Do I need a revision timetable?

Need to get 3 As, doing English, History, Spanish and Biology. I am not achieving As currently, sitting around the B/C mark for all of my subjects.

I'm bad at revising, like knowing what to revise when and then having the consistency. But I'm even worse at following independent revision timetables. I never stick to them, I create them and then just forget about them completely or end up studying something different based on how I feel at the moment I sit down to work. But people swear it's really important.

2 months away from exam season, is it worth trying to fix this habit, or is there another way to study better? Do I need a study timetable to get 3 As?

Reply 1

LJMUStudentReps

Official Rep

Hi @tarantella

I also would highly recommend independent revision timetable. It is how I push my self to get it done even when i dont feel like it. I personally pin my stuff up including notes and the timetable itself around my room so I see it ALL the time. (I cannot avoid it so if i dont get it done it will haunt me). I would focus on the topics you are weaker at rather than ones your good at and try level them equal and once you reach that stage then give your attention to the main /most important topics which are most likely going to be on the exam. 2 months is more than enough time if you start properly now!

Other tips can include changing your place of study, even if that is a different room. Trying different methods like 25 mins on 5 mins off or phone away in another room etc.

Jad, LJMU Rep

Reply 2

Kallisto

Entertainment Forum Helper, Life & Style Forum Helper

Original post

by tarantella

A timetable for revision may help you, but first of all you need to know how you revise and to learn best. Then you can set a timetable that suits for you.

Reply 3

ivysrosesss

Original post

by tarantella

Need to get 3 As, doing English, History, Spanish and Biology. I am not achieving As currently, sitting around the B/C mark for all of my subjects.
I'm bad at revising, like knowing what to revise when and then having the consistency. But I'm even worse at following independent revision timetables. I never stick to them, I create them and then just forget about them completely or end up studying something different based on how I feel at the moment I sit down to work. But people swear it's really important.
2 months away from exam season, is it worth trying to fix this habit, or is there another way to study better? Do I need a study timetable to get 3 As?

you don’t necessarily have to have one but it can be helpful. i personally don’t use a strict revision timetable but rather just block out times for revision without having specific instructions and i find that way better than trying to plan every minute

Reply 4

LancashireRep4

Official Rep

Original post

by tarantella

Need to get 3 As, doing English, History, Spanish and Biology. I am not achieving As currently, sitting around the B/C mark for all of my subjects.
I'm bad at revising, like knowing what to revise when and then having the consistency. But I'm even worse at following independent revision timetables. I never stick to them, I create them and then just forget about them completely or end up studying something different based on how I feel at the moment I sit down to work. But people swear it's really important.
2 months away from exam season, is it worth trying to fix this habit, or is there another way to study better? Do I need a study timetable to get 3 As?

Hi @tarantella

I would definitely recommend a revision timetable, but maybe a more flexible one if you struggle to stick to them.

For a more flexible timetable, you could opt for studying "x" amount of hours of "y" subject per week. Log how many hours you are doing and make sure you hit your target each week. This way you can study when you feel like it, but also have a visual reminder to reach a particular goal.

If this type of flexibility does not work for you, then instead you could try a more rigid timetable but make some adjustments:

•

Firstly, I recommend doing your studying in the morning, this ensures you get it done before being distracted by other tasks.

•

Avoid long study sessions and have frequent breaks. This will help you retain knowledge better as you will hopefully avoid burnout.

•

Work in a quiet environment with your phone in another room to avoid distractions

•

Change up your working environment regularly. Some options can be a quiet spot in the house, the library, coffee shop or in nature.

Try not to be too harsh on yourself as a lot of people struggle with being consistent. As long as you are getting the revision done and it works for you, then it does not matter how you do it. If you are following a timetable, it's okay to swap things up based on how you feel as long as you compensate for it later. 😊

I hope this helps, please feel free to ask me any questions,
-Sophia (University of Lancashire)

Reply 5

Jffjdb

Original post

by tarantella

Need to get 3 As, doing English, History, Spanish and Biology. I am not achieving As currently, sitting around the B/C mark for all of my subjects.
I'm bad at revising, like knowing what to revise when and then having the consistency. But I'm even worse at following independent revision timetables. I never stick to them, I create them and then just forget about them completely or end up studying something different based on how I feel at the moment I sit down to work. But people swear it's really important.
2 months away from exam season, is it worth trying to fix this habit, or is there another way to study better? Do I need a study timetable to get 3 As?

Easy fix: drop an a level unless you NEED all 4 of them

Reply 6

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post

by tarantella

Need to get 3 As, doing English, History, Spanish and Biology. I am not achieving As currently, sitting around the B/C mark for all of my subjects.
I'm bad at revising, like knowing what to revise when and then having the consistency. But I'm even worse at following independent revision timetables. I never stick to them, I create them and then just forget about them completely or end up studying something different based on how I feel at the moment I sit down to work. But people swear it's really important.
2 months away from exam season, is it worth trying to fix this habit, or is there another way to study better? Do I need a study timetable to get 3 As?

Hi OP,
First of all, good luck in your exams, you got this!!

While some people swear by a revision timetable, I personally could not get them to stick, and I still got 3 As at A-Level. Some people just don't find them useful, whether this be because of neurodivergence, unusual schedules or simply because they just don't work for them, and that is okay! I would often spend hours trying to make a perfect aesthetically pleasing timetable, only for it to not last even a week, by which point I would feel disappointed in and frustrated at myself. Instead, I tried to make sure that I was still holding myself accountable by logging how much I actually got done, not just how much I (often unrealistically) expected "future me" to do. This meant that I was able to look at how much I had done on a study-heavy day and feel proud of myself. Another thing I tried was logging my hours studied, I used an app called YPT which blocked apps on my phone while I was studying. Not only did it eliminate distractions but it also logged how much I was studying, so I could reflect back on the weeks/months and see how much progress I was making. Both of these methods were a lot more sporadic than a structured timetable, and I found them a lot more effective.

Another method which is somewhat more structured was just having a to-do list per day. If you struggle (like me) with setting unrealistically high expectations of yourself and what you can get done in a day, I would recommend doing a "to-do list bingo". This is where you draw a grid of 4x4 or 5x5 and fill in each one with a study/revision activity. You can then gamify your studying by aiming to complete lines or even a full house depending on your motivation levels throughout the day! This is a method I use even for non-academic work when I feel overwhelmed by many tasks - plus, writing down tasks even with the intention of not doing them all ensures that you will not forget about them.

Hope this helps! :smile: