With exams fast approaching, many students are worried about revision. To help, we’ve gathered some tips from current students on how to revise!
Sarah Johns (fourth year, Accounting and Finance) – “I work in small, timed chunks (like working for half an hour and then taking a break, rather than aiming to write a certain number of words). If it gets to the end and you’re on a roll then keep going, but if not, take a break and come back to it. Keep your phone out of reach and on silent, and keep a physical to do list so that you can properly cross tasks off when they’re done. Remember that doing something is better than doing nothing – so event just 10 minutes of work is great!”
Sophie Miszori (first year, Psychology) – “I like to use the lecture slides to create questions which I use to quiz myself before tests or exams. I just find it more engaging than simply re-reading my notes.”
Connie Burt (third year, Biological Anthropology) – “Set yourself small, manageable goals rather than large, overwhelming ones – this will motivate you to work as you feel like you’re really making progress! Have a five minute ‘organisation time’ before you sit down to start revising. Use that time to make sure you have all the materials you need. This will make you less likely to need to interrupt your revision to get up and find something!”
Nisal Perera (third year, Business and Management) – “My top revision tip is to sit in a comfortable place where you will be able to work without distraction. I also put my phone away so that I’m not distracted.”
Ellie House (second year, Law) – “I like to use the app Quizlet! I spend some time making flashcards on there, and then use the quiz options to test myself. It’s especially useful for definitions or statistics, and I use it to memorise a lot of key cases and the important points to take from them. I also write out flashcards on paper with more lengthy information so that I can carry these around and use them whenever I have time for a quick content catch-up.”
James Hulme (second year, Biomedical Engineering) – “I try to split work into 20/30-minute blocks with short breaks in between. Paraphrasing what you learn in class into clear notes and listing what you want to do that day can also help.”
Thelakshe Vigneswaran (third year, Business and Management) – “To make sure I don’t get distracted I like to film a time-lapse of myself working. This stops me from using my phone so often and getting distracted!”
Yassin Pentoo (third year, Business and Management) – “I recommend listening to music as it helps me to stay motivated and to focus on my work.”
Gemma Overy (second year, Psychology) – “I like to make PowerPoint slides with my lecture notes. I’ll have a box with the main points of that particular subtopic, then a separate box down the side where I write the key terms and definitions. At the end of a section of slides I will have a slide where I write questions for myself to answer at a later date. Then, when I come to do my revision, I can print out the slides and annotate them.”
Bhakti Patel (third year, Social Science) – “I create mind maps for each topic and stick them all around my noticeboard so that I can see and recite them.”
Hope Turner (second year, Law) – “The first thing you are going to want to do is consolidate the notes you already have on the subject. A good place to start is with lecture notes. These should contain the basis of what you are revising and get you working in the right direction! From here you want to add to your consolidated lecture notes. These can be from seminar/workshop notes but also from textbooks or any other resources you have on the subject. Next you want to go over your notes and colour code/highlight the important bits such as cases or terminology.”
Shehaad Alighan (second year, Computing with a year in industry) – “I go through lecture slides and make my notes. I then make flashcards and go through them every day until I have memorised them.”
Alina Sajish (fourth year, Accounting and Management with a year in industry) – “I use the pomodoro technique where I work in 25-minute intervals in order to increase my productivity.”
Lauren Whitfield (second year, Marketing) – “I use the app ‘Forest’ which is really useful for revising. It prevents me from procrastinating and going on my phone. The purpose of it is that it grows trees the entire time that you are away from your phone, however, if you go on it and close the app the tree dies.”
Key resources for online exams