Monday 18 January 2010

5 Tips for Better Revision.

revisingSee the full sized image by Noora Suliman at Flickr here. 

I know for a majority of people exams are now over for the time being and the next set won’t be hitting you until nearer the summer. I still have one exam to re-sit in just under two weeks and I’m still a little worried. However, I think I can now safely say I know a thing or two about revision techniques and because of this, I want to pass on what I’ve discovered to you guys!

Everyone is different.
This is the key to revision – you are not your friends or course mates. You are you! Being you means that certain techniques are going to work for you and others aren’t. If you’re a visual arty person then it might  be easier for you to see things as pictures rather than written text; musical types might enjoy making up a little song filled with facts and figures to recall their knowledge; factual types might find it easier to just write and rewrite their key information until it’s totally sunk in. My point is, you need to do whatever works best for you. Not to say you shouldn’t try something if you don’t think it’s going to work – you never know, it might be just the thing missing from your revision technique.

Yet another list.
So here are some of my tips and ideas for you to try out to see which works for you! (I have to add that some of these may have been stolen from willing friends as well!)

  1. When is your peak time?
    Do you work better in the morning or the afternoon. Maybe you’re a little bit nocturnal and work best at three in the morning when you can have absolute silence. I find I work best in the morning and get up a bit earlier than normal if I have a lot to get through in the day. But for you, it might be different – experiment and see.
  2. What is your ideal technique.?
    This relates to the techniques I mentioned above. Find out how you remember things best – whether it’s pictures, words or music. It’s all about trial and error.
  3. What is your ideal environment?
    Do you work better in silence or with some music playing in the background? Do you like it to be very warm or a little bit chilly to keep you alert? Find out where you revise best. Maybe it’s in a library or your own room. Once you know, never leave it!
  4. What is your fuel?
    And I mean that in the literal sense. Is water your elixir of knowledge, or is a strong cup of coffee going to help you get through the day? Is a nice healthy apple going to keep your smart hat on, or is calorific chocolate going to help you remember that complicated formula?
  5. Why do you want to study?
    And the answer isn’t “to pass my exam”. I mean why do you want to pass the exam? Think about it in the short and long term – in the short term it is so you can pass the exam, but in the long term what do you want to achieve with your qualification or diploma? A nice and comfortable life with the people you love? A high powered job? Being able to help people? It’s your goal and you are the only one who is going to make it happen – that should be enough of an incentive to help you revise and to find your ideal revision zone.

Finding out the ideal way to revise for you is crucial to any and all tests and exams. Even if you’re set in your ways, you may find that there is one thing which can take your revision from A- to A+.

What are your best revision tips?

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