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Asked by Olive to Eleni, Hannah, Jenny, Oli, Steven on 11 Nov 2016. This question was also asked by olliver reseiver.
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Oliver Charity answered on 11 Nov 2016:
Hi ethanbrews,
There are a few things which I used: firstly, writing down notes about what you need (on paper, with a pen) to learn works well as you are processing the information better.
I find the information being held in your brain lowers with time, so repeatintg things in your head is a great way to learn, it also widens the neural connection you made when you learnt something, making it easier to recall.
Oli
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Hannah Bolt answered on 11 Nov 2016:
Hi,
I found several things really useful. I’m a visual learner so I made lots of colored summary diagrams/notes to help the facts stick in my brain.
As Oli said, the more times you repeat something to yourself, the better it sticks in your mind. So I’d make sure if I revised something on a Monday, I’d look back over it on Tuesday, then Thursday and finally the next Monday (1 day after, 3 days after, then 1 week after) to remind myself of it.
Finally, practicing exam questions is probably the best way to help your revision. Once you’ve looked over a topic, try doing an exam question without your notes. Your teacher should be able to give you lots of practice questions and past exam papers to try.
Good luck with your exams!
Hannah
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Steven Street answered on 12 Nov 2016:
Hi Olive,
Good question!
So I didn’t revise particularly well for my GCSE’s… but I have learned the best revision technique for myself since then while I was at university! Everyone has different approaches.
As the others have said, repetition is key to getting things into your long term memory! I usually start by condensing all of my notes / books down into examinable content on A4 paper. This gives me all the information I need in several pages. You can then repeat this process, condensing things down further… you can aim to have all of the key information on one page of A4 paper in the end!
Once I’ve been over everything, I would start looking at past papers. I think the most important thing is to do every past question available, and be able to answer them with perfect answers. If you can answer every past question easily, then you are in a good position to get a good grade in the actual exam! If you struggle to answer a question then go back and learn from your notes, and if that doesn’t help then get your teacher to help you with the answer.
I also think that it’s important to structure your revision properly. You need to give yourself regular breaks and time off, otherwise your concentration will break and you will get sidetracked! Personally I limit my revision time to 9am – 8pm Monday – Saturday. Always give yourself 1 day a week with no revision at all! For me it’s Sunday. I would also give myself the rest of the day off if i had an exam, unless i had an exam the next day and needed to revise for that too. I would always split my revision into mornings and afternoons, and I would work out a plan of what subjects / topics to revise so that each topic has roughly the same number of revision sessions before the exam! When studying one particular subject, I would typically take 5 minute breaks every 30 mins or so.
I think it’s important to revise in a space without too many distractions too. At uni I always went to the library as its so boring and quiet there’s nothing to distract you!
Lastly, on the day of the exam I always normally take my most condensed notes with me to read before the exam…. Different people have different opinions on whether it’s good or bad to revise before the exam, but my aim here is to fill my short term memory with things that my long term memory has forgotten – this has saved my bacon on several occasions!!
Lastly, try to remember that it’s just a moment in time, it’s not forever! You will be free to enjoy life soon. A little hard work for a few months now can make all the difference later, remember that it’s just a stepping stone to greater things. Just keep the end goal in mind!
I went from an E at AS chemistry to a first class masters in chemistry 5 years later, with the second highest grade in my year, so I know that this technique works best for me! Everyone’s different though, so just try and experiment!
Hopefully this helps!
Steve -
Jenny Batson answered on 12 Nov 2016:
Hi Olive
I found for all exams from GCSEs all the way to uni that the best way for me was to make notes on everything. Just the act of writing it out made me think about it and learn it. It didn’t have to be neat, I threw away most of the notes, it just helped to write it out. Everyone learns differently though so another way might work for you. Some people prefer to make mind maps or speak the notes out loud.
Jenny
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