Revision hints and tips

Tips for success

It’s no secret that preparing for your exams can be a stressful and daunting time, but approaching your revision with a good plan and regular breaks can go a long way! In no time at all, you’ll be enjoying summer, carefree, and looking forward to starting College in September, for a brand-new adventure.

We’ve put together some top revision tips for you below to get you started and set you up for success. Everyone revises in different ways, so take any of these tips and adjust them to suit you.

Tip #1 Plan out your revision for each subject or exam and don’t try to revise everything at once.

Make sure you also schedule some time for eating, sleeping, and socialising or seeing friends. Your brain needs time to recoup, so cramming lots of revision all at once, or forgetting to take a break or eating won’t help to retain all that information, or it can overload you and cause more stress.

Tip #2 Try different techniques.

There are many ways to revise, which can work differently for different people.
You can try:

• Asking a friend or family member to quiz you, by asking questions and you providing the answers – this shares the tasks, and a friendly face will help keep you relaxed
• Use flashcards to write down facts or topics and colour code them or use bullet points. These can be great visuals to stick on your wall and will be easy to read while you are getting ready for the day
• Ask a teacher for some past exam revision papers, so you can become familiar with the format of the exam and prepare yourself for the day, ensuring you revise the correct content to suit, e.g., multiple choice or essay response
• Try to think of phrases or rhymes to remember certain facts – you’ll be surprised how many years these can stay in your mind long after your exam has been and gone!

Tip #3 Start early in the morning once you have eaten a good breakfast.

You will be at your best and freshest (depending on how early you wake up or how late you went to bed!) and your brain will be ready to learn. Try to have minimal distractions by putting your phone on do not disturb mode or hiding it away so you won’t be tempted to go on it for a quick scroll.

Tip #4 Be positive.

By this point, you’ll have sat many exams throughout your time at school, so you will know what to expect.

If your revising doesn’t go to plan on a certain day, or you’re struggling with a subject, try a new method or speak to your classmates about how they revise, they may give you a great idea you haven’t previously tried.

Tip #5 And last but not least, don’t panic… you will be surprised what that brain of yours has retained over the last few months.

Good luck and believe in your genius.