For people that got A's or A*'s last year - AS/A2 what is your study routine?
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My method probably isn't the most advisable, but it's worked so far!
Whilst a lot of people revise a bit of each subject every day, I prefer to cover an entire subject before moving on to the next. So for instance, in the two weeks before my January exams last year I spent a few days straight on biology before moving on to chemistry for a few days etc etc. With this method, there's always the risk of forgetting things by the time you get to the exam, but I tend to cram the night before too.
I just prefer this because my mind tends to get muddled up when I do different subjects at the same time!
Whilst a lot of people revise a bit of each subject every day, I prefer to cover an entire subject before moving on to the next. So for instance, in the two weeks before my January exams last year I spent a few days straight on biology before moving on to chemistry for a few days etc etc. With this method, there's always the risk of forgetting things by the time you get to the exam, but I tend to cram the night before too.
I just prefer this because my mind tends to get muddled up when I do different subjects at the same time!
The best advice I can give is to make a conscious decision to get rid of all distractions when you want to revise. Personally I gave my laptop to my dad on a 9.30->6 schedule during study leave for A2s. If TV is your thing, tell your parents/whoever to stop you watching TV if you start during certain times.
The worst thing you can do during the run-up to exams in pseudo-revise, by getting constantly distracted. At the end of the day you'll feel like you've done a full day's work and gotten little out of it, and potentially get demoralised (making things worse). Revise when you're revising. When you take a break, relax completely. You have no idea how many people believe they are less intelligent than they are simply because they haven't learned how to get rid of distractions.
Honestly the scheduling doesn't matter. I happily revise 6-8 hours straight with maybe a half hour break, but some people are better with hour-long bursts. As long as you make the decision to get rid of distractions and focus, you'll do well.
The worst thing you can do during the run-up to exams in pseudo-revise, by getting constantly distracted. At the end of the day you'll feel like you've done a full day's work and gotten little out of it, and potentially get demoralised (making things worse). Revise when you're revising. When you take a break, relax completely. You have no idea how many people believe they are less intelligent than they are simply because they haven't learned how to get rid of distractions.
Honestly the scheduling doesn't matter. I happily revise 6-8 hours straight with maybe a half hour break, but some people are better with hour-long bursts. As long as you make the decision to get rid of distractions and focus, you'll do well.
(edited 13 years ago)
Doing them now. I don't bother revising for 20mins or an hour. Two hours min at a time works best for me - you then make sure you cover something before letting your mind focus on something else. You end up going back to it and you feel like you cba
Original post by forgottensecret
My personal memory palace is simply my house. I used it for my Higher English exam in May, and I'd still say I'm able to regurgitate quite a fair bit, if not all of it if pushed. This is the beauty of the whole concept, because it is a place which is recognisable, which you see everyday, you can make connections much easier between quotes and places in your house therefore installing it in long term memory for months.
The best way to perfect the memory palace is for the objects or the quotes which you are attempting to remember (WHICH YOU WILL!) to be as completely and utterly imaginative as possible. For example, for The Great Gatsby, "a "cousin of Kaiser Wilhelms" has for me Hitler sitting on my front couch. Then for "a white flannel suit, silve shirt and gold-coloured tie", I have a man dressed ostentatiously and completely out of place in my kitchen. Many of the greatest memory experts all testify to using this method and by it I was able to acheive an A band 1 in Higher English - so it does the job! Just keep the thoughts as utterly farfetched as you can conjure and you shall be fine
Also worth noting, is how short a time, the whole method takes as opposed to the CONSTANT reading over of notes. This method is as fun as quote memorising can be tbh and not a whole monotonous session of revision.
Here is the article where I got it from which is really good for going into more detail and some examples of them
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Memory-Palace
The best way to perfect the memory palace is for the objects or the quotes which you are attempting to remember (WHICH YOU WILL!) to be as completely and utterly imaginative as possible. For example, for The Great Gatsby, "a "cousin of Kaiser Wilhelms" has for me Hitler sitting on my front couch. Then for "a white flannel suit, silve shirt and gold-coloured tie", I have a man dressed ostentatiously and completely out of place in my kitchen. Many of the greatest memory experts all testify to using this method and by it I was able to acheive an A band 1 in Higher English - so it does the job! Just keep the thoughts as utterly farfetched as you can conjure and you shall be fine
Also worth noting, is how short a time, the whole method takes as opposed to the CONSTANT reading over of notes. This method is as fun as quote memorising can be tbh and not a whole monotonous session of revision.
