The art of effective revision

Exam season is approaching and whether you are about to face online or in-person exams, it’s important to go back to the basics on maintaining motivation and health while revising. So here are a few tips on how to organise your revision to make your studying process easy and effective.

1. Break up the content – The first approach to your revision should be to break up and organise all the content you need to revise. Trying to remember all your first-year notes in one sitting is not effective you can easily get stuck in spending most of your precious study time just organising your work. Step number one is to allocate an A4 folder to each module you will revise. If you have varying amounts of notes for different modules maybe consider a large lever-arch folder for your core modules, and smaller folders for your optional modules etc.
2. Organise your content – Once you have your notes from each module into separate folders, you can use subject dividers that are split into tabs of 10 so that each divider represents one week of a ten-week term. Behind each divider, put your notes and readings/diagrams/illustrations etc. that you have for that week of term. Once you’ve done this, you should have all your notes for Week 1 behind the first subject divider, all of your notes for Week 2 behind the second subject divider and so on, until you have a complete collection of your notes for all 10 weeks of term. If not then you’ve identified gaps in your knowledge where you can ask others in your seminars for help or your tutor. Some subjects such as, History of Art, Film Studies, Languages etc. have a Reading/Trip Week instead of Week 6. Behind the subject divider for Week 6, instead of leaving it blank you could include a list of terminologies you’re struggling to remember, a glossary, or some external research of your own.
3. Write out your notes – At this point you’ve got your notes in chronological order and organised into sections, it’s now time to actually revise. There are different revision processes that suit different people, some people need information broken down into small chunks on flashcards, some people work better with visual information (images, illustrations, etc.), and it’s a fact that the process of writing and rewriting information is much more effective than just reading. Whatever process you choose, as long as it’s an interactive activity where you’re actively doing something with the information, it will ensure a higher percentage of you retaining the knowledge.
4. Pick your environment – Now you’re in a position where you’ve got all of your information and study techniques ready to go, all that’s left is choosing the correct environment to revise in. Whether you’re studying at home or on campus, there are various factors that can subtly affect the way you revise. If you’re someone who needs a quiet area or complete silence to revise, then the library or one of the small study-centres on campus is probably the best place to be. Or if you’re someone who likes to have a little background noise then maybe consider your own room (if you can separate your work life from home life), or one of the larger study areas on campus like, the Faculty of Arts building, the SU, or the Oculus. Finding out which environment is the best for you is very much a trial-and-error process but it’s important to explore the campus and see what you work best in.
5. Look after yourself – While the build up to exams is undoubtedly a stressful time, it’s important to maintain your own health – your physical and mental health are just as important as each other. This means taking regular breaks, eating and drinking well, and taking time out in the evenings for your own hobbies. Surrounding yourself with other people is a great way to take your mind of things and sometimes if you’re struggling to revise (it happens sometimes) doing something like watching a movie, playing pool, or baking is a great way of getting out of your own head.

Good luck!