How would you revise whilst fasting?

A place for you to discuss all things revision in the run up to exams, as well as sharing tips and advice to help with your studies. Please use the relevant dedicated subject forum for discussion on specific qualifications and subjects.

This thread is sponsored by:
Announcements Posted on
Important: please read these guidelines before posting about exams on The Student Room 28-04-2013
Sign in to Reply
  1. Magenta96's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Posts: 1,526
    How would you revise whilst fasting?
    It's coming up and it's a month long. I'm from a religious family so I have to keep all the fasts. I have to eat at like 2am in the morning, eat or drink nothing throughout the day and then eat again at 9pm at night.

    I have 2 months left until college and then I have to sit a maths test in September before I'm allowed entry onto the maths course. There's 2 weeks left until the fasting starts. I don't know how I'll revise. I was thinking should I spent these 2 weeks learning the course, past papers etc then take a month off to fast and go back to revising in the week. However, then I'm thinking I can't possibly revise and then not do nothing for 2 months as then I'll forget and it isn't a good idea at all...

    My friends said revise at night but even then I'm still going without water and so if I try to revise in Ramadan I'll get headaches and feel constantly sleepy. What do I do? I'm really anxious as I just don't know... revising just doesn't stop even in the holidays I guess for some...

    Does anyone have any idea how I can effectively revise for this test? Sorry this was a bit long!
  2. M4ths's Avatar
    • Banned
    • Posts: 55
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    It's not hard to revise without drinking / eating.

    Just take frequent breaks.
  3. Aristotle's' Disciple's Avatar
    • Overlord in Training
    • Posts: 2,312
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    (Original post by Magenta96)
    It's coming up and it's a month long. I'm from a religious family so I have to keep all the fasts. I have to eat at like 2am in the morning, eat or drink nothing throughout the day and then eat again at 9pm at night.

    I have 2 months left until college and then I have to sit a maths test in September before I'm allowed entry onto the maths course. There's 2 weeks left until the fasting starts. I don't know how I'll revise. I was thinking should I spent these 2 weeks learning the course, past papers etc then take a month off to fast and go back to revising in the week. However, then I'm thinking I can't possibly revise and then not do nothing for 2 months as then I'll forget and it isn't a good idea at all...

    My friends said revise at night but even then I'm still going without water and so if I try to revise in Ramadan I'll get headaches and feel constantly sleepy. What do I do? I'm really anxious as I just don't know... revising just doesn't stop even in the holidays I guess for some...

    Does anyone have any idea how I can effectively revise for this test? Sorry this was a bit long!
    Study a few hours before breaking your fast if you can, then when braking it don't eats loads, have the essentials then keep studying, then as you close your fast eat properly with plenty of water, study for a while longer then stop. Doing this you'll get atleast a good 5 hours in if you want every night, that'll be more than sufficient I'm sure. Remember, it's about studying smart.
  4. M4LLY's Avatar
    • Overlord in Training
    • Posts: 2,155
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    What i'd do is just keep your mind occupied with other tasks. When you want to avoid smething you are much less likely to think about it when your mind is occupied with other tasks
  5. NuckingFut's Avatar
    • Adored and Respected Member
    • Posts: 575
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    (Original post by AspiringGenius)
    What so you aren't even allowed to drink during the day?

    Religious fasting is utterly ridiculous.
    Thanks for your inspirational advice. :rolleyes:
  6. NuckingFut's Avatar
    • Adored and Respected Member
    • Posts: 575
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    (Original post by AspiringGenius)
    No need for sarcasm. My advice is to drink. I can u derstand faith, but starving your body of the nutrients it needs and forcibly dehydrating yourself in the name of it is not worth it.

    If OP drinks, they will be far more likely to do well than if she doesn't.
    Didn't you read the OP? She is from a religious family. The whole point of fasting is to not consume food and water from dawn till dusk.
    It may seem odd to an atheist or a non muslim, but what you suggested isn't really an option.
    Sorry for the sarcasm in the previous post.
  7. notsure's Avatar
    • Exalted Member
    • Posts: 288
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    (Original post by AspiringGenius)
    What so you aren't even allowed to drink during the day?

