Revision Tips

There are many differing views as to what makes for good revision. Here are some thoughts on how to make your revision more productive:

It is not the quantity of revision that you do that is important but more the quality of what you do.
Revise in short bursts. The latter stages of a long stint of revision are usually not very productive. When your mind starts to wander it is probably a good time to stop.
Set out a revision schedule. Don’t just set a time aside for a complete subject; be specific about which aspect of the subject you are going to revise, e.g. Monday 10th History – Transport. Try to be as rigid with your revision schedule as you will have to be with your examination schedule.

Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic Revision Strategies

Create a story using pictures.
‘Look, Cover, Write, Check’ with lists and
key words.
Minimize visual distractions in your study space (eg. cover your computer screen; do not sit facing a window).
Make an outline of key topics in chart or diagram format.
Make pictures in your mind by visualising key words, ideas and facts.
Look for sketches, diagrams, or charts to help interpret information – practice re-drawing them to help remember
Write down problems and/or questions and practice writing solutions and/or responses.
Try to remember important terminology by looking for parts of the word you already know.
Make notes colourful, vary the font and use graphics.
Highlight notes so all information relating to one topic is in the same colour category.
Draw boxes or circles around terms/ concepts and draw lines or arrows to show how they are related to one another.
Learn when and how to translate text into charts, graphs, such as make a time-line from dates, or draw percentages or statistical information in a pie chart.
Turn notes into bullet points, highlight key words, keep shortening them until you have one word which will trigger your memory for each point.
Draw Mind Maps, Spider Diagrams, or Concept Maps for topics to show how the main ideas link together.
Write out key words and definitions on flash cards. Colour code them. Get someone to test you.
Turn your notes into pictures or diagrams such as flow charts
Use websites e.g. BBC bitesize.
Learning posters – put key information on small posters. Use patterns, colour and drawings. Pin them up where you’ll see them often.
Try to create a guided visualisation for other members of your group – try it out on them.

Testing ideas with your friends as part of a game.
Rehearse/repeat information either silently in your head, or out loud.
Study with a partner (another auditory learner) and take turns reading to each other – discuss key concepts.
Work in quiet areas to minimize hearing music, television or other distractions.
If you prefer to study with music playing, choose something with no lyrics, and keep the volume low.
Talk to yourself about textbook diagrams and illustrations.
Ensure you understand by creating verbal descriptions.
Try to remember important terminology by thinking about how parts of the words sound
Read instructions and questions out loud to yourself (or sub vocalize in test situations).
Use or create mnemonics to remember key facts.
Make up questions and get somebody to test you verbally. Put aside the ones you don’t know and keep working on them until you learn them all.
Record notes and put them on an MP3 player.
Listen to them as often as possible.
Make a podcast, a rhyme, jingle, rap or song out of your revision notes.
Read your notes out loud.
Explain key ideas to a friend. Teaching other people helps you to learn yourself.
If possible get teachers to pre-record any text on to tape for students to listen to as well as read.
With a partner read the text aloud paying close attention to the way it sounds. Now try reading it to yourself ‘under your breath’.
Devise questions to ask about the text and then question a member of your group (take it in turns).
Make up and act out a role-play.
Decide on the key words/concepts you will need to learn. Experiment with different ways of saying the key words out loud. (Emphasise different parts of the word, use different voices).

Get your working environment right. Here are some helpful tips:

Avoid noise; nature has designed it to be noticed.
Have all your needs nearby. It is too much of a temptation to interrupt your work to go and get something.
Insist on your own space; then you can work in the way that is best suited to you
Avoid last-minute revision. This can clutter the mind and cause anxiety.

Don’t stick your head in a book and try to cram information into it in the hope that it might stick. Try to reproduce it on paper minus the book; after all, that is the way you will have to present information in the majority of exams. It has been clearly shown that if you write information down as well as look at it, the learning is more effective. Other methods of revising include creating word patterns, diagrams, pictures, lists, flowcharts.

Use other human resources. Work with a friend and get them to question you. It is far easier to cheat yourself than someone else. If you can find someone who is doing the same exam as you this can be invaluable as both can benefit from this type of revision. When all else fails, ask a parent!

Report A Concern