Change Learning Objectives into Essay Questions
This technique is most useful for essay based exams which is what all of my university exams (undergrad and masters) have been. I have found that the best method of revision for me is to go through all of the teaching material, find all the learning objectives and turn them into essay style questions using bullet points. I know this sounds like a very long method and it certainly is time consuming but so worth it in the end. I do it by taking the learning objectives and then going through lectures, extra recommended reading and Google to have all of the information in one place.
As much as it sounds very time-consuming, for me I find it so worth it as all of the information is organised into sections in one place, easy to find and just easier to process than hundreds of lecture slides.
Colour Code each Module
This sounds soooo pointless, but because I only had three modules this term I could make one each colour with highlighters, different revision card booklets and felt tip pens etc. It sounds very extra but when you're in an exam and you can just picture the colour sometimes it can spark a memory that kickstarts the essay in the exam. Also - lets not lie your notes look so much cuter when colour coded.
Test and re-test until you get it right
This is something that I have always found useful since doing spelling tests in year 2! I tend to go through my essay practice questions, highlight the key points and then talk out loud through the points until I can do it without looking. It's then good to leave that topic for an hour or two and come back to it and the more you do this the more the topic and key points are lodged in your brain. Even if you can't remember everything, sometimes in an exam it just requires one point to kickstart the chain of thoughts in the exam.
I saw Grace Fit UK do this but with key points on revision cards which I really wish I had done because this is a much more efficient way of doing it.
Take Breaks - Don't Burn yourself out
One of the reasons I hate revision (there are many lol) is that it never feels like you've done enough. At least with coursework once its done its done kind of thing. But even though I hate feeling like I haven't done enough I still maintain that it is super important to take breaks. I tend to work best during the day so I get up at like 7am during revision season and then finish my work at about 8/9pm with (many) breaks in between, however I know other people who like to get up super late and then work later - whatever works best for you but allow yourself to have the morning or evening to chill and watch the odd episode of TV (I am not recommending binge watching entire seasons, but chill out time is important). Without this I burn out and just end up reducing what I do the next day.
Make Mind Maps off by heart and 'mark' using Notes
This is a fairly similar point to 'Test and re-test' however it uses mind maps :) I tend to do each module section by section and write everything I can remember about the topic and then go through my learning objective essays to add the extra information - however any information I have added by looking I do in a different colour so I can quickly see improvements when I repeat this. Having methods like this is good because its almost like a list of tasks which can be ticked off a to-do list rather than 'revise science' it can be 'make mind map on cells'... if that makes any sense?
Create a Realistic To-do List
Following on from the last point, I personally find it really useful to break down my revision in to tasks rather than 'revise blah blah subject'. This just makes me more productive and feel more accomplished at the end of each day. It also gives a focus to your revision rather than sitting there feeling a bit lost on where to start :)
Schedule your Day
This is quite similar to 'creating a realistic to-do list' but I find that if I organise my day by modules - especially when writing up my learning objective essays it makes me far more productive. So for example I'll schedule in an hour and a half for a task and then give myself breaks in between and it just means you know that for that hour and a half you need to put in all your effort to then get a break at the end. I think that was a really long-winded way of explaining 'schedule your day'.
My typical day during the last 3 weeks would be;
8-9.30 revision #1
9.30 - 9.45 break
9.45- 11.30 revision #2
11.30 - 11.45 break
11.45 - 1.15 revision #3
1.15 - 2.15 lunch
2.15- 3.45 revision #4
3.45-5 big break/gym
5-5.45 revision #5
5.45 -6.30 revision #6
6.30 - 7.30 dinner
7.30 - 8.30 revision 7
(obviously some days off for events etc)
Use YouTube videos
I can only talk for science as that's all I am studying now, but honestly YouTube has been a lifesaver in all of my qualifications. People upload really good tutorials which can be really helpful having someone else explain something, seeing diagrams and tutorials can help simplify things or put it all into perspective. I still use this for my Masters and so there is literally videos on any topic at any level I have needed (which is many). Some of them I have actually found more useful than my lectures (sorry Trent).
Remove Distractions
I think it is super important to just turn off your phone and hide it in another room or under your pillow if you can't leave it somewhere else. This just completely removes the distraction and I also tend to remove all my passwords and log ins from social media on my laptop so I literally cannot do anything but study (I'm useless at knowing my passwords so this works for me). Not that I get many texts anyways but having that distraction removed is super helpful for me and helps me just knuckle down and remain focused.
Use the Gym as a Break
As I put in my typical time table above I used to really enjoy going to the gym just to get out of the house and get moving because sitting at your desk all day using all your brain power gets super tiring and actually the gym can be really good as a refresh. I used to do a warm up of an incline walk and tell myself that then and in the evening was the only time I was able to scroll aimlessly through social media. Not only do you realise how much time you waste on your phone (certainly me anyways) but it also gets exercise in while on your phone - win win!
Obviously it does go without saying that I am absolutely not a perfect person at revision, I have days where I am so unproductive and rather than beat myself up over it I just start afresh the next day. But these are just the things that I have found work the best for me, I much prefer starting revision earlier rather than cramming as it's a bit less stressful and anything to minimise my anxiety is preferable - but everyone is different :)
I hope some of these tips are useful and good luck with revision, also don't forget all of the snacks! :)
Shop this Post
Great tips!
ReplyDeleteChelle: www.chellebelle2016.blogspot.co.uk
thank you! xxx
Delete