As exams approach in the summer, revision is soon to become a big part of the lives of all the Tavistock Tutors students. And whilst the tutors will be able to offer valuable help when they’re with the students, revision is largely an individual activity. There are many different approaches to revision and this blog outlines some good habits to employ right away, and some tools which can be used to help.

Start Early:

One of the most effective ways to revise is to start as early as possible. This could as soon as immediately after the lesson, especially if the subject matter of the lesson was not fully understood. The earlier that revision begins, the more likely the concepts are to be properly understood and remembered when it comes to the time of the exam. Revision should be spread into several sessions, rather than lumped in at the last minute.

Mobile Revision

Revision does not have to be confined to one place, it can be done on the go even if it’s for short periods of time. Flashcards are a great way to achieve this as they are very portable.

Learning and Understanding

Revision is made much simpler when the material is understood instead of just learnt. Once the material has been understood (which is where Tavistock Tutors and school teachers come in), it is often possible to reduce many pages of notes to a single page which stops your brain feeling crowded. Once material is understood, it is remembered much better.

Teach your friends

It is extremely effective and often more enjoyable to revise with friends and teach each other. It might be the case that one student is confident in one area and their friend is confident in another area. If this is the case, these two students could teach each other with great success expected as the students can bounce ideas and answers off one another which will often be a more memorable experience than revision alone.

Avoid distractions

There are two useful tools which can be used to restrict online activity and Facebook use. They are called StayFocusd (a tool on Google Chrome) and Facebook Nanny.

Breaks

Time management is extremely important during revision and it equally important to spend time revision as it is to spend time doing other things. Distraction is not always a bad thing provided it occurs when planned within a given timeframe.

Finally…go to sleep!

The brain strengthens its ability to recall with a normal healthy amount of sleep. This is because memories are consolidated during sleep. In fact, it has been suggested that a good time to learn a new concept is just before going to bed.

Additional resources:

Revision Advice
Revision not Television
Revision Tips During Term Time