How can I revise? - A levels

7

As the title implies, I have real issues with revising. I suspect I have ADHD however I am not diagnosed or anything, but I literally cannot force myself to revise, I just procrastinate. At GCSE level I was predicted all around 6 grade 9s and 2 grade 8s and a 6, however despite promising myself I would revise, I ended up procrastinating until the night before each exam and ended up getting 6 7s and 2 6s and a 3 in drama. Now I am in year 13 and have A* (Computer Science), B (Maths), B (Chemistry) predicteds, however that was once again with only around 4-5 hours total revision for each subject. I don't know what to do as I genuinely try really hard to revise but I always end up getting sidetracked, and I also miss a lot of what is taught in class as I always daydream even when I'm trying really hard to concentrate. I feel whilst I did ok with my UCAS grades, I definetly could've done way better and probably got lucky to not do worse considering how little preparation I did. If anyone has been through anything similar or even if you haven't, I would really appreciate any and all advice as to what to do to. Also to be clear I am aware that this is completely my fault so yeah not trynna lay blame on anything.

Thanks in advance! :smile:

(edited 4 months ago)

Reply 1

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

18

Original post

by Stnky

As the title implies, I have real issues with revising. I suspect I have ADHD however I am not diagnosed or anything, but I literally cannot force myself to revise, I just procrastinate. At GCSE level I was predicted all around 6 grade 9s and 2 grade 8s and a 6, however despite promising myself I would revise, I ended up procrastinating until the night before each exam and ended up getting 6 7s and 2 6s and a 3 in drama. Now I am in year 13 and have A* (Computer Science), B (Maths), B (Chemistry) predicteds, however that was once again with only around 4-5 hours total revision for each subject. I don't know what to do as I genuinely try really hard to revise but I always end up getting sidetracked, and I also miss a lot of what is taught in class as I always daydream even when I'm trying really hard to concentrate. I feel whilst I did ok with my UCAS grades, I definetly could've done way better and probably got lucky to not do worse considering how little preparation I did. If anyone has been through anything similar or even if you haven't, I would really appreciate any and all advice as to what to do to. Also to be clear I am aware that this is completely my fault so yeah not trynna lay blame on anything.
Thanks in advance! :smile:

Hey @Stnky

Lots of people have the same issue - even without ADHD. The “sit and revise for hours” method doesn’t work for many people. It’s great that you’re trying to find a method that works for you!

Try breaking things into tiny goals, like “do two questions” or “watch a 10 minute video”. I also find that apps like flora are great, to block distractive apps, and grow a tree in the process :smile:

. Try a change of scenery, go to a new cafe or library and see if this helps! I find that active revision rather than just re-reading notes helps me to stay more focused, so try flashcards, past paper questions etc.

If you do think that ADHD may be a factor, it could be worth speaking to your GP or college support team about this. They may have strategies or adjustments that may work for you.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
-Molly
BCU Student rep

Reply 2

UniLancashire

Official Rep

16

Original post

by Stnky

As the title implies, I have real issues with revising. I suspect I have ADHD however I am not diagnosed or anything, but I literally cannot force myself to revise, I just procrastinate. At GCSE level I was predicted all around 6 grade 9s and 2 grade 8s and a 6, however despite promising myself I would revise, I ended up procrastinating until the night before each exam and ended up getting 6 7s and 2 6s and a 3 in drama. Now I am in year 13 and have A* (Computer Science), B (Maths), B (Chemistry) predicteds, however that was once again with only around 4-5 hours total revision for each subject. I don't know what to do as I genuinely try really hard to revise but I always end up getting sidetracked, and I also miss a lot of what is taught in class as I always daydream even when I'm trying really hard to concentrate. I feel whilst I did ok with my UCAS grades, I definetly could've done way better and probably got lucky to not do worse considering how little preparation I did. If anyone has been through anything similar or even if you haven't, I would really appreciate any and all advice as to what to do to. Also to be clear I am aware that this is completely my fault so yeah not trynna lay blame on anything.
Thanks in advance! :smile:

Hi @Stnky,

I'm sorry that you are struggling with revising currently. I struggled to concentrate and not get distracted when I revised too both before and during university. Something that really helped me was implementing regular breaks. This really helped me to stay focused and motivated to revise and study. I often thought I would get all the revision done without any breaks and then have a big break and recharge after but I would end up revising less then. Even a short walk around the block or making a cup of tea helped me a lot. I would often think if I have a break "will I come back to the revision" but I did and managed to get more done than if I didn't have regular breaks.

The room I studied in was also important, I would make sure I am free from distraction so I wouldn't have my phone near me, I had some water by to keep hydrated and just a nice calming vibe with music also helped. There are so many ways to revise and we are all different so it can take some trial and error to find what works for you. I know some people prefer silence when studying so that might be worth a try?

Planning my revision also helped. Breaking up the studying into smaller and more manageable chunks made the revision easier to digest. I would schedule in an hour to focus on one thing and so on. We have a great video on being organised when it comes to revising here. You've got this!

Let me know if you have any further questions 🙂

I hope this helps and best wishes,
^Zac

How can I revise? - A levels

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