How To: Revising For Final Exams
Exam season is right before the corner for most of us students, if we are not already fully in it, which is why for this month I wanted to focus on the topic of studying and what are the best ways of making revision material and remembering information.
This can be applicable to all of us, no matter wether we are still in school ourselves, as we learn new things all the time throughout our life, so being efficient at out learning is a skill that all of us can benefit from.
I have split this post into first listing some general advice about how to study - Methods and skills that aways stick - and then towards the end I touch upon the different types of revision methods there are and which ones are most effective in order to maximize your learning.
Wishing you happy reading ahead.
GENERAL ADVICE
1. Making a plan
Starting early: Cramming for your exams only really works for your short term memory, but learning should be something you do for your long term memory and retention.
Prioritization: Learn to prioritize which exams are coming up first (most important to revise for) and what topics would be best to revise for in that exam.
Why bother to make a plan: Planning allows you to space out your revision across several different days/weeks so that you do not feel overwhelmed and you are making sure that your brain does not forget the information by recalling it across different time periods.
Learning based on the syllabus: It is important to know what topics will be assessed on the exam and what kind of questions you can expect to find. The syllabus will help you identify these things, to make your revision most effective.
Making a revision time table: This is optional but quite a popular option, as having a timetable can keep you on track and keep you accountable, but may be hard to follow through for some.
2. Revision tips
Doing past examination papers: This is quite an obvious one, but by doing them, timing yourself and then correcting them you get a sense of what areas you still need to work on and where your strengths lie.
Identify specific areas of weakness: This should be done for each subject and preferably also for each chapter/ topic, so that we can really pin point what we need to work on .
Practice with specific topic questions: Challenge yourself with the topics that you struggle with. Try to identify what is challenging about it for you and how you can explain something in a more simple way.
Attend review sessions: This a great opportunity to ask some final questions or resolve some confusions before the exams, as well as get in additional practice in.
Staying focused: Everyone has a way by which they stay focused best. If you need help identifying some other methods of how to stay focused, I have written a previous post on the topic here.
3. Staying motivated
Identify things you are looking forward to: This is something that I personally do all the time, as it makes me have something to be excited about in the near future that keeps me pushing and most importantly keeps me motivated. I suggest making a list of those things and then keeping them in a visible place like on a sticky note on your computer, desk or wall or even having a digital note on your desktop.
Revision accountability partner: You might want to do this with another friend or classmate revising for their exams, as this way you both remind and keep each other motivated to stay on track with your revision.
Surround yourself with positivity: Positivity can come in the form of viewing positive media like inspiring posts, videos or even keeping up to date with people who inspire you. This again can help you get through dark times of stress, by allowing some positive light into your life.
Shifting your perspective about learning: Whenever you are learning something new or revision something you have already seen, I want you to shift your attention from memorizing information to actually understandingit. Understanding information means you can retain in for the long term and actually make use of that information, which makes studying that much more worth it.
Making studying as fun as possible for yourself: Some people would disagree about putting the words “studying” and “fun” in the same sentence, but as studying will likely require a large chunk of your time and energy, why not try to make the best of it and try to make it fun for yourself? When you are faced with something you do not like to revise for, ask yourself why is that and how can you change your approach to make it more fun. This small shift in perspective can be a compete game changer to your studies and life long learning.
Examples of how you can make it more fun: Using more diagrams or colors in your notes, alternating between handwritten and typed notes, using a presentation format that involved teaching, listening to appropriate music, studying in a different location or with a group of friends.
4. Taking care of yourself
Good sleep: Good sleep should in my opinion be first priority as sleep is greatly associated with having good energy levels during the day as well as increasing our memory retention of whatever we were learning. You can read more about the benefits of sleep here, as well as how to have better sleep yourself.
Taking breaks: Often underestimated, but just like everyone else, your body too needs breaks and rest from working, so if you feel yourself loosing concentration or becoming tired, take a break for some time. Get in some movement or perhaps even take a nap if you feel like you need some additional rest.
Go for some fresh air: Take some time, preferably every day to go outside a little bit and wake up your body with some fresh air as this will reenergize you and give some time for your brain to unplug itself temporarily.
Eating well: Do not underestimate the importance of eating well for your revision, which first means eating enough for your needs and secondly eating right (try avoiding too many junk foods and highly sugary foods). Try incorporating foods that will give you more long lasting energy such as whole-grains and fruit that contain more fibre and other essential nutrients.
When do you revise best?: Another underestimated aspect is finding out what time of the day you actually find you have the best focus and when is studying most effective for you? Is it in the morning, midday, some time in the afternoon or late into the evenings. Design your studying around these prime times, just make sure to get enough sleep :)
5. Other advice
Revising with other people: This may or may not work for you, but sometimes revising with other people around can make studying more fun and effective for you, as you can ask each other questions or collaborate on design some study resources.
Identifying a specific study spot: This spot can be at home, in school or even elsewhere, just the point is that you want your brain to start associating at specific spot with work and revising, so that it becomes easier for you to get into the zone of being focused.
Consider listening to music/ other sounds: Some people prefer to work in complete silence others may prefer all different type of music and some may like to listen to some nature based sounds. Find what works for you, and see if if listening to music gives you an extra boost with studying.
Staying organized: I believe that it is very useful to stay organized with various things such as files, handouts, and past papers, as staying organized with your things means that it becomes much more easier for you to access and find any things you may need, later on.
EFFECTIVE REVISION METHODS
You might have heard people say that Active recall is the most effective way to revise, so what is it actually all about?
What is it: Active recall is a method of recalling information in which you actively use your memory to remember a piece of information.
By recalling a piece of information, you strengthen that neural link in your brain that connects and stores the information, which makes it easier to remember and later access that information again.
While active recall may take more effort than just rereading your notes for example, it is most effective for your long term memory.
Examples of active recall for exam revision:
Doing past papers without having the mark scheme near
Testing your knowledge with flashcards
Explaining/ teaching a topic to someone else
Writing the topic down based on your memory (Can be on paper, a whiteboard or even electronic)
Summarizing a topic on a page or two from memory
INEFFECTIVE REVISION METHODS
I also wanted to include some revision methods that while being commonly used, are actually not that effective in consolidating knowledge based on memory studies. These types of methods usually only work for our short term memory, which makes them popular cramming methods.
But like I mentioned earlier, if we switch our perspective on learning from memorizing to understanding, we get to keep that knowledge forever, which means that it makes more sense for us to use active recall so that we can continue renewing that knowledge.
Examples of ineffective study methods:
Rereading notes
Highlighting too much
Cramming too much information at once (being overwhelmed)
FINAL WORDS
With this condensed guide I wanted to offer you the best advice and most effective methods when it comes to revising and learning information, so that you don't waste your time doing things that at the end of the day, don't really make anything worthwhile stick.
I hope that some of the things I have mentioned and talked about can help ease your feeling for any upcoming exams or challenges and that they fore mostly make you feel well prepared and confident, and help to incorporate the habit of learning as a life long activity.