    This kind of religious fasting is utterly ridiculous.
    You're so closed minded. How do you think poor people cope in poverty? fasting is a way of experiencing how they feel resulting in you being more grateful towards the things you have!
    And you don't starve, you learn to control your hunger and keep yourself busy doing other things that make you forget about feeling hungry!
  8. Nooshkabob's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Location: Bath
    • Posts: 198
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    Any way of becoming nocturnal? If i were in your situation I would try and get as much sleep as I could during the day because you'll be feeling weak and hungry and won't be able to concentrate, and then do your eating/drinking/revising at night. Although I guess that's quite anti-social! I think you'll have to accept that you won't get as much revision done during ramadan as you would when you're not fasting. If you feel it'll really affect your performance on the test, is there any way you can inform your college of the circumstances and maybe they'll be a bit more lenient?
  9. Magenta96's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Posts: 1,526
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    Thanks guys your posts have really helped me out! I've decided on the following:

    Studying times:
    3pm - 5pm
    6pm - 8pm

    (9pm - 9:30pm eating & drinking)

    10pm - 12pm

    Does this seem a good idea? That gives me like 6 hours of studying a day with a month to go until the exam.
  10. Magenta96's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Posts: 1,526
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    (Original post by Nooshkabob)
    Any way of becoming nocturnal? If i were in your situation I would try and get as much sleep as I could during the day because you'll be feeling weak and hungry and won't be able to concentrate, and then do your eating/drinking/revising at night. Although I guess that's quite anti-social! I think you'll have to accept that you won't get as much revision done during ramadan as you would when you're not fasting. If you feel it'll really affect your performance on the test, is there any way you can inform your college of the circumstances and maybe they'll be a bit more lenient?
    Hi, thanks for the idea! I thought of this before but the times I can eat are from 9pm - 2am so it's only like 5 hours. I'll only be able to get like 3 hours in unfortunately as I'll be busy eating from 9pm - 10pm (approx) and 1pm - 2pm! I suppose I'll accept it, the test isn't THAT important after all, it's only entrance test to the maths A level course rather than an A level exam or actual GCSE one so as long as I get 70+% I reckon they'll let me in. I think I'll e-mail the college anyway asking them how well I have to do in it.
  11. TheStudent.'s Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Location: London
    • Posts: 1,854
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    (Original post by Magenta96)
    Thanks guys your posts have really helped me out! I've decided on the following:

    Studying times:
    3pm - 5pm
    6pm - 8pm

    (9pm - 9:30pm eating & drinking)

    10pm - 12pm

    Does this seem a good idea? That gives me like 6 hours of studying a day with a month to go until the exam.
    Sorta in the same position as you, except i've got the UKCAT I need to study for.

    I'll be revising first thing in the morning, when I wake up, because that's most probably when i'll feel the least hungry during the course of the day. And then from 10 - 12pm as you said

    I might backtrack on my plan if it doesn't work out. It depends on how I feel during ramadhan
  12. concubine's Avatar
    • TSR Idol
    • Location: Udvada
    • Posts: 8,851
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    I would revise in exactly the same manner I'd revise if I were not fasting.



    Luckily, I don't fast. Because it's silly. Well, asides before operations.
  13. internet tough guy's Avatar
    • Overlord in Training
    • Posts: 2,514
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    hehe advantage atheists
  14. Nooshkabob's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Location: Bath
    • Posts: 198
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    (Original post by Magenta96)
    it's only entrance test to the maths A level course rather than an A level exam or actual GCSE one so as long as I get 70+% I reckon they'll let me in. I think I'll e-mail the college anyway asking them how well I have to do in it.
    I had a test at the start of my maths A level course, and you had to get a good mark to continue. However 3 people in my class failed it. Of these, one dropped maths, and the other two (after much pleading with head of 6th form!) continued and are on track to pass... I'm sure it won't be the end of the world if you don't do as well as you'd hope, especially if they know you can do maths from the grade you got at GCSE. But good luck, and enjoy fasting?... haha
  15. When you see it...'s Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Posts: 1,946
    Re: How would you revise whilst fasting?
    Why can't you fast after your exams finish?
Sign in to Reply
Share this discussion:  
Article updates
Moderators

We have a brilliant team of more than 60 volunteers looking after discussions on The Student Room, helping to make it a fun, safe and useful place to hang out.

Reputation gems:
The Reputation gems seen here indicate how well reputed the user is, red gem indicate negative reputation and green indicates a good rep.
Post rating score:
These scores show if a post has been positively or negatively rated by our members.