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urgent please!!!!!!!

hi so basically so far I haven't revised like properly. ive just been reading my notes for every subject and have done most pastpapers. but I don't know what to do next, when I read my notes nothing goes in so theres no point me doing pastpapers. I read them over and over and record my self and rewrite them but it still doesn't help. I wanted to know what other active methods are there? exams are so close and I'm still not ready! I feel like I've wasted this easter holiday.

Reply 1

starlieyed

You've only just started the easter holiday. Chill.

Change your revision techniques. Maybe you are a visual learner, so try doing mind maps.
If nothing sticks in your head, then repeat in your own words. Explain in to yourself like you would be explaining it to another person. Write what you have just learnt.

Understand what you are revising

Reply 2

davsu

Original post by usernamenew

Tons of stuff. You just need to find what works for you. I really like just rewriting my notes - but this doesn't need to be just as a big chunk of text. Could you do mind maps perhaps? Posters?

Look at the areas where you aren't doing so well in past papers and then concentrate on that.

Flashcards, post-it notes around your house, annotating past paper questions... The list is endless.

Reply 3

username2488767

Actually, a very good place to start is with past papers. If you do them before doing any revision, you'll know what you already know and what you don't, which is a good way to understand where you need to focus your revision. After that, you're right that you need to do something more active. For me, it takes me literally months before I find the right revision method for each subject and it changes every year and every topic sometimes as well. Something that worked well for my in GCSEs was writing songs. I'd write lyrics to popular songs (I did "let it go", "uptown funk"... can you tell what year I did my GCSEs? haha) but you can use flash cards, A3 sheets for mindmaps or even just putting everything on one sheet, use different colours, try typing it in an interesting font, pace around your room trying to memorise it the old fashioned way.

Reply 4

usernamenew

Original post by Kalikuku

thanks, ive tried mindmaps but they waste so much paper lol, i have to use like 10 sheets just for one topic. and are you sure its still early? ive wasted more than a week, it makes me feel so guilty because everyones probably ready for the exams by now lol.

Reply 5

usernamenew

Original post by greghayes

haha thank you for the tips. ive stuck mindmaps for a few of my subjects but i feel thats not an active method because isnt it rereading notes , just like flashcards? i feel like they give me an illusion ive learnt them but in fact i haven't. lol sorry its just last year i did so crap in my unit 1 science exam and it was all because of the poor revision technique rereading my notes, now im so worried about how to revise. ivedone fllashcards for pretty much most my subjects, i read them but then i forget them lol, it makes me so annoyed

Reply 6

usernamenew

Original post by davsu

thank you! ive tried rewriting notes and i will remember them but when i do pastpapers then i forget those answers, if thhat maakes sense. its so complicated sorrry, i feel no revision technique works. sorry

Reply 7

starlieyed

Original post by usernamenew

It depends on where you live. In England, easter holidays have just started first day of the two weeks.

But then again you are doing GCSE so exams come earlier. Just don't get disheartened

Reply 8

Daydreamer3

Original post by usernamenew

It is not early considering just slightly over a month remains and there is such a large amount of topics to cover. Why dont you just continue revising the way you have from year 10? For example Im not going to change my revision method now when what ive already been doing has been working for year 11 and 10. Just continue the way you have always been revising but if that is something you didnt do much, just let it naturally come and dont take other people's advice because not everyone can revise the same way.

Reply 9

davsu

Original post by usernamenew

I'm not sure if this makes sense, and obviously it depends on what subjects, but I try and understand my notes, and why questions are answered in a certain way, as opposed to remembering them in the typical word-for-word fashion.

Obviously stuff like geography, you can't really "understand" where all the different countries are (I'm sure this isn't what's actually involved. I didn't take geography), but for example physics, you can understand why an object upon which forces are balanced moves at a constant velocity.

If you look at the different bits and pieces for each subject, you can separate it out into knowledge - make flashcards with stuff you need to know - and understanding - really try and wrap your head around the concepts *not* just blindly copying down notes, and the knowledge will come more easily.

Alternatively, I could just be talking a load of rubbish.

Regarding past papers, I like to keep them "sight unseen" until I'm pretty well done with revision and then do them under timed conditions. This allows me to get a very clear accurate representation of what my exam grade is going to be.