How to revise for uni exams?
Scroll to see replies
Original post by Puddles the Monkey
It feels harder at uni compared to A-level because there's less standardisation across the board.... 
What's your #1 revision tip for uni students?
What's your #1 revision tip for uni students?
The Exam Skills Handbook is really helpful. I highly recommend the Palgrave Study Skills series anyway. I discovered it at postgraduate and I wish I had it when I was doing my undergraduate. It's taken a lot of the stress out for me because I'm not wasting my time doing things that aren't that helpful. It's made a huge difference to the quality of my studying and to my essays, especially the planning side of things for what you want to say in the essay because it really breaks it down what steps you have to take from reading the question to how you make your notes and do a bibliography, that's as a humanities student anyway.
Anybody find that they changed their revision style from Alevels to when they were studying at Uni?
Original post by LucyON1998
Anybody find that they changed their revision style from Alevels to when they were studying at Uni?
Yeah, it was about going through lecture material consistently. Then generating questions from that lecture material to then test myself using those questions over the months leading up to exams.
I honestly didn't think it was that much more harder to revise at uni. I never once really took any notice of mark schemes at A-level; I kind of just went off improving my essay writing technique.
For an English and/or Philosophy degree, you just revise the content of what you're supposed to; being either philosophical works or fiction texts. Remember theories supporting them and just make sure you're original as possible with your responses.
I've never been good at revising quotes. I can't revise such short work and memorise them 'cause they just disappear for me.
I've always made sure my terminology for Literature has been up to scratch 'cause that really helps in a Literature exam.
As for Philosophy, I just write a ton of crap and make sure it makes sense! That's what I've always did and it seems to work!
For an English and/or Philosophy degree, you just revise the content of what you're supposed to; being either philosophical works or fiction texts. Remember theories supporting them and just make sure you're original as possible with your responses.
I've never been good at revising quotes. I can't revise such short work and memorise them 'cause they just disappear for me.
I've always made sure my terminology for Literature has been up to scratch 'cause that really helps in a Literature exam.
As for Philosophy, I just write a ton of crap and make sure it makes sense! That's what I've always did and it seems to work!
Original post by redbronze1
Yeah, it was about going through lecture material consistently. Then generating questions from that lecture material to then test myself using those questions over the months leading up to exams.
Ah, thank you this is a really helpful method
Original post by The Empire Odyssey
I honestly didn't think it was that much more harder to revise at uni. I never once really took any notice of mark schemes at A-level; I kind of just went off improving my essay writing technique.
For an English and/or Philosophy degree, you just revise the content of what you're supposed to; being either philosophical works or fiction texts. Remember theories supporting them and just make sure you're original as possible with your responses.
I've never been good at revising quotes. I can't revise such short work and memorise them 'cause they just disappear for me.
I've always made sure my terminology for Literature has been up to scratch 'cause that really helps in a Literature exam.
As for Philosophy, I just write a ton of crap and make sure it makes sense! That's what I've always did and it seems to work!
For an English and/or Philosophy degree, you just revise the content of what you're supposed to; being either philosophical works or fiction texts. Remember theories supporting them and just make sure you're original as possible with your responses.
I've never been good at revising quotes. I can't revise such short work and memorise them 'cause they just disappear for me.
I've always made sure my terminology for Literature has been up to scratch 'cause that really helps in a Literature exam.
As for Philosophy, I just write a ton of crap and make sure it makes sense! That's what I've always did and it seems to work!
Thank you, thiis really helpful! I take it you studied Englisj and Philosophy then?
Original post by LucyON1998
Thank you, thiis really helpful! I take it you studied Englisj and Philosophy then?
Yes, I study English Lit and Philosophy at university.
Original post by The Empire Odyssey
Yes, I study English Lit and Philosophy at university.
That's brilliant! Despite my many typos in the last message Im going to study English at uni next week! Where do you study?
Original post by LucyON1998
That's brilliant! Despite my many typos in the last message Im going to study English at uni next week! Where do you study?
Yeah I was really confused and didn't understand what you were asking lol! I study at Oxford Brookes University.
Where will you be studying? Are you excited about the modules you'll be studying too?
It will depend on the course (I do psychology) and on the individual, as everyone is different.
For me I have different techniques depending on the type of exam
For multiple choice exams I have a pretty good memory, so I go through every lecture online and write everything out in my own words on flash cards or in a small notebook a few weeks before exam season. I then read this every couple of days, and do a bit of testing myself at the same time. The week before the exam I mostly focus on rewriting my notes over and over, and doing any practice papers that lecturers have handed out or testing friends etc probably doing about an 1 hour everyday for each exam.
I generally speaking get marks at least in the 80's but mostly in the 90's for these exams.
