studying time management

Hi i've got mocks coming up soon and i dont know how to effectively and efficientlly revise for all my subjects. I dont have many distractions when i study but after a session when i look back i feel like i havent progressed. does anyone have any advice for this?

Hi i've got mocks coming up soon and i dont know how to effectively and efficientlly revise for all my subjects. I dont have many distractions when i study but after a session when i look back i feel like i havent progressed. does anyone have any advice for this?

Hi, I totally get how you feel - it can get confusing especially in the lead up to mocks. Here are some general tips I have:

- If you don't know where to start for revising for a test, start by watching a video on that topic (like freesciencelessons), look at any revision guide if you have one for that subject and have a look at the specification for that topic too so you can see exactly what you need to know - you can make any notes based on that (but don't go over one/two pages, because the notes must be summarised); you can then go through practice questions like on PMT or MME revise and see which bits you understood and applied well and which bits you didn't
- If you feel a bit disorganised or like you're not progressing much, having a to-do list or a timetable can really help - not only are you able to map out exactly what you need to do, but you will also get the feeling that you studied something and completed what you intended to do (with that being said, don't overload yourself with work, because sometimes you may not be able to complete all of it - it's better to give yourself the main work and then if you have time, you can do extra)
- If you're running short on time, you should skip straight to past papers/practice questions. Always make sure you mark them and identify any reasons why you may be losing marks, like: maybe you need more knowledge in a specific topic or you did a calculation wrong/used the wrong equations or it may be silly mistakes - if you find that you don't understand some concepts or topics well enough, refer back to a revision guide/youtube video and try to understand (if you don't know how much exactly you need to know, look at your specification); if you're getting the maths questions wrong (whether it's in science or maths or geography or business studies for example), try to do more practice and memorise any equations you may need to know


Here are some subject-specific tips I have:

- For science in particular, I found that freesciencelessons and cognito really helped me - as well as PMT and MME revise for exam-style/past paper questions; don't forget to revise practicals and equations as those nearly always come up
- For maths in particular, gcse maths tutor really helped me as well as maths genie and past papers; if there are any equations you need to learn for that topic, make sure you learn them!
- For english in particular, if you're struggling to write an essay, don't forget to mention context (what was happening during the time the text/poem was written), themes (main ideas), language techniques (+ your inference/effect on the reader), structure/form (the main layout) + if you mention a quote don't forget to zoom in on one word and discuss your inferences/effects on the reader for that

I hope I helped and good luck with your mocks, I'm sure you'll smash them!

Ill try and summarise some of my tips, but remember that everyone studies differently and what may work for me may not work for someone else.

1) Organise your notes. Now I'm not just talking plastic wallets for each subject, or a drawer full of exam paper questions. Get a lever arch binder for each subject and keep your notes, exam paper questions seperated by topic e.g (cell biology/ organisation etc) Then when you come back to it nearer to exam season everything will be in one place and easy to acsess.
I have a video below which is an hour long but is summarised in the comments. If you can't purchase them yourself then charity shops and online may have them at a discounted price.

2)List your subjects in order of difficulty and how far away you are from a projected grade. This will help you focus on where to revise the most.

3) I can't emphasise enough how quality>quanitity. You don't need to be spending so many hours every day revising. It's what you do that is important.

4)Keep a notebook and make a checklist of 5 simple things everyday of what you want to achieve.
If you feel like a study timetable isn't for you, and your stuggling to keep up with it, I reccomend using a retrospective timetable. Again if you are interested I'll link this below for you to take a look at. Trust me, it isn't as complicated as it looks.
https://aliabdaal.com/retrospectiverevisiontimetables/

5)If you revise in 1 hour chunks for 6 hours then your less likely to retain the infomation, but working in smaller chunks, with breaks, may mean that you focus better and you don't lose motivation. This is the podmoro technique. Get a timer, and study for 25 minutes, then pause for 5 minutes, then continue, especially if you may have ADHD or a shorter attention span. Also, if you feel like you haven't progressed, then it's probably because you aren't checking whether you can fully understand and apply your knowlegde to exam paper questions. You can use physicsandmathstutor, or go to your specification's webiste for past papers.

4) Finally, progess takes time, and a habit takes 27 days to form, so once you get revision right, you will see the results. Trust me. I went from a 5 to a 9 in physics, so I believe you are fully capable of anything.

5) Don't rush revision, even if your exam is a week away. Just focus on the topics you struggle on the most. If you have any other questions I'm more than happy to answer them.