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Share your revision techniques

Hey guys, I wanted some ideas of how to revise efficiently with all the content actually sticking in my brain, any ideas?


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Original post by cutelady
Hey guys, I wanted some ideas of how to revise efficiently with all the content actually sticking in my brain, any ideas?


Posted from TSR Mobile


flashcards:smile:
Depends on what learner you are.

Currently revising for my GCSEs (taking a 10 minute break after 1 hour) and I've done some biology so far this afternoon. I have targeted some computing revision tonight; and that's one key to revision success. I think a lot of people have the mindset that you should spend hours of revision then once you've done 4 hours of chemistry, then go on to geography. I have a slightly different approach. I target the topics I am uncertain about and once I am competent with them, that is when I'll move onto the next subject.

So how do I revise?
1. Specification (this is your best friend up until mid June)
2. Revision guides
3. Plain A4 white paper with pen, pencil and coloured pens/felt tips
4. Past paper questions
5. Flash cards

1. The specification allows you to see what you actually need to learn. This will help you focus your revision and stop your drifting away from what the exam board actually want you to learn. It's also quite useful for quick bullet points for your flash cards (come onto that later)

2. Revision guides! Very useful to refer to as it contains a lot relevant information.

3. I use these items to create a spider diagram. I will add some colour with some pens and felt tips but not a lot because it can be over-whelming for me. I will then create bullet points using my revision guides and specification, keeping them short and simple. After I have completed a topic, I will read over my notes again, ensuring I understand them

4. Test your knowledge! Fairly straight forward.

5. Once you have identified your weaknesses, make flashcards on your areas of weaknesses so you can then pull them out whenever and study them.

6. Remember to take regular breaks and to not stop revising areas you're competent on otherwise you will forget the information when the exam comes.

Hope I helped! I'm going to revise for computing now! Good luck with your revision and exams!
Reply 3
Original post by BTAnonymous
Depends on what learner you are.

Currently revising for my GCSEs (taking a 10 minute break after 1 hour) and I've done some biology so far this afternoon. I have targeted some computing revision tonight; and that's one key to revision success. I think a lot of people have the mindset that you should spend hours of revision then once you've done 4 hours of chemistry, then go on to geography. I have a slightly different approach. I target the topics I am uncertain about and once I am competent with them, that is when I'll move onto the next subject.

So how do I revise?
1. Specification (this is your best friend up until mid June)
2. Revision guides
3. Plain A4 white paper with pen, pencil and coloured pens/felt tips
4. Past paper questions
5. Flash cards

1. The specification allows you to see what you actually need to learn. This will help you focus your revision and stop your drifting away from what the exam board actually want you to learn. It's also quite useful for quick bullet points for your flash cards (come onto that later)

2. Revision guides! Very useful to refer to as it contains a lot relevant information.

3. I use these items to create a spider diagram. I will add some colour with some pens and felt tips but not a lot because it can be over-whelming for me. I will then create bullet points using my revision guides and specification, keeping them short and simple. After I have completed a topic, I will read over my notes again, ensuring I understand them

4. Test your knowledge! Fairly straight forward.

5. Once you have identified your weaknesses, make flashcards on your areas of weaknesses so you can then pull them out whenever and study them.

6. Remember to take regular breaks and to not stop revising areas you're competent on otherwise you will forget the information when the exam comes.

Hope I helped! I'm going to revise for computing now! Good luck with your revision and exams!


how do u use a spider diagram for revising?
Original post by shawtyb
how do u use a spider diagram for revising?


I'll have the topic in the middle, say respiration, then I'll branch of aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration.

For aerobic respiration, I might give a few bullet points about what it is and what it involves. I could then branch off to show the formula for respiration. The formula for respiration involves the release of energy. What is this energy used for? Branch of again and note these down.

It's important to not write out full sentences. I say spider diagram but my spider diagrams consist of small bullet points rather than words.