Here is the article where I got it from which is really good for going into more detail and some examples of them
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Memory-Palace
I remember doing something similar in Buzan's memory book, except it was for memorising the order of the planets and you had to link all of them together. It really worked but I've forgotten it now. I'm going to have a look at this! I wrote stories last year to remember Psychology so this sort of stuff works for me. Thanks so much!
I did a timetable on excel for my gcse's and a levels but wiped my memory.
-I would get back from school/college (depending on which days some would be lunch time others around late afternoon)
-Look at the marking system/syllabus (VERY IMPORTANT)
-have a snack, lots of coffee so I'm raring to go and study until dinner time (about 7ish)
-focus on one subject at a time and go through my study notes from class and anything I learnt on my own (few hours)
-have a 5-10 minute break
-do some mock papers/practice questions
-check my results + the answers
- dinner
-more revision
-sleep
Repeat until exam days.
Then on the train to college I'd sit there with my revision notes and highlighted key terminologies/theories etc.
-I would get back from school/college (depending on which days some would be lunch time others around late afternoon)
-Look at the marking system/syllabus (VERY IMPORTANT)
-have a snack, lots of coffee so I'm raring to go and study until dinner time (about 7ish)
-focus on one subject at a time and go through my study notes from class and anything I learnt on my own (few hours)
-have a 5-10 minute break
-do some mock papers/practice questions
-check my results + the answers
- dinner
-more revision
-sleep
Repeat until exam days.
Then on the train to college I'd sit there with my revision notes and highlighted key terminologies/theories etc.
YOu could try condensing all you notes down onto study cards
I did this for GCSE and got 15 A*s
for A level I'm doing it with one of those A4 project books as you can put more detail in-then take it with you everywhere and flick through it/read it add detail/copy it out whatever works for you from that point
Pretty pictures are good also-diagrams of processes etc
Strangly i find that if i have a film that i know inside out on whilst i'm revising it helps me to consentrate as i'm not that distracted by it but i'm also not tempted to get distracted unlike if you hacd nothing
or just music or even if you can revise with a tv when you always need to change the channel or song or whatever just as you get focusing.
Good luck everyone with January modules!!!
I did this for GCSE and got 15 A*s
for A level I'm doing it with one of those A4 project books as you can put more detail in-then take it with you everywhere and flick through it/read it add detail/copy it out whatever works for you from that point
Pretty pictures are good also-diagrams of processes etc
Strangly i find that if i have a film that i know inside out on whilst i'm revising it helps me to consentrate as i'm not that distracted by it but i'm also not tempted to get distracted unlike if you hacd nothing
or just music or even if you can revise with a tv when you always need to change the channel or song or whatever just as you get focusing.
Good luck everyone with January modules!!!
I honestly do nothing; no revision, no tutoring, no routine.
I don't even read the books for English literature (beyond what we do in the classroom, all the salient points seem to be produced there anyway).
Guess that explains why I only got AAB last year
(English language, law, English literature [retaking lit 
] )
I don't even read the books for English literature (beyond what we do in the classroom, all the salient points seem to be produced there anyway).
Guess that explains why I only got AAB last year
(English language, law, English literature [retaking lit ] )
Original post by forgottensecret
My personal memory palace is simply my house. I used it for my Higher English exam in May, and I'd still say I'm able to regurgitate quite a fair bit, if not all of it if pushed. This is the beauty of the whole concept, because it is a place which is recognisable, which you see everyday, you can make connections much easier between quotes and places in your house therefore installing it in long term memory for months.
The best way to perfect the memory palace is for the objects or the quotes which you are attempting to remember (WHICH YOU WILL!) to be as completely and utterly imaginative as possible. For example, for The Great Gatsby, "a "cousin of Kaiser Wilhelms" has for me Hitler sitting on my front couch. Then for "a white flannel suit, silve shirt and gold-coloured tie", I have a man dressed ostentatiously and completely out of place in my kitchen. Many of the greatest memory experts all testify to using this method and by it I was able to acheive an A band 1 in Higher English - so it does the job! Just keep the thoughts as utterly farfetched as you can conjure and you shall be fine
Also worth noting, is how short a time, the whole method takes as opposed to the CONSTANT reading over of notes. This method is as fun as quote memorising can be tbh and not a whole monotonous session of revision.
