The old saying ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ is something that can’t be underestimated when you have exams coming up. The time and effort that you put into revision and revising will mean that you reap the reward on results day and there is no substitute for hard work.

All schools provide extra revision sessions and interventions, these are based on the data that they have about their students and the staff know exactly what needs to be taught for their students to get the best grades. It is important that you attend all of these extra sessions, whether they are at lunchtime, after school, weekends or during the holidays; they are designed to ensure that you get the best possible outcomes and lots of planning and preparation will have gone into these to ensure that you are doing what you need to do in order for you to achieve the best results.

Essential Revision Tips

1.     Don’t leave your revision until the last minute. Revise continually. Don’t leave it until a few weeks before an exam as cramming is not as effective as revising the stuff you are learning as you learn it.

2.     Plan your revision using a revision timetable. Revise for 35-40 minutes at a time and for no longer than 4 hours a day. Ensure that your timetable also has some opportunities for you to exercise and socialise as that is important during this time, it will help you to stay relaxed and motivated.

3.     Ensure that you revise in a quiet, tidy study space. Ensure that you have everything that you need and there is good lighting.

4.     Switch your mobile phone off and any other electronic gadgets so that you are not easily distracted.

5.     Sleep and eat properly. You will need your sleep during this time so that you can store everything that you are learning. Eating healthily and drinking plenty of water will help boost your concentration.  

6.     Do lots of practice papers and questions. Look at your exam Boards website for a selection of sample papers and ask your teachers if they have any past papers and questions that you could do.

7.     On exam days, eat breakfast and arrive at school in plenty of time. Set your alarm clock to make sure you get up in plenty of time to eat breakfast. This will fuel your brain. Setting off earlier than usual will ensure that you are there in plenty of time and not stressed about being late.

8.     Stay positive.

Different Revision Activities/Techniques

We all learn and take information in differently. You might also learn differently depending on your mood, energy levels or topic therefore, what may be the best technique or activity for one subject on one particular day may be different on another day.

·       Taking notes/writing down key information

·       Colour coded post-it notes

·       Mind maps

·       Flashcards

·       Making up rhymes/mnemonics

·       Blurting (or memory dump). This technique involves ‘blurting’ out all of the information you know about a topic and trying to get it to stick to your long-term memory.

·       Past paper questions

·       Pair/group work (study groups)

·       Spider diagrams

·       Reading aloud

·       Record yourself and then play it back

·       Test yourself or get someone else to test you

·       Make posters

Mental Health and Revision

We acknowledge that sitting exams can be stressful and overwhelming. It is important to remember that you are not alone and if you start to feel really stressed, then speak to someone in school who can support you like a teacher, Head of Year, or someone you have a positive relationship with. Mindset is key: Remember to believe in yourself and be proud of what you are doing and don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve got this!