For essays where I already know the title I do my research like any essay, and then compose a very detailed plan and remember that. In the past I would write an essay before the exam but experience has shown me that doesn't work for me. I prefer to just let my writing flow at the time.
I also tend to remember about 15 references (name and date only) for each essay. I normally remember them in order, and repeat them over and over in my head until the exam starts, and then I scribble them down at the top of the page.
I normally get high 2.1's or low 1st's
Essay exams with an unknown title are the hardest but for that I tend to focus on collecting enough references that could be used to answer numerous different questions depending on how and when they are used.
I tend to get 2.1's
For me I have different techniques depending on the type of exam
For multiple choice exams I have a pretty good memory, so I go through every lecture online and write everything out in my own words on flash cards or in a small notebook a few weeks before exam season. I then read this every couple of days, and do a bit of testing myself at the same time. The week before the exam I mostly focus on rewriting my notes over and over, and doing any practice papers that lecturers have handed out or testing friends etc probably doing about an 1 hour everyday for each exam.
I generally speaking get marks at least in the 80's but mostly in the 90's for these exams.
For essays where I already know the title I do my research like any essay, and then compose a very detailed plan and remember that. In the past I would write an essay before the exam but experience has shown me that doesn't work for me. I prefer to just let my writing flow at the time.
I also tend to remember about 15 references (name and date only) for each essay. I normally remember them in order, and repeat them over and over in my head until the exam starts, and then I scribble them down at the top of the page.
I normally get high 2.1's or low 1st's
Essay exams with an unknown title are the hardest but for that I tend to focus on collecting enough references that could be used to answer numerous different questions depending on how and when they are used.
I tend to get 2.1's
Original post by Puddles the Monkey
It feels harder at uni compared to A-level because there's less standardisation across the board....
What's your #1 revision tip for uni students?
What's your #1 revision tip for uni students?
There is a knack to passing most of the time questions are reused with different values or reused word for word look through the past papers see what type of questions are most common and revise those
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by The Empire Odyssey
Yeah I was really confused and didn't understand what you were asking lol! I study at Oxford Brookes University.
Where will you be studying? Are you excited about the modules you'll be studying too?
Where will you be studying? Are you excited about the modules you'll be studying too?
My best friend is going there next week to study Biology haha. I'm going to Royal Holloway and yes I am SO excited!
Original post by LucyON1998
My best friend is going there next week to study Biology haha. I'm going to Royal Holloway and yes I am SO excited!
Awh sweet!
And awh that's good love! Enjoy reading while you still can!
Definitely attend revision lectures! I found them so useful. The lecturers went over all the important content again (it's good hearing others talk through it instead of just reading it to yourself all the time), and some of them put a lot of emphasis on certain topics, telling us to look over them in great detail, hinting that they'd be on the exam. Because the lecturers write the exam questions (unlike at A-Level where it's an exam board and the teachers don't know the questions), I found it easier to tell what might come up based on what they emphasised in revision lectures.
Something else I did was write out my notes from lectures in condensed form. In the end I had one A4 piece of paper for each exam. Obviously it wasn't very detailed and didn't include absolutely everything, but it was good to look at right before the exam and reminded me of the key points.
Something else I did was write out my notes from lectures in condensed form. In the end I had one A4 piece of paper for each exam. Obviously it wasn't very detailed and didn't include absolutely everything, but it was good to look at right before the exam and reminded me of the key points.
Original post by PQ
Look at past papers
Read the module spec
Attend any revision lectures (lecturers SET THE QUESTIONS - they know what's in the exam and aren't going to focus on other content in the revision lectures)
Read the module spec
Attend any revision lectures (lecturers SET THE QUESTIONS - they know what's in the exam and aren't going to focus on other content in the revision lectures)
These are good tips, but a few others would be.
Good sleep!!!!
Drinking plenty - water mainly
Eating right - supplements are good at this as you can control what goes in. brainzyme is good for this. they have a student discount if you search brainzyme student discount!
removing all things that can distract you, this includes moblies and unnecessary papers and computers.
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Foundation year fail and mental health
- uni exams (law)
- Uni Finals
- How to revise for uni closed book, essay exams
- London Met online maths test
- Advice from graduates or students
- Worried about Year 12 prediction exams
- exams revision uni
- Advice for burnt out student just before alevel mocks
- university exam
- dreading uni
- Alevel Biology- struggling to get required grade for uni :(
- How do you revise?
- I don't know what to do
- How do I revise Film Studies?
- I don't know what to do with my life missed offer
- How do I deal with mocks!
- Most impressive last minute exam success stories!
- in person uni exam
- University exams
Latest
Trending
Last reply 3 weeks ago
Got a third in my second year and the highest I’ve achieved in third year was 55%Trending
Last reply 3 weeks ago
Got a third in my second year and the highest I’ve achieved in third year was 55%
