Revision Woes

May '089th

It’s tough this time of the year when everyone seems to have gone in hibernation for exams. It feels like the times I am in school, I only see my friends briefly, and I’ve been spending way too much time cooped up at home with a stack of revision notes and a grumpy moulting cat to keep me company.

I’ve been finding it hard to stay focused and motivated on getting good grades when the course I’m doing after the Summer doesn’t require any qualifications at all. The only thought that is keeping me going is that I’ve worked so hard these past 7 years, and it would be a waste to throw it all away because I couldn’t be bothered.

Since they’re only a few weeks away, I thought I’d share a few ideas to help anyone else preparing for their exams.

Revision Tips

• Split your subjects into sections. For example, my IT course has 2 modules split into 10 sections each. Therefore I need 20 revision sessions (maybe an hour long each) before the exam, plus 2 hours at the end for each module as a ‘recap’
• Make a revision timetable on a calendar application such as Google Calendar or iCal. Add a block for each section on each day at a time you find revising easiest. I find between 4pm and 6pm is the best time because it’s straight after school and I have the rest of the day to waste after that.
• Add your exams to the calendar so you can see how many days you have to revise, and pace yourself accordingly.
• Set alarms 15 minutes before each session. This can be done on most calendar applications, either by email, or a little popup. This gives you time to get your stuff together.
• Revise in the way that you find most fun. Revision is deadly boring, so I try to incorporate the things I enjoy doing into it. This could be by making a web-page for each section with notes in bullet points, or drawing diagrams, pictures or brainstorms. If you do it on the computer, you can search, print and and share your notes with others which is useful!
• Keep breaking down all your notes so they fit on a couple of pages. Then use those pages for a cramming session the day before the exam.

I hope that helps. I’ve found it has certainly made it easier to get down to revision despite how I feel. Maybe you have some additional tips?