Hi, I’m Katie, and I’m a BA Business Management student. Today’s blog is going to be on a topic that I’m sure has been on the mind of a lot of students recently – exam revision! Since the dreaded exam period starts in a couple of weeks, I thought I’d share some tips and tricks I’ve picked up throughout school and university.
Start revision early – You can never be too prepared, so make sure you start revision as early as you can. By doing revision little and often, you’ll hopefully be saved from cramming loads of information just before your exam.
Make a timetable – Making a timetable it helps you manage your time so much better. Assign time for each topic you’re going to revise but also timetable in your fun activities, breaks and social events. Bonus points for making it colourful!
Find a revision method that works for you – Everyone learns in different ways, whether it’s by making notes, spider diagrams, past papers, speaking out loud or reading. Personally, I found making notes and then trying to teach what I had learned to a family member or friend worked really well for me.
Use colour – There’s nothing worse than plain boring revision notes. By using coloured pens and highlighters, you’ll make revision a lot more exciting and your notes will suddenly be more memorable!
Get enough sleep – Sleep is so important. You cannot concentrate or revise properly without having a good night’s sleep. Get at least 6-8 hours, so that your brain is well rested and you can be ready for another day of revision when you wake up. There’s nothing worse than revising when all you want to do is nap!
Take breaks – Don’t sit for a whole day staring at your revision. You need to take regular breaks for your revision to be beneficial, as your brain can only take in so much information at a time! I have a very short attention span, so find that working for 30 minutes and then having a 5 minute break works for me. If you have a longer attention span, then you might be able to work for an hour and take a 20 minute break – find what works for you!
Food and drink – Without drinking enough water you will get headaches and you won’t be able to concentrate. Staying hydrated is so important for effective revision. Ditch the junk food over exam season! Try your best to eat healthy – eat lots of fruit and vegetables and brain foods like oily fish, nuts, seeds and blueberries.
Get up early – When you’re revising don’t waste your day! Set an alarm so you wake up – start revising at 9am instead of 1pm and you can reward yourself with more time to do other things like see your friends, going out for lunch and taking longer breaks.
Past papers – Personally, I found these are the best way of revising. They help with your time management in the exam, and there is no better way of testing your revision than checking how you can answer real exam questions.
Get enough exercise – Being active is so important! Going to the gym, playing a team sport or just taking the dog on a walk is such a good revision break.
Believe in yourself – Nerves before an exam are so normal but you have to believe in yourself! As long as you are prepared, once you get into the exam you will surprise yourself with how much you know. Be confident in yourself – you’ve got this!