Revision advice can be conflicting at times – although there are multiple different approaches that can work. 

But that doesn’t mean you should believe everything you hear. Below, we’ll share five common revision myths and explain why you shouldn’t listen to them.

While some exams may need more revision than others, they all need some preparation – even if it’s looking through past papers to get used to different types of questions.

For most exams, students who get the high grades will have lots of revision under their belt. It will be hard to get top marks without doing any revision. 

Examiners probably aren't your favourite people at the moment, but they're not out to get you.

The papers you'll sit have been worked on for ages to make sure they're the right difficulty and cover a variety of the specification.

Once you've taken the paper, it gets sent to an examiner – who is usually a teacher of the subject – and they'll assess your work against the mark scheme.

Examiners are encouraged to reward students wherever they can, and samples of their marking goes to senior examiners to make sure their marking is as fair and accurate as possible. 

The idea of making and following a revision timetable might not appeal to everyone, but it is a tried-and-tested way to prepare for your exams.

Without sticking to a structure, there's a chance you'll be less consistent and prone to procrastination – you could run out of time and miss important topics.

Even a basic timetable should help you keep track of your revision and stay motivated, so you can feel more confident about taking your exams.

It may seem counterproductive to spend exam time planning an answer – it can be tempting to dive straight in and write as much as possible.

But great essays follow a logical argument, back up the points with evidence and come to a reasoned conclusion. Usually, this requires planning.

The plan doesn’t have to be long. It just has to structure your essay, including your main points and what you'll say in the introduction and conclusion.

Highlighting can be great for identifying key terms and theories, but you should be doing more than just re-reading the information you've selected. 

It's worth taking the highlighted bits and testing yourself on what you've learned.

You could make flashcards, write down definitions and take multiple choice or past exam questions to use the information in different ways.