Using colours to distinguish between different areas of the topics helps me to visualise how things are linked together and therefore gives me a better understanding of the topic. E.g. using blue for aerobic (because blue in my mind is associated with air and 'air' (oxygen) is used in aer(air)obic respiration - sorry for the awful puns) and red for anaerobic respiration.

Small pictures or diagrams can also be helpful if visuals help.

This technique proved successful when revising for my my core science exams in year 10 of which I scored an overall A*.

EDIT: You say HOW do I use them. Well because they consist of relatively small chucnks of information, I will read over them, making sure I read them in a logical order (along with the colours) then 10 minutes later I'll test my self with some exam questions, try to recall information and write out key ideas. You can also use your friends or family members to test you which is an extremely effective method, especially your friends because you can both give feedback on where you need to improve as you'll both have the extensive knowledge about the topic.
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 5
Original post by BTAnonymous
I'll have the topic in the middle, say respiration, then I'll branch of aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration.

For aerobic respiration, I might give a few bullet points about what it is and what it involves. I could then branch off to show the formula for respiration. The formula for respiration involves the release of energy. What is this energy used for? Branch of again and note these down.

It's important to not write out full sentences. I say spider diagram but my spider diagrams consist of small bullet points rather than words.

Using colours to distinguish between different areas of the topics helps me to visualise how things are linked together and therefore gives me a better understanding of the topic. E.g. using blue for aerobic (because blue in my mind is associated with air and 'air' (oxygen) is used in aer(air)obic respiration - sorry for the awful puns) and red for anaerobic respiration.

Small pictures or diagrams can also be helpful if visuals help.

This technique proved successful when revising for my my core science exams in year 10 of which I scored an overall A*.

EDIT: You say HOW do I use them. Well because they consist of relatively small chucnks of information, I will read over them, making sure I read them in a logical order (along with the colours) then 10 minutes later I'll test my self with some exam questions, try to recall information and write out key ideas. You can also use your friends or family members to test you which is an extremely effective method, especially your friends because you can both give feedback on where you need to improve as you'll both have the extensive knowledge about the topic.


how could i encorporate business management into a sider diagram?
Original post by shawtyb
how could i encorporate business management into a sider diagram?


I've never done any business related subject in my life. However, the concept is still the same.

Have the topic in the middle. Say business strategies (something I found). Then you will branch of with the name of each business strategy. Then branch off each business strategy with bullet points about what that strategy is. Then branch of again maybe with advantages or disadvantages of the strategy. Make sure each disadvantage or advantage has it's own 'twig' so a smaller branch.
Reply 7
Original post by BTAnonymous
I've never done any business related subject in my life. However, the concept is still the same.

Have the topic in the middle. Say business strategies (something I found). Then you will branch of with the name of each business strategy. Then branch off each business strategy with bullet points about what that strategy is. Then branch of again maybe with advantages or disadvantages of the strategy. Make sure each disadvantage or advantage has it's own 'twig' so a smaller branch.


ooh thats a good idea!
thankyou
CGP revision guides are the best way to revise! (Especially for science) Also, I have downloaded a range of apps for each subject. Also, watch videos on youtube and make notes while your doing it!


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I make notes on sticky notes & put them in places where I go most in the house...you could even laminate some & put them on the shower wall:tongue:
Original post by cutelady
Hey guys, I wanted some ideas of how to revise efficiently with all the content actually sticking in my brain, any ideas?


Posted from TSR Mobile


heya if you go to pages 22 ish there are some great tips here I think you might find useful :smile:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3897511
Original post by BTAnonymous
Depends on what learner you are.

Currently revising for my GCSEs (taking a 10 minute break after 1 hour) and I've done some biology so far this afternoon. I have targeted some computing revision tonight; and that's one key to revision success. I think a lot of people have the mindset that you should spend hours of revision then once you've done 4 hours of chemistry, then go on to geography. I have a slightly different approach. I target the topics I am uncertain about and once I am competent with them, that is when I'll move onto the next subject.

