Exam Season 101

Picture this: glancing at my to-do list for the day whilst sipping on my coffee, I noticed I had scheduled in two hours for “revision”. Now, not only had I failed to plan when I was going to complete said “revision”, I had also failed to specify what modules, and how I was going to revise. Safe to say, I procrastinated starting my revision for yet another day and those two hours of scheduled revision were pushed forward to later in the week. Despite my attempts, my poor planning meant I didn’t achieve what I had intended to. And Finals are scary. Procrastinating because I fail to get myself organised is not going to help! So in an attempt to actually commence my revision, I am bringing you all the tips and tricks I have used throughout my degree so far to help kickstart revision. Quite frankly, I need this too….

–Get familiar with the style of examination

How are you supposed to revise for an exam when you have no idea what format that exam is going to take? It’s very difficult, in my opinion. Is it short answer, or essay based? How long is the exam going to be? Are you going to be examined on all the content…and what about the seminars and readings? Knowing what you are dealing with can help you plan your revision more effectively.

–Traffic-light system

I think we can all agree that the amount of content at University is INSANE. So revising every tiny detail is going to be impossible. By taking a holistic look at the topics for the module, you can identify the ones you struggle the most with (which you colour code red), the ones you are ok at (which you colour code orange) and the ones that you already understand pretty well (which you colour code green). Then, you can conduct your revision by revising all the red first, then orange and then the green if you have time.

–Use the learning objectives

The lecturers give you learning objectives for a reason. Mapping what you have learnt in the lecture against these objectives helps to consolidate the content in your mind and gives you the most important take home messages.

–Be active with your revision

Reading notes is an incredibly ineffective strategy. Be active! Write, colour code, record yourself explaining things, meet up for study sessions with your friends. Answer questions.

–Change up your study environment

For me, this massively helps my concentration. If I stay in one location all day, the tendency to zone out becomes insurmountable. Try a coffee shop, or a space on Campus. University House is my FAV location on Campus to revise…the Costa is a nice addition too – vanilla latte anyone?

–Take time out

Still do the things you love! If anything, they become even more essential during this time. Take time to see friends and family, exercise, relax…and most importantly – sleep!