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How do you revise?

With exams fast approaching, I'm sure many of you are starting to buckle down with your revision. :u:

Of course, being organised is a key part of getting things done, so we'd love to know:

* How do you plan your revision? Are you a plan in advance kinda person or more of a see how it goes type?

* How is your revision timetable structured? A rigid pattern every week or something more flexible?

* How do you use stationery in your revision? I know a lot of people stick to digital formats but for me there's nothing like pen and paper - any other dinosaur-style revisers out there?

* How do you organise your notes? Sometimes I think I spend more time sorting through my notes than actually studying...

Let us know in the comments! :biggrin:

Reply 1

AriTem

Ok I'm past the stage of having to study for any exams but can also (immodestly) say that I aced all my exams with distinctions at uni and also passed all my post grad exams easily so guess I have a reasonably robust way to get through exams?

How do you plan your revision?

Planning is key to success. Anyone who doesn't do this well is likely to struggle. I would break it down into modules/topics/domains (whatever you want to call it) for each subject and then roughly work out how much time I need for each. The more important/more like to come out in exams are the ones I really need to know well and require more time obviously and there will be some where it's less important/likely to come out in the exams so I spend less time on those.

Which means you need to know what the exam will focus on. Look through past papers and figure out which parts of the course you need to really know. The coursework lectures help here too as they have highlighted the things that are important and the core knowledge that you have to explore around.

How is your revision timetable structured?

I'm not rigid with the timetable but I always keep the examination date in mind and how much time I have to complete the revision I want to do. The plan is to not fall too far behind so I create little checkpoints. Say there's 10 weeks left to the exam - I'll have a rough idea of what I should cover every 2/3 weeks and check that I am on track to finish it all. That also means I look ahead in the next 10 weeks and plan for things like weekends away/nights out when there's not going to be any work done etc and adjust the schedule accordingly.

How do you use stationery in your revision? Over the years I have moved from pen/paper to more electronic. I don't think it really matters. What matters more is you have your own notes that are condensed from various sources which is the core knowledge you have identified that you need to know. Those notes should have been done throughout the course and once you're in the final revision phase the notes should be what you're using. That implies that you have already done the groundwork whilst compiling your own notes an understand the concepts not just parrot them back. Understanding is where a lot of candidates fail. You can't memorize disparate facts without understanding. Revision is simply the process of being able to recall the key concepts and knowledge and be able to use these to problem solve/answer the exam questions.

How do you organise your notes? By subject then subdividing into the different areas of the subject. Electronic here is a real aid imo and makes it much quicker to search for things especially if you aren't good at organising.