. Try hand-writing your notes instead of typing. It doesn’t work for everyone, but you’d be surprised how many people find the act of writing it out by hand makes it easier to remember!

b. Mind-maps are really useful for remembering the key information points about each topic.

6. Print Things

a. Saving paper is important, but you’d be surprised how even those of us who love our devices, memorise things more easily when we can handle them on paper. Try it with a couple of things and see if it makes a difference.

b. If you do have all of your notes on the computer, and you try printing a few to see if this helps, if they’re not already colour-coded, don’t forget to go through and highlight the key words/pieces of information.

c. Putting key terms / equations / diagrams / mind-maps up temporarily on the walls in your bedroom (and any other room you use frequently, with the homeowner’s permission!) means you’ll see them way more frequently and remember them much more easily.

7. Organisation

a. Use ring-binder folders and dividers to separate your notes into different topics and label them, so it’s quick and easy to refer to any section your need.

b. If your revision notes are all digital, organise them into clearly labelled folders for subjects, topics and sub-topics.

8. Memorising

a. The classic read/cover/recite/check method works well for many: read a small chunk of the information you have to learn by heart, cover it with your hand or a piece of paper, see if you can say what you read out loud, then check if you got it right.

If you didn’t, try again! If you did, well done – now add on a little bit more information and when you get to the recite stage, try and recite everything you’ve learned so far. If you make a mistake, go back to the beginning so you feel confident that you won’t forget something moving forward. If you succeed, add on the next chunk and so on. It’s time consuming, but it works!

b. Some people find auditory processing easier. You can voice record on most smart phones now so it’s free and easy to do. Try recording key definitions / dates / equations / quotes and then play these as part of your revision, or when you’re out for a walk or taking a bath!

9. Test Yourself

a. While whole practice papers are good, short bursts of timed work can be very effective preparation. For example:

i. Set a timer for 15 minutes and answer as many Maths or Science questions as you can (use 1 mark per minute as a rough guide).

ii. Instead of writing the whole essay for English, Business or History, set a timer for 8 minutes and write the most detailed plan you can in that time.

iii. For languages, you could ask a friend or family member to work with you for 5 minutes and pick words from the textbook/your notes at random that you have to translate. Try and improve on your score with each attempt.

10. Take A Break

a. Your brain needs rest for it to function at its best! Plan your breaks – 5 minutes here, 15 minutes there, a 30-minute afternoon power nap – whatever works for you. Working hard does not mean working constantly! So, think of it as working SMART!