Having issues revising
Make your revision more interesting
- Set yourself challenges
- Use visuals/colours
- Find links between topics
- Change you study location
- Take sides/take a position/have an opinion
- Invent possible questions
- Read something new
- Revise with others
- Vary blocks of time/subjects
Common problems
- Make a timetable at the beginning of your course and schedule when you need to revise throughout the academic year
- Allowing time for emergencies or unexpected distractions
- Start more intensive revision around 4 weeks before your exam
- Timetable reward periods when you’ve completed a block of revision
- Make time to revise with others
- Set yourself questions that you’d like to find answers to in your notes
- Go through your notes and reduce them to key words and phrases
- Or go through and highlight important information in your notes
- Create flashcards, you can use tools like Quizlet to do this
- Make an essay plan (link) using information from your notes to complete it
- Creating an interest link – How does this relate to something that interests you?
- Mixing blocks of time – Try doing some reading, then switch to writing, or shift between subjects
- Revise outdoors (if possible) or in a different space from usual
- Making yourself a quiz and sharing it with your friends and challenging each other
- See tips for combatting procrastination
- Set yourself smaller goals
- Work with others who are more confident
- Do things to help you relax
- If it becomes a serious problem, contact the University’s or SU’s Student Support team
- See tips for managing exam stress
Emergency strategies
1. Revise several subjects in less depth
- Give yourself 5 minutes to jot down key topics to revise
- Put them in order of importance (5 mins)
- Circle 2 or 3 you know best and start revising these
- Gain an overview
- Select key information
- Repeat for several topics – if you have more time later you can go back and do more
2. Use your anxiety to help you focus
3. Use spare moments
Remember to look after yourself
- Build up sleep patterns prior to exams – changing patterns can cause disruptions
- Eat well and drink plenty of water
- Exercise and relaxation are important