Here is the article where I got it from which is really good for going into more detail and some examples of them
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Memory-Palace
The best way to perfect the memory palace is for the objects or the quotes which you are attempting to remember (WHICH YOU WILL!) to be as completely and utterly imaginative as possible. For example, for The Great Gatsby, "a "cousin of Kaiser Wilhelms" has for me Hitler sitting on my front couch. Then for "a white flannel suit, silve shirt and gold-coloured tie", I have a man dressed ostentatiously and completely out of place in my kitchen. Many of the greatest memory experts all testify to using this method and by it I was able to acheive an A band 1 in Higher English - so it does the job! Just keep the thoughts as utterly farfetched as you can conjure and you shall be fine
Also worth noting, is how short a time, the whole method takes as opposed to the CONSTANT reading over of notes. This method is as fun as quote memorising can be tbh and not a whole monotonous session of revision.
Here is the article where I got it from which is really good for going into more detail and some examples of them
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Memory-Palace
Many, many thanks for the quick reply!!
Yes, I've read the article before I just wanted the chance to speak to someone who has actually created one. How long did it take you to build one? I know how walking a path through the palace - if it's a real place - helps, but how long did it actually take you to develop your visual memory? Are the images vivd in your mind? One last thing, you were talking about quotations being memorised as distinct images. Is that how all aspects of your palace are memorised or do you have anything written down?
Sorry about the wave of questions; i've been really interested in developing my own ever since i first heard of it!
Oh and I'm doing Gatsby too - it's fun. How many times did you end up reading it?
Original post by iheartmondays
Do you have a study timetable..?
*an uploaded one would be fantastic* - I'll give my rep to the best one!
How many hours did you do?
*an uploaded one would be fantastic* - I'll give my rep to the best one!
How many hours did you do?
For maths/sciences just do a load of past papers and questions.
For arts/essay subjects look at the syllabus and think about what sort of questions they're going to ask.
And if you revise for general studies I kill you.
Original post by narusku
Many, many thanks for the quick reply!!
Yes, I've read the article before I just wanted the chance to speak to someone who has actually created one. How long did it take you to build one? I know how walking a path through the palace - if it's a real place - helps, but how long did it actually take you to develop your visual memory? Are the images vivd in your mind? One last thing, you were talking about quotations being memorised as distinct images. Is that how all aspects of your palace are memorised or do you have anything written down?
Sorry about the wave of questions; i've been really interested in developing my own ever since i first heard of it!
Oh and I'm doing Gatsby too - it's fun. How many times did you end up reading it?
Yes, I've read the article before I just wanted the chance to speak to someone who has actually created one. How long did it take you to build one? I know how walking a path through the palace - if it's a real place - helps, but how long did it actually take you to develop your visual memory? Are the images vivd in your mind? One last thing, you were talking about quotations being memorised as distinct images. Is that how all aspects of your palace are memorised or do you have anything written down?
Sorry about the wave of questions; i've been really interested in developing my own ever since i first heard of it!
Oh and I'm doing Gatsby too - it's fun. How many times did you end up reading it?
Yeah, it is actually really interesting the whole idea! Well, firstly I am by NO MEANS a visual person. I have developed over the last year but when creating my palace, I had then not a distinctively good one (still don't
). But really what I have inferred about memory is that, for me anyway, when attempting to remember something there has to be an association. That is A MUST. Say I said that: When a capacitor charges, a potential difference develops across the supply. This makes it harder for charge to get onto the supply, and as a result the supply current decreases.
This is a plain definition, and this by remembering would take several times reading over and even then would take quite a while to remember, because when attempting to remember words, it is (again for me) a plain black background, with no real quality which will enable me to remember. So in order to define this as something memorable, an amalgamation of the fact or quote with a DISTINCTIVE BACKGROUND or visual representation has to be created. This is where the memory palace comes in or just for like the capacitor above would be: a piece of static electricty where other pieces of electricity are going towards it but potential difference develops across the supply which in visual representation is a brick wall being erected. This process continues so a story is being created. (Again, you should note that it is much harder to create from scratch a background which you have never seen in real life or been around often)
So back more to the point of the memory palace
Visual memory isn't as much a necessity in the conventional sense. I would think visual memory is more attributable to an artist who can just create a whole painting through an image in their head and although my stick men are pretty damn good, I cannot draw whatsoever It is more the relation between something which you see frequently as it is easy to imagine. The night before my English exam was when I done Gatsby quotes and it took me 10 minutes to create it, i.e lay down the foundations, where everything should be organised and then a further while for me to structure the words correctly i.e put "white flannel suit, silver shirt and gold-coloured tie" in their right orders, and this had to be done for some of the other quotes also. The images are vivid in my mind because I again am making them as senseless and aberrant as possible. So completely different from anything else which would be stored in memory that it makes it hard to forget.
