Revision: the grand plan

Ready for the day

  • You want it all to come together just on time for the big days - when you sit the exam papers.
  • That means planning, now, to make that happen with a minimum of stress (but you can't make anything like this stress free!)

Plan good revision

  • Make sure that you know what your teachers want you to do before you make detailed plans - it would be a real pain if you duplicate revision they are going to do with you, or revise the wrong topics etc. In addition teachers will be able to suggest more interesting ways to revise
  • If you spend too great a proportion of your time on one subject, either because it is your favourite one or because it is known to be weak, the other subjects will suffer. It is very common for students to get their best results in subjects they found difficult - they neglected their stronger subjects during revision.
  • Before you can revise properly, get your files sorted out. Use a copy of the syllabus to put notes in topic order. If you've got gaps (material mislaid or missed), fill them now - make your own, copy from friends etc.
  • You might combine this with the first revision run through - you're aiming to go through everything three times between now and the exam. The first run through is a big skim: read all your notes carefully but without trying hard to remember them. This stage reminds you of the big picture. It shouldn't take you more than three to six hours.
  • Then comes main revision: the big grind, when you learn the details. More about this below.
  • Finally, skim through again. Aim to finish the big grind a few days before the exam, so you've a few days to skim through it all again. Repetition is a key part of good revision! If you made some form of condensed notes as part of the big grind these will come in handy now.

The big grind

  • This is the main time of learning detail.
  • Use a syllabus to divide the task up into a lot of smaller topics (it's easier to get started and to see your progress if you divide one monumental job into a series of smaller do-able tasks). Make a provisional timetable for which topics you will cover each week.
  • At the start of a week, look at the topics you've planned to revise and decide which topics you will revise each day. Each evening decide when you will fit in each of the next days' topics.
  • Build in a bit of slack because you may get a bit behind.

Arrange your life to make revision possible

  • Carve out the time. You've got to find time in a life that's busy enough anyway. Where will you find it. Think about this before you hit crisis point - what's got to give way, where can you turn ‘down time' into study time? Sacrifices should be less difficult now the exam is close.
  • Sort out your space. If the place where you do most of your private study isn't easy to work in, see what you can do to make it better. What distracts you when you are trying to settle down? Can you do something to reduce that distraction? Is the TV, Playstation, PC too easy to turn on when you're feeling under pressure? Can you do without them for a few weeks?!
  • Get parents and friends onside. Your parents' anxiety may turn them into naqgers. The best way round this is to show them that you're in control. Put your revision timetable on the kitchen door and keep them in touch. That way you're better placed to ask them to back off if they are over-doing the parental concern. Friends can be a wonderful support or a major distraction. Back off them if you find they're getting between you and what you have to do.
  • Keep healthy. Serious revision will take up a lot of your energy, and so you need to keep a careful watch over other demands on your time, especially if these include a big social life. You don't have to live like a hermit, just pace yourself and avoid those situations which are likely to leave you washed out the next day. There is nothing worse than exhausting yourself by doing too much at once, leaving nothing in reserve for the exams themselves. Make sure that you eat sensibly and that you get some exercise. Getting a good night's sleep helps too, and you should ask for advice if you find it difficult to get to sleep at a reasonable hour.)
  • Stay cool. A bit of tension is only to be expected, but don't let yourself succumb to the panic which can paralyse. If you've planned everything, started early, and stuck to your plans you will be fine. If you are worried, try to pin down what is bothering you: the chances are that you can do something about it. Don't let yourself be haunted by nameless anxieties ! Friends can be a real help, but a pleasant mutual moan can pull you all down rather than reassure you that what you are going through is universal and not the start of personal decline. If panic starts to really get you down, and especially if you spend more time worrying than working you ought to get help - teachers, family etc.