Creating a revision plan is crucial, but it is only part of the process. The real progression comes when you focus on how you revise. Many students unknowingly rely on ineffective revision strategies, and to maximise your performance in the upcoming exams, it is essential to reflect on your revision habits and refine your techniques.

Why Common Revision Strategies Fall Short

It is very common for students to fall into passive revision routines using strategies such as reading and re-reading notes, highlighting textbooks, or copying out content. While these approaches feel familiar and may create the illusion of progress, they are rarely effective in promoting long-term learning or deep understanding.

Below are some of the common ineffective strategies that some students use:

  • Cognitive passivity: Simply reading over material does not engage your brain in the way required for memory retention or flexible thinking.
  • Lack of application: Revision that does not challenge you to apply knowledge in new contexts will not prepare you for the demands of exam questions.

What’s missing here is metacognition. This is the process of thinking about your own learning. Students who regularly reflect on what they know, what they do not know, and what strategies work best for them tend to achieve better outcomes.

Adopt Evidence-Based Revision Strategies

1. Practice Active Recall and Spaced Repetition
The single most effective method for learning is active recall, where you retrieve information from memory without referring to your notes.

  • Before revising a topic, take a blank sheet and write down everything you can remember.
  • Then check against your notes and identify gaps.
  • Use flashcards, self-quizzing, or apps like Anki and Quizlet to reinforce key information.

Combine this with spaced repetition, where you revisit material at increasing intervals over time. This approach strengthens long-term retention far more effectively than cramming.

2. Condense and Transform Your Notes
Effective revision involves processing information, not just reviewing it. Summarise key ideas into:

  • Condensed bullet points or topic grids
  • Mind maps to show relationships between concepts
  • Flow charts to explain processes or sequences

Teaching the material to someone else (Feynman Technique) is another useful tool. If you cannot explain it simply, you do not know it well enough.

3. Make Full Use of Past Papers
Past paper practice is vital, but it is important to vary how you use them:

  • Diagnostic use: Attempt questions before revising a topic to identify weak areas.
  • Timed conditions: Mimic exam pressure to build your writing speed and resilience.
  • Mark scheme analysis: Self-assess your answers using the examiner’s criteria. This develops exam technique and gives insight into how marks are awarded.

4. Pomodoro Technique
Revision is not about the number of hours you put in; it is about what you do in those hours.

Use the Pomodoro Technique or similar approaches to structure your time:

  • 25 minutes of focused study
  • 5-minute break
  • Repeat this 3–4 times, then take a longer break

This helps prevent burnout, sustains concentration, and encourages you to revise with purpose. Set goals for each session and reflect on whether you met them, again, this is metacognitive thinking in action.

5. Work Collaboratively
Peer revision can be highly effective when used correctly. Quizzing one another, discussing tricky concepts, or co-creating mind maps are all valuable.

However, be mindful of group dynamics. It is easy for productive sessions to become social distractions. Set clear objectives for group study and hold each other accountable.

6. Be a Reflective Learner
Truly effective revision is not defined by how hard you work, but by how deliberately you work. High-performing students are those who take ownership of their learning, engage in regular self-reflection, and continuously adapt their methods to improve their understanding and performance.

Ask yourself:

  1. What’s working?
  2. What needs to change?
  3. What support do I need to access?

By applying the techniques above and taking a metacognitive approach to your learning, you will not only revise more effectively, but you will also build habits that will serve you well throughout your academic and professional life.

Article written by Aaron Ghuman, Director of Teaching and Learning, at MPW Birmingham

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    On 8th June 2019   /