Knowing where to start with revision can be difficult. These techniques will help you to study effectively.
When the deadlines start to pile up, making time to revise can get tricky. Here are five great strategies to ensure you stay on top of your studies.
1. Summarise what you’ve learnt
Summarising the information you’ve learnt about a topic is a great way to revise. A great way of doing this is condensing your notes down to one piece of paper, or writing down the most important points and definitions on flashcards. You can also create mind maps to present the key facts in a way that shows the links between different topics. This helps you to identify what information is important and gives you a good overview of a topic.
You could also use short summaries or headings as a way of prompting your memory, which is helpful for planning exam answers.
2. Exam practice
This is a great revision technique if your course involves exams. Completing past papers under timed conditions gives you an idea of how long to spend on each question. Practice writing model answers using the mark scheme and your notes to help you understand what you need to include to get top marks.
Writing brief outlines of what to include in potential questions is also a good revision technique that combines exam practice and summarising.
3. Use your flashcards
Use your flashcards effectively by testing yourself to see what you learn. This will highlight any gaps in your knowledge, allowing you to focus your revision where you need it most. You could test yourself on key points using flashcards by writing the name of a concept on one side of the card and information about it one the other side. Alternatively, you could have a question on one side of the flashcard and the answer on another.
4. Longer recall
For trickier topics that might be hard to summarise on flashcards, you could try other recall techniques. Try writing down everything you remember about a certain topic. When you have finished, check it against your notes to see if you’ve missed any important information. This is useful as it helps you to identify the things you find hard to remember, allowing you to work on those areas.
5. Revise with friends
Revising with friends helps you to stay motivated and can make revision more fun. You could arrange a video call to discuss key topics and help each other understand any difficult concepts.
You could try teaching each other topics. Teaching someone else is a good way to check your own understanding and deepen your knowledge because, if you can explain it well to someone else, you probably have a good understanding of the topic.
Prospective student? We want to hear from you! Join the Student Hut Forum and earn £s by taking surveys.
