101 revision tips

Be active in your learning

Copying up is not revision

Thinking is required

Not a good approach…

Work hard with learning

Prepare for revision lessons

Think about different topics

Set yourself questions

Organise information

Rework your notes

Draft and redraft work

Link ideas and information

Evaluate your own work

Discuss with others

Use feedback constructively

Summarise a passage in 8-12 words Summarise a passage in 8-12 words. This makes you think about what you have read.

Make a list of the topics you need to revise

Make a spider diagram/mindmap

Change the format of your original notes Change the format of your original notes. Changing the information into another format means that your brain is processing the information, which means that it is much more likely to stick

Think of 3-5 examples about something you have learned to help you apply what you learn

Work out how many revision sessions you can give a particular subject, and divide up the work into that many sessions.

Work out which is the best example and why Work out which is the best example and why. This will help you prioritise and evaluate.

Plan reviewing sessions for the week’s work at some stage, at the end of the week.

List 50 mini-questions about one aspect of the subject (what, why, who, where, when, how did x happen?) This helps you to explore the subject.

Practice your maths calculations

Answer your own mini-questions Answer your own mini-questions. This helps you to research in an organised and focused way.

If you don’t complete a day as planned, don’t abandon the timetable and think that it’s not going to work. Get back to it the next day. Or change it if necessary.

Draw a diagram or cartoon to illustrate a theory or concept.

Create skeleton exam answers under timed conditions

Write action plans of things to do each lesson, each day, each week.

Create revision cards

‘Teach’ what you have learned to a real or imaginary person.

Don’t think it will be enough simply to read through your notes Don’t think it will be enough simply to read through your notes. It won’t. Very few of us have a photographic memory. You will need to employ other techniques.

Get someone to test you

Keep a revision journal.

Make yourself work hard – don’t just write a fact – ask it as a question so that you can cover the question to test yourself

Make a wallchart or large plan, linking different topics in a subject

Check your class notes are complete.

Research different revision timetables to see what works best for you

List all the key points for one topic

Go public – share your revision timetable so that friends and family can help you stay on track

Draw a simple picture of each key point

Eat healthily and stay hydrated in the run-up to your exams

Stick one post-it note on each page of your textbook, exercise book or revision guide. Condense that page into 3-5 bullet points on the post-it note.

Make a YouTube video or powerpoint if you find traditional revision techniques difficult

Learn your exam command words (state/ describe/ evaluate etc.)

Identify the subjects that require a lot of learning and the areas that you feel weak in. Work on these.

Colour code your notes

Predict exam questions based on past papers

Use mnemonics to learn sequences (e.g. SOHCATOA)

Use revision websites

Summarise case studies

Know your exam paper for each subject

Give yourself timed targets for a revision session…and a reward

Pick out the things you really don’t understand…and ask your teacher

Find a stress-buster technique that works for you (e. g Find a stress-buster technique that works for you (e.g. breathing or visualisation)

Get a group of people from your class to choose a topic each and you can quiz each other. In addition, you can swap each other’s cards to revise different areas of the course.

Make your own revision game

If you listen to music, make sure it doesn’t distract you – it’s called background music

Get rid of the excuses

Disconnect – turn off your phone and close Facebook when you are revising

Decorate your room/wall/ceiling with revision notes and diagrams

70% of what you learn can be forgotten within 24 hours if your don’t make a special effort to remember it.

Study with a friend

Use appropriate and recommended websites but remember that looking at them without a pen in your hand and a notebook in front of you isn’t revision.

Create an audio file to listen to on the bus.

Draw a copy of a diagram - but without the labels Draw a copy of a diagram - but without the labels. Then try to fill in the labels from memory.

Change key words in the topic for pictures or symbols or abbreviations and use those in your revision

Have an aim for each session – by the end of this session I will have.....

Create your own card sorts

Plan your revision in half hour chunks with built-in breaks of at least 5 minutes. Every couple of hours, take a slightly longer break of, say, 15 minutes. During your break, forget about revision – have a drink and a snack. Talk to your family! After all, your friends will be unavailable…they’ll all be revising!

Identify what you already know and the parts you need more time on – self testing will help with this.

Keep your notes as brief as possible Keep your notes as brief as possible. One idea is to reduce all your notes into key words (a whole subject should fit onto 1 side of A4 paper).

Break all topics into do-able chunks and don’t just read at this stage but do something active with it.

Work out "what could they ask me about this?"

Short bursts of 20-25 mins are effective. Take short breaks.

If you haven’t started…START NOW

Tick off what you have done so you can see your progress.

"Look, Cover, Write, Check"

Use practice exam papers – over and over and over

Remind yourself over and over

Prepare a revision timetable

Try GCSEPod – listen and learn

Get one good revision guide for each subject – use the advice of your teachers and know what works best for you.

Prepare a suitable study space at home, with everything you need close at hand

Make yourself start however much you don’t want to – the hardest bit is now out of the way.

Reading is not revising – DO something with what you are reading

Don’t leave the difficult bits until last

Notes are meant to be short memory-joggers Notes are meant to be short memory-joggers! There is no point in simply re-writing your class material.

STOP when you feel frustrated, angry, overwhelmed and take a break STOP when you feel frustrated, angry, overwhelmed and take a break. Make a note of the problem and deal with it next lesson – move on to something else.

Focus on what you have already done and not what is still to do – remember every little helps.

At the end of a session – clear away and put notes in the right file so you can start the next session straight away.

Know your exam timetable – highlight yours in colour and put them on your calendar.

Don’t imagine you can learn everything you need to know the night before the exam.

Don’t imagine that life will go on as ‘normal’ during important examinations. It won’t. You must be prepared to make some sacrifices to make sure that you do the very best that you can.

Don’t be negative about what you think you can achieve Don’t be negative about what you think you can achieve. Revising thoroughly and receiving the help and support of the people around you will make all the difference. So, don’t tell yourself you “can’t do it anyway” – that’s just opting out.

Avoid the temptation to focus only on what you are good at or what you most enjoy. Make sure you devote extra time to those areas you find more difficult and, possibly, less interesting.

Create sets of study cards

Revise in a quiet environment. Close the door Revise in a quiet environment. Close the door. Ask your friends not to call, text or e-mail you and tell your brothers and sisters to stay out!

Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.