All things in my palace are an image, if that is what you mean because the images translate into words, if that's what your question was.
I kind of digressed in the middle in answer to your questions but I'm just trying to give you my thought processes so you can see what to do
And remember the answer which I have given, and that many TSR people have done is given a lovely structured answer which sounds just completely concise and orderly so to look like it's this amazing feat of brain function when in actuality our memories are most likely much more chaotic and less integrated as one would like to show
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask
and sorry for the longwinded answer :PBeing one of those people who absolutely CANNOT work at home, I go to the library in town (upstairs in the Reference section because its practically silent). Last year, I practically lived in there from mid-Feb to the end of my exams in June.
Got there anywhere from 9-10 in the morning, had an hour lunch break which I usually spent shopping, and left when it closed at around 6-ish. Locking myself up all day might seem a bit extreme, but my best friend does the same, so we keep each other amused when our attention spans dry up. 'Tis also a bonus that we do most of the same subjects.
In terms of studying technique...I basically just memorise whole textbooks
Got there anywhere from 9-10 in the morning, had an hour lunch break which I usually spent shopping, and left when it closed at around 6-ish. Locking myself up all day might seem a bit extreme, but my best friend does the same, so we keep each other amused when our attention spans dry up. 'Tis also a bonus that we do most of the same subjects.
In terms of studying technique...I basically just memorise whole textbooks
My study routine is about 90% Facebook at the moment D: although I remember this last year and got AABB...
I always used to be one of those people who just read the textbook a couple of day before the exam and never actually revised properly. Although I did quite good in my exams they were only GCSE's and so could be passed on intellect alone. This year I'm trying lots of techniques and starting a few weeks before my exams. I'm making written notes and recording myself reading some of them. Also I'm gonna make a memory palace, hopefully these can help me pass my exams. Only got two but I'm really stressing cos their just over 10 days away
Original post by Saf94
I always used to be one of those people who just read the textbook a couple of day before the exam and never actually revised properly. Although I did quite good in my exams they were only GCSE's and so could be passed on intellect alone. This year I'm trying lots of techniques and starting a few weeks before my exams. I'm making written notes and recording myself reading some of them. Also I'm gonna make a memory palace, hopefully these can help me pass my exams. Only got two but I'm really stressing cos their just over 10 days away
Memory palace? (Sounds interesting)
Buy some highlighters and attack those textbooks.... at least, that's what I do
Being a huge procrastinator, I am possibly not the best person to be giving advice... but I found timetables did not work in the slightest- I would make one starting at say, 8.30, wake up at 10, and scrap the whole timetable and do nothing all day because I had missed the first hour and a half! So yeah, not a good method in the slightest! I found locking myself in my Grans lounge, where there was a nice view of the sea, but no computer/tv/anything worked well because if I found myself bored I could look out of the window, but maybe only for a few minutes, and then snap back to revision And I prefer to go for:
1: Read through whole textbook in one sitting, while writing revision cards on the little fiddly bits of information you know you aren't going to learn by reading just once
2: Read the revision guide, hopefully nodding and understanding it all- if not back to the section in the textbook about it
3: Read the alternative revision guide (Such as CGP) and make notes on any new things you find
And then hopefully you have read pretty much everything there is to on your subject, and you have the revision cards for the morning of the exam to hopefully stick the extra information in your head! Worked for Biology and Chemistry And if you take a whole day or two for each subject by the end you should be set.
Now I just need to motivate myself to start that again for these january exams!
Good Luck!
And I prefer to go for:1: Read through whole textbook in one sitting, while writing revision cards on the little fiddly bits of information you know you aren't going to learn by reading just once
2: Read the revision guide, hopefully nodding and understanding it all- if not back to the section in the textbook about it
3: Read the alternative revision guide (Such as CGP) and make notes on any new things you find
And then hopefully you have read pretty much everything there is to on your subject, and you have the revision cards for the morning of the exam to hopefully stick the extra information in your head! Worked for Biology and Chemistry
And if you take a whole day or two for each subject by the end you should be set.Now I just need to motivate myself to start that again for these january exams!
Good Luck!
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