The Best Ways To Revise

Exams. For some people they’re a breeze, for others they’re incredibly stressful. But no matter where you fall on the how-I-feel-about-exams scale, it’s important to be prepared. And there are loads of different ways of revision out there to help you get ready and smash the questions in front of you. Here are some of the best we’ve found, and some top tips from our Writers’ Club too!

Keep it simple

Revising can seem intimidating, especially when there is so much stuff to remember. So, one great tip is to just keep condensing. Write down everything you think you need - go full out. Then, look at those notes and cut them down. Then, look at them again and cut them down further, so, at the end you have an index card, or a piece of paper with just the most important bits. Use bullet points, number systems or even mind map diagrams to pull information out, but keep those sentences short and sweet. You essentially just want to jog your memory, rather than having excess info in front of you. And this kind of method has worked for Writers’ Club member Kerrie too, who says: “In order to also help my retention, I practise essay questions with a three-step method. Firstly, I write the essay without notes. I then wait two minutes and write the essay with notes. Finally, I wait another two minutes and write the essay again without notes. There is always an improvement between the first and third step and has helped me to gain A*s in my recent exams!”

Get visual with it…

For some people, simply writing down notes makes things more confusing. But, creating something more visually pleasing - like a page with symbols, coloured patterns, or drawings - can bring your notes to life and help you remember them more easily. You could even draw some characters who cover key points, or come up with a diagram that’ll help you remember significant details! Put the pages you design up on your walls like posters, so they become part of your everyday life and you take them in, even when you aren’t in full on revision mode. 

Talk it out…

For Writers’ Club members, Elise and Imogen, they’ve found that talking through their work really helps it stick in their mind. Here’s what they have to say…

“We all know: the sooner you start revising, the less stressed you'll be. But I find it so hard to motivate myself without the threat of a deadline, so I like talking to my friends about the information that I need to learn for my exams. I begin with the interesting parts of the course and move into the more important ones. For example, in English Lit, we talk about the funny quotes first and end up diving - almost accidentally - into the complex themes of the texts. It helps me get used to the material without tiring me out, it makes revising so much more fun and works surprisingly well. I'd definitely recommend it!” - Elise

“My favourite revision method is explaining what I am learning to someone else. It allows you to very quickly realise what you don’t understand. Once you are able to talk through every part of the topic you are revising, it means you have complete understanding of all of it. Another reason this is my favourite method of revision is that it can be fun! Revising Tudor foreign policy with my friend felt like we were gossiping and talking about a few people called Henry. Especially for subjects like English and History it turns the material into a story, which is much easier to remember and doesn’t even feel like hard work.” - Imogen

Review, rest, review…

And finally, remember to give yourself a break! There’s nothing worse than overloading your brain with information, only to come to your exam and feel blank. So, give yourself time. Set out a schedule where you plan revision and play. Review all your key points at the end of your revision session, then take a step back, and come back to them on another day and see how much you can remember off the bat, and what you need to take another swing at. This will help reinforce your memory, and keep the imploding at bay!