We all know that revision is a part of student life, which is why today we want to share with you some top tips to help you out in our 5 steps to revision success guide.
Know when you are at your best
You need to know yourself and be able to spot when you are at your best. Perhaps you are a morning person and by getting up at the crack of dawn you can power through a mountain of work and feel super productive. Or maybe you are a night owl and do your best work whilst burning the midnight oil. In order to carry out your revision effectively, you need to choose your times wisely.
Make a plan
We know that it can be tempting to leap right in to hitting the books when time is limited and that test is right around the corner. But it is always worth taking a little extra time to make a plan. Think about how to break down your work into manageable chunks, link relevant subjects together and be realistic about the time that you have available.
Set aside money worries and distractions
Now that you have your plan, you need to remove any obstacles to getting it done and wipe out those distractions, so that your mind can stay focused on the task. Money is often the biggest worry and distraction for students, so do yourself a favor and ensure you maximise your income through getting the best accounts, picking up part time work and trying out ideas such as earning free gift cards. You can reduce your spending by using meal plans and budgeting, buying second hand where possible and using offers on websites such as https://smarty.co.uk/blog/student-sim for your phone.
Write it down
Reading the same thing over and over is not the most effective way to revise, you need to write it down. You might be a visual person and keep notes, mind maps and charts so that you have an at-a-glance revision guide to go to. You might write things down and never look at them again, which is OK as it is the act of writing things down that helps them to sink in, you don’t necessarily have to revisit the notes if this does not suit your learning style.
Recognition is not the same as recall
This one is absolutely key and something that so many people slip up on. When you are revising, you might find yourself skimming over sections thinking that you already know it. However, it is so important to remember that recognition is not the same as recall. Your brain might skim it over as you think to yourself that you know all of this, but stop right there and ensure that you can accurately recall the information. Test yourself and write down those facts and only then can you be confident that you really do know it and will be able to recall it when needed under exam conditions.
What steps would you add for revision success?