In this article we provide revision tips on different techniques to help students identify and retain relevant information making revision sessions more productive. Being confident to try different techniques and identify which works best for you well before you have to use it for the real exams!
Exams mean learning lot of facts but don鈥檛 overdo it! Download the specification for free from the exam board for the subjects you are revising for. This will simply state the topics you need to know and list what you need to know about them making your life a lot simpler. Before you start revising, use the traffic light system to 鈥淩AG鈥� the spec. Write G (green) next to the topics you are fine with, 鈥淩鈥� (red) next to the ones that you have the most trouble with and 鈥淎鈥� (amber) next to ones in between. Revise the Red and Ambre topics first! If you can鈥檛 find your spec 鈥� ask your teacher and they鈥檒l be happy to help.
A mainstay of science and geography teachers, this technique can be used to quickly sum up and link topics, facts or figures in any subject.
Here鈥檚 how it works: Start by drawing a bubble with a topic in it, in the middle of a page for a topic that you are trying to revise e.g. 鈥渙il鈥� for GCSE chemistry. Draw a line from that bubble to another bubble and write the name of that linked topic in the new bubble. Fill the new bubble with the facts you need to remember, try to write in short bullet points not in full sentences to fit as much information as possible in a single page. Don鈥檛 worry about being messy.
Try colouring in the bubbles to group similar ideas. Nearer the exam time you can remake these mind maps with just the information you keep forgetting to store it in your short term memory, helping you to revise more effectively.
Made famous by Sherlock Holmes, in fact this 鈥渕ethod of loci鈥� was developed by the ancient Greeks and is popular for memory artists at the circus to remember any facts or figures.
To use it: Imagine a building you know very well with lots of familiar rooms and cupboards. Start by walking through the front door in your imagination and commit an item you want to remember to each room by forming an image between the item and any feature of that room. To remember the 鈥渇act鈥濃�� simply walk through the room. When you get better at it 鈥� start using the cupboard too!
Make it fun. Turn it into a competition with your friends to see how many facts you can remember in a short time.
Whether you鈥檙e revising for GCSEs or A Levels,聽mnemonics provide a聽catchy way to remember very boring facts鈥� take your pick from*:
For more mnemonics, take a look at this article:
Make a game of it with friends or family. Make revision cards together (sticky post it notes work well) summarizing the most important features of a topic on each card. Screw them up, put them in a hat and pull them out at random 鈥� make a question up based on the card you have pulled out and get the other person to guess what was on the card.
Troublesome cards can be used as 鈥渢oilet post cards鈥�. Stick them to the wall and glance at them until they become familiar.
Pp鈥檚 Ms and COWs
If you don鈥檛 know where to start, pull out a past paper (pp) (they are free to down load from all exam boards as are the mark schemes) and try it. Don鈥檛 worry about getting a low score at the start. The more you do the better you will get. Correct your own work (COW) using the examiners mark scheme (ms) in a colour that stands out. Try to make new mistakes each time by creating a mind map of your previous mistakes.
If you are looking for something else, try downloading the free examiners report attached to mark schemes on the exam board鈥檚 website. These have interesting comments stating what most students missed out on whilst answering key Questions.
Start early and use whatever technique works best for you. Don鈥檛 be afraid of being different. Have fun with it, the more you do the better your grades will be.
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