Top tips for exam and revision success

So you know about your exams well in advance, but don’t start revising until the week before. You stay up all night and don’t eat properly because you have little time left for revision.

Here are some tips that will help you prepare for your exams:

Start revision early

This may sound obvious but if you start revising early, you will avoid unnecessary stress and sleepless nights. Take some time everyday after classes to review your notes, and this will help you absorb information more quickly and avoid revision backlog.

You may think it’s easier said than done, but why don’t you give it a try? 30 minutes of revision each day is not much but will make a difference in a long-term. All you need is a little bit of motivation.

If your exam is essay-based and you have access to past exam papers, prepare some possible answers in advance. This will save you time in the exam and will give you confidence about your knowledge. Even if the question you hoped for does not appear in the actual paper, you can still use information you have prepared to tackle other questions.

Revision plan

Have a revision plan that is realistic and flexible. Revise less but more regularly, and be prepared to accommodate things that crop up including family events and social time.

Identify a few items that you want to revise everyday, but don’t restrict yourself to specific timings. For example, put down “Spanish revision” rather than “10.00am – 11.00am Spanish”. This will help you avoid unnecessary stress if your revision overruns.

Group revision

Organise revision sessions with your course mates if you can. Group work will help you understand ideas and will identify the gaps in your revision. Sometimes your course mates can explain difficult concepts in a more approachable way than lecturers, and the sessions will give you a feeling that you are not the only person concerned about the exams.

Health and well-being

The human brain works better when it is rested and oxygenate,d so don’t forget about sleep and short breaks during your revision. There is no point in revising until you get tired because you won’t remember what you have read. Take a short break to go for a walk or spend some time in the gym, and you will then return to revision with a “fresh mind”.

Do you have any more tips for students taking exams? Let us know in the comments below!

Photo: Alberto G. / Flickr

Edyta Wanic

Media & Communications graduate and freelance journalist.