Revision tips over Easter
Life can be hard – especially when it’s that time of the year where you’re trying to get all the information you’ve been taught for the past year into your head, and you don’t even know where to start. But don’t despair: we have some quality revision tips for you that will help you out.
1. Summarise everything
This might sound obvious, but having folders full of notes and irrelevant information that you once scribbled down during class and that you won’t need for your end of year exams can make revision quite a challenge. So sit down, grab a notepad and write down only crucial information. This way your brain doesn’t have to worry about unnecessary things and can really focus on memorising the key points.
2. Start early
Again, maybe an obvious one, but the earlier you start revising the less rushed and hectic you’ll be when you get to those few crucial days just before your exam. In the past I have often found that I find it much easier to remember stuff by just going through all of my notes for weeks without actually putting much effort into trying to learn it off by heart. Starting early also saves you from having those mild-nervous breakdowns when you realise that there’s less time left than expected.
3. Take breaks
Now this one is especially hard when you have started revising last minute and you’re trying to get everything into your brain in less than four days. Nevertheless, it is crucial to give your brain some time to digest all the information you’re feeding it with. So when you get to the point where you feel like nothing’s working anymore, listen to your body. Have a cup of tea, go outside, go for a run … the possibilities are endless. But get away from your work for a few minutes and you’ll find it much easier to return to it when you’re nicely relaxed.
4. Drink plenty of water
We all know that water is a crucial component of our bodies. It is especially important to stay hydrated when revising, as our brains need water to function properly. It is harder to focus when your brain doesn’t have enough water to work with and it makes revision much harder, as a lack of water influences your ability to memorise. It’s easy to stay hydrated if you always have a bottle of water on your desk or keep one in your bag wherever you go.
5. Discover your personal learning style
This one is fairly easy – you can just type it into Google and you’ll get plenty of quizzes and tips on how to find out what’s the best revision style for you. There are a lot of different models and you might have to try a few of them to find out what works best for you, but once you figure it out revision might actually become a lot easier for you. And if you fit to more than just one, give all of them a go and you might find that revision is not as boring as you expected it to be.
So there you go, hopefully these revision tips will help you achieve better results in your exams than you might have if you hadn’t come across them. However hard it might seem to focus on your school work when everyone else is outside enjoying life, try and motivate yourself with the freedom of summer but don’t let yourself get distracted. Exams will be over before you know it!
- By Pia Schumacher
