What's the best way to revise?

It's not always possible to find peace and quiet, and a comfortable place to revise. Try to arrange with those at home a set time and space where you can work without being disturbed. Failing that, think about whether you could use other facilities at school, college, or your local library. If you study in a room where you also eat or sleep, try to keep the work area separate, so it's not always confronting you when you're not studying.

There's no 'right' way to revise, it’s largely a matter of what suits you best and the particular exam you’re taking (multiple choice answers, calculations, short-answer questions, or essays). Methods might include making notes from text books, writing quick summaries of topics (in the form of mind maps or spidergrams perhaps), reciting facts out loud, learning dates, formulae or vocabulary by heart, and reading revision books or watching revision programmes. Switching between methods helps you hold your interest and absorb information better. Mix dull subjects with more interesting ones, for the same reason. If it’s hard to get started, begin with something easy.

Actively think about, sift and question what you’re writing and reading, and test yourself afterwards. Writing endless notes, mindlessly, is probably a waste of time. If you come to something you don't understand, try reading about it somewhere else. If that doesn't work, then ask someone who knows the subject well. If you have a problem with concentration, you can improve it by starting with short bursts of study, then adding an extra few minutes to each session. Don’t try to study for longer than 45 to 60 minutes at a stretch.

It may be less stressful to do the work than it is to worry about it. If you find it hard getting motivated, set yourself measurable goals for each revision session, and tick them off when you’ve achieved them. After each session, acknowledge the achievement, and reward yourself with something. Have break between sessions, or if you find things getting on top of you. Get a soft drink, read a magazine or take some exercise. Bear in mind that drinks containing caffeine, such as cola, tea and coffee, are stimulants, and may make you feel more jittery.

It's worth practising timed exam questions and papers. This can give you some idea of what the real exam will be like, and of how to divide your time between questions. Although exam papers are never the same, they’re similar enough to be useful. There’s a good quote that goes, "the more I practised, the luckier I got".

From Mind