So how do I revise?
1. Specification (this is your best friend up until mid June)
2. Revision guides
3. Plain A4 white paper with pen, pencil and coloured pens/felt tips
4. Past paper questions
5. Flash cards

1. The specification allows you to see what you actually need to learn. This will help you focus your revision and stop your drifting away from what the exam board actually want you to learn. It's also quite useful for quick bullet points for your flash cards (come onto that later)

2. Revision guides! Very useful to refer to as it contains a lot relevant information.

3. I use these items to create a spider diagram. I will add some colour with some pens and felt tips but not a lot because it can be over-whelming for me. I will then create bullet points using my revision guides and specification, keeping them short and simple. After I have completed a topic, I will read over my notes again, ensuring I understand them

4. Test your knowledge! Fairly straight forward.

5. Once you have identified your weaknesses, make flashcards on your areas of weaknesses so you can then pull them out whenever and study them.

6. Remember to take regular breaks and to not stop revising areas you're competent on otherwise you will forget the information when the exam comes.

Hope I helped! I'm going to revise for computing now! Good luck with your revision and exams!

Hey, how do you use the specification to revise? Most of the information under the content section is just factual, so do I just make the notes from that or correspond that to my revision guide and make my notes very detailed?
Original post by cutelady
Hey guys, I wanted some ideas of how to revise efficiently with all the content actually sticking in my brain, any ideas?


Posted from TSR Mobile


Get off the internet and revisie
Original post by notgonnasaymisha
Hey, how do you use the specification to revise? Most of the information under the content section is just factual, so do I just make the notes from that or correspond that to my revision guide and make my notes very detailed?



Why use the specification? Well firstly, it helps you structure your revision more. Specifications are always split into topics so it's nice and easy to find the topic you want on the specification pdf.

Secondly, it informs you of information which might not actually be in your textbooks. For example, in my A Level Physics, I need to know about pulse broadening and absorption which is not in the AQA A Level Physics textbook. However, most of the new specifications are 90% the same as the previous ones.

Lastly and most importantly, it helps you understand what the exam board expects from you. This means two things: things you need to know, and things you do not need to know. In other words, don't revise irrelevant information but also don't miss anythinf out either. Of course, if you have an interest in the subject then you can do all the research you want but during revision, don't bother with irrelevant information.

The specification must be factwhat subjects do you do? I'm doing phys, chemistry and maths and the specification s need to be factual otherwise how the hell do I know what to learn?

So don't make notes on the specification but instead use it as your guide; the specification will be your friend throughout GCSEs and A Level. I don't suggest making detailed notes but compressing them into effective notes: short and covers everything on the specification without going off on a tangent.
(edited 6 years ago)
Past papers
Just do so many questions so you learn how to answer them.
Original post by BTAnonymous
Why use the specification? Well firstly, it helps you structure your revision more. Specifications are always split into topics so it's nice and easy to find the topic you want on the specification pdf.

Secondly, it informs you of information which might not actually be in your textbooks. For example, in my A Level Physics, I need to know about pulse broadening and absorption which is not in the AQA A Level Physics textbook. However, most of the new specifications are 90% the same as the previous ones.

Lastly and most importantly, it helps you understand what the exam board expects from you. This means two things: things you need to know, and things you do not need to know. In other words, don't revise irrelevant information but also don't miss anythinf out either. Of course, if you have an interest in the subject then you can do all the research you want but during revision, don't bother with irrelevant information.

The specification must be factwhat subjects do you do? I'm doing phys, chemistry and maths and the specification s need to be factual otherwise how the hell do I know what to learn?

So don't make notes on the specification but instead use it as your guide; the specification will be your friend throughout GCSEs and A Level. I don't suggest making detailed notes but compressing them into effective notes: short and covers everything on the specification without going off on a tangent.

Thank you so much for explaining it to me! Really grateful :smile:
Original post by notgonnasaymisha
Thank you so much for explaining it to me! Really grateful :smile:


You're welcome! Good luck! :h:
Sometimes it helps to revise in groups.


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