Q&A for How to Revise Successfully

How much time you spend will depend on how well you already know the material. If you know the material well and feel comfortable with it, then you probably won't need more than 30 minutes. If you don't understand the material, then you might need 1 to 2 hours.

Just reading notes without interacting with them is ineffective. Make a concept map or diagram to help clarify concepts in your mind. Rewrite anything that still doesn't make sense to you. Highlight points of major interest or importance.

Yes, it usually is. If your class is cumulative and you can expect early material to appear on later exams, it will almost certainly help you to go over earlier tests and take notes on what you need to study.

Consider going for a walk, having a snack or drink, and maybe talking to someone about the revisions you've just done. I would recommend staying away from your phone as this can make it more difficult to return to your work.

it is possible to pass the exam without revising, but it will not necessarily guarantee a high grade. To ensure that you pass your exam and get a good grade, you would want to revise and study for the exam.

Classical music or music without words has been found to be helpful when revising. However, it depends on the person. Some people may find that listening to music helps them to stay on task and focused on the work, but others may find that listening to music distracts them from the work. Try it out, and see if it works for you.

Silence your cell phone, and avoid distractions such as social media and electronic devices. If you are distracted by your family, kindly ask them to not disturb you while you study. Reward yourself with small breaks after you've studied for a set amount of time, such as an hour.

Start revising by creating a timetable for what you are going to revise and when. To find the motivation, do it in small 20-30 minute chunks. After that 20-30 minutes, go to the kitchen and get yourself a chocolate biscuit. Moving about and chocolate release feel-good chemicals, and you will feel much more better about revising. Your brain productivity significantly slows down after 20-30 minutes of a certain activity, so make sure you are taking breaks.

Both. Writing helps remember, as much as looking does. Find spare paper, lay your notes beside, jot them down maybe once or twice a day, just to keep that thought in your mind that says "Ok, so this means this, I definitely know that.". You know this because you've wrote it down, remembered it, studied it, done everything possible to keep it in your mind. Revision techniques depends on your style, so try them both out, you'll get on fine. If you have an exam coming up, revise, do well, don't stress, reassurance and confidence is key.

Try saying all of the learning out loud. You could also try saying out loud when your jogging/walking if you like sports.

Try studying in your school library or at the public library, a local park, or anywhere quiet. You could also try listening to ambient music with headphones or wearing earplugs.

Get up and move around every once in a while. Also, take sips of cold water.

You can find out other techniques like listening to your reading out the text and recording yourself or your friends, so you can listen to this repetitively. This will suit people who can't visualize a mind map or flash cards.

Yes, because it helps heighten your concentration and memory.

Maybe your teacher has some old tests you can do. You might also visit websites (like BBC Bitesize, a personal favorite) that have educational exercises. Obviously, try and find exercises that are relevant to the topic or subject you're studying.

Start your revision now. Try writing out questions and testing yourself, or even try teaching the subject to a younger sibling or parent. (This will make you recall all the information and focus on someone else trying to learn the subject instead of yourself. Try to teach without your notes.)

Flashcards can be good for this, or you can make practice tests. Your best option would be to work with a friend and create tests for each other to take. If you're not sure what material you need to study, look back over your notes from class, and read through the main ideas from the chapters in your textbook that the test will be covering.

These same techniques should work, but you may need some extra assistance from a teacher or fellow student who can keep you focused on your revision. You might also consider doing something to keep yourself better focused on the task at hand, like listening to music.

Try reading your material out loud 3 times, then close the book and try to repeat it without looking.

Most people learning a subject much better if they utilize "spaced practice" instead of "mass practice," which means taking breaks. The breaks allow the new information or skills to "percolate" down into the long term memory circuits which enables most learners to recall more information or perform newly learned tasks much more readily than cramming for hours on end with no let up. The breaks most effective (for you) may be as short as five seconds or as long as five hours, depending on the learner as well as the amount and type of information you are trying to learn.

It's never to early to revise. The earlier you start, the more you are going to remember.

No. It is a superstition that doesn't work.

That's an excellent idea. Social media can be so addictive that it can suck you in for half a day without you even realising. Getting rid of such distractions for the time being is a great way to jump start your revision.

If you have an inadequate amount of time you need to identify your weaknesses and focus solely on mastering those.

Using active recall is more important that either of those. As much as mine maps and notecards are helpful for having the information stored easily and downsized, revision would be more successful by doing practice questions and papers. Don’t spend too much time on writing notes.

Past papers help you get an idea of how the format of your exams or tests are. They can help you understand the type of questions that may come and for how many marks. What really matters isn't the amount of papers you've solved, but how much you understood and can apply in daily life.