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Parents expecting non-stop revision

So my parents have said I should be basically revising non-stop from now until end of exams. They’re expecting me to do a minimum of 4 hours of revision on school nights and 10 hours a day at weekends.

I know I need to work hard and am aiming for all 9s. Anyone else have parents with similar expectations/doing similar hours and any tips for how to stay focused for so long?

Reply 1

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by BlueTree2

You can study for quite a bit of time, but not necessarily revise for long periods of time.

You do need to do a lot of revision to get high marks, but revision for the sake of it is kind of pointless and counterproductive.
If you do revise, do it right e.g. active learning and active recall. I would look up YouTube videos on how to revise properly (there are a number of videos on how to achieve all 9s at GCSE by people who have achieved such results - look them up).

I personally can't do more than 6 hours of revision at a time without completely losing focus.
I can do 3 x 2 hour segments, but within each segment, I would use the pomodoro technique i.e. 25 minutes of study + 5 min break, then repeat for the full 2 hours. Followed by 1 hour break (usually for something to eat).

Humans have an attention span for a certain amount of time and have a certain amount of willpower in any given day. Working against your nature is not usually helpful. I don't know if your parents consider you human, but if they do you would have the same conditions as the rest of us. Even supergeniuses don't have endless attention span and willpower.

I would also focus on the most difficult bits in the morning, when you have the most willpower, then the easiest stuff in the evening when you have the least. If I am going to cram, I would make the stuff later on a gentle and general review.

Although I have studied a lot, I haven't been perfect, so take my advice with a pinch of salt.