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What ur trick to study??

As revision can be boring from time to time or very tiresome though the subject is interesting, I taught it would be cool if we all posted some things we do to keep us going. So, for me its coffee, music and my bed - with all three I can sit on my bed for hours reading, doing notes and pass papers (while from time to time singing to a song :rolleyes:

- I KNOW). So what's yours??

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Reply 1

iceman_jondoe

hmm for me i prefer quiet i cant work with music bed is too comfortable for me if i were to try and revise on it i would fall asleep

Reply 2

Stranded

hmm for me i prefer quiet i cant work with music bed is too comfortable for me if i were to try and revise on it i would fall asleep

Ditto

Reply 3

*Princess*

think of the after the exams when u can do what u want

Reply 4

ikernal

iceman ive got the same issue here, i can only work when its all peacefull and silent but then id give it 1 hour before i run downstairs and turn on the tv, put my footup and grab some food!

Reply 5

danniella

Hello!

I try to have something nice planned for the evening and my 'rents are sufficiently draconian to only allow me to go once they've checked I've done all the stuff I have to. Yes it is as big a pain as it sounds. Fortunately most of my friends are in the same boat...

Oh, and I'm only doing GCSEs so it's not like I can just drive off somewhere...

love danniella

Reply 6

Cunning Linguist

studying is hard! i find it a mission to motivate myself.
i've figured that the best way for me is to go to my local library and revise - they have a little 'study corner'. At home, there's just too many distractions - in my room there's my bed and computer, downstairs there's the damn telly!

Reply 7

littlemonkey

Yeps studying is hard but when the results come and you have that A - it really pays off!! :wink:

Good Luck everyone

Reply 8

Chumbaniya

Two words: Photographic. Memory.

As for revision, I find the most important thing is to reduce distractions to a minimum. Unless you need the internet, turn of your computer - even better, unplug it at the wall so it would take more effort to turn it back on. Make sure your TV is off (duh!) and that you're sitting somwhere away from it - believe me, if you're easily distracted like me, even the effect of having distractions in view is off-putting.

If you can revise happily with music on, it's not too bad, but if anything I'd advise putting on something that you don't want to pay much attention to - it's disruptive to find yourself tapping your foot or mouthing the words to a song while you're meant to be revising. Personally, I find something quiet and relaxing works well - if it's without words, that's even better since your concentration can't wander as you follow them.

Reply 9

Scipio

Every few minutes look away and try to recall what you've just read. If you can't remember, you're not concentrating properly, slap yourself a bit and continue. If that fails take a short break. If that fails screw it.

Reply 10

WokSz

I work at the local university library - it actually motivates me to see all these students work for hours on end without even getting up to stretch. My god, Swiss university students are workaholics.

Reply 11

henryt

My trick is not to get hooked on TSR!!

Reply 12

Revd. Mike

To each his own, that's an important thing to remember when studying; everyone has different styles that suit them best.

Personally, I can't work in silence. I always have to have some music, or the TV in the background. I revise best by doing it in small chunks, say 20-30 minutes of study, then a coffee break, then another study chunk, then 10 minutes to grab a snack and have a quick period of exercise and so on.

(Btw, allegedly the period of exercise thing helps increase blood flow to the brain helping you to concentrate)

My prefered techniques are condensing all my notes from lessons and direct from the text books into salient bullet points, with some nice clear diagrams and perhaps some worked examples, and putting these onto revision sheets. With this, you have the act of making them, which helps process the information to store it better, and then you have nice crib sheets to revise from later.
I also like to make flashcards, and for some concepts I sometimes use analogies or stories.

Also - one of my favourites, even though it annoys my mother no end - I stick pieces of paper all round the house with important notes on them, in places where I know I'll read them, examples have included tha bathroom, my bedroom, the calendar, the toilet, the sofas, the fridge, the kitchen cupboards, all over the place :biggrin:

.

One final technique I sometimes like to use, and that's to 'teach' all the information to my mum. It normally goes in one ear and out the other, or she just stares at me blankly, but just by talking it through and explaining it, I find I process the information better and it sticks in my head. It's even better when she starts asking me questions.

Beyond those, my only other recommendation is PAST PAPERS! And lots of them! If you keep going through them (and mark them with the markscheme afterwards) you start to notice trends in the types of questions they ask you, and what you see in the mark schemes is that they're only loking for very specific bits of info on each topic. Theoretically, you could answer some three mark questions in just three words. And remember, there are only so many questions they could possibly ask you on the topics covered in your courses, so by doing loads of past papers, you prepare yourself well for any question they could throw at you.

Happy Revising all!

Reply 13

silent ninja

putting stuff into layman's terms sure helps

Reply 14

Sam18

Yea, layman's terms are the way to go for me too.

Reply 15

crazygirl4521

I like to study in silence, with no destractions. To motivate me i think about how happy i will be when seeing an A rather than a B, and just force yourself and repeat past papers until you get an A. I revies in 45 minute blocks and have 20 min breaks, try to revise in a certain time limit and stick to it and never give up.

Reply 16

The D

I allow myself to do 1 sodoku after completing 1 paper.

Reply 17

Magickal_Faerie

I like to make lists of things. If i read it through long enough, i can visualise the piece of paper,then genrally the words on it. it does take a long while though. Putting music on generally helps me to concentrate, then i can block it out when i get a burst of conentration. oh yeah, and doing revision the night before only serves to mae your exam go worse, you're tired and wont be able to concentrate properly. i just re-write my notes with the facts in, rather than all the blurb and write it in bullet point. right, im off for breakfast now, cya xx

Reply 18

Revd. Mike

The D

I allow myself to do 1 sodoku after completing 1 paper.

Excellent technique! I will try this lol, if my sudoku cravings will allow lol.

Reply 19

Helen_w

ikernal

iceman ive got the same issue here, i can only work when its all peacefull and silent but then id give it 1 hour before i run downstairs and turn on the tv, put my footup and grab some food!