Revision tips

[DoctorWho]

Hey guys,

Have recently started a course & feeling abit overwhelmed!
Been a long time since I left school.
Does anyone have any tips for revising? I’ve written out flash cards today wondering what else I could do

 

[Pussy Galore]

Hey guys,

Have recently started a course & feeling abit overwhelmed!
Been a long time since I left school.
Does anyone have any tips for revising? I’ve written out flash cards today wondering what else I could do

When I was in school I would make posters, like a mind maps for important information. Stick them where you go the most. By your mirror, so when doing your hair etc you can read notes, In bathroom when doing your teeth x

 

[DoctorWho]

When I was in school I would make posters, like a mind maps for important information. Stick them where you go the most. By your mirror, so when doing your hair etc you can read notes, In bathroom when doing your teeth x

Thank you!

 

[HoGi]

I agree, posters/flashcards stuck where you will see them frequently

 

[Sheeeet]

Hey guys,

Have recently started a course & feeling abit overwhelmed!
Been a long time since I left school.
Does anyone have any tips for revising? I’ve written out flash cards today wondering what else I could do

If you have a test or exam at the end of the course, do as many past papers as you can if they are available! So much the better if there is are model answer papers available. I also returned to study a while ago and found this really helped me retain the information, it also gives you a feel for the kind of answers the examiners want and in what kind of depth. Good luck to you!

 

[OnlyHereForTheLolz]

Are there online classes and lectures? My attention span for sitting and learning is short but if I listen to a lecture I tend to retain the information. Especially if I make notes during the lecture.
If there are no lectures to listen to maybe make your own and listen to it a few times whilst making notes.

 

[Definitelyme]

I would first try to figure out what way you learn best - usually divided into visual, auditory or kinaesthetic, and then have a look for some tips relating to that specific learning style.

So for me I am 100% a visual learner so I found reading, writing and re-reading the info a million times embedded it so I could see it in my mind. If you learn best a different way, there will be other strategies for you to use.

Little and often, going over things for a short period every day will help cement it in for the long term (like how you remember all the words to a song from 20yrs ago!)

And definitely past papers if that’s applicable.

 

[#kindlystop]

Good luck in your new course! I am starting one soon too and although I work in education I feel so far removed from formal writing and exams!

When I do need to write something and remember it I type it all out onto Word like a complete brain explosion of information. Doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make sense at first. I then read through it and edit and format it so it’s like I’m revising it. I add things and take bits away, change the font etc. I know it sounds odd but it’s like I’m organising all my thoughts which I find helpful when I have a lot on my mind and want to focus and get it all out.

I know this is disputed but I will often watch or listen to something when I’m reading and revising and I remember what I was watching or listening to I will get flash backs to what I was writing. Or a write in different colours or revise in different places for different subjects! I remember when I did my a levels I could remember reading a paragraph in a particular spot in the library, or remember walking home in the rain after a particular lesson. Brains are so strange!

Sorry if those things don’t work for you! We’re all so different! Might be worth trying lots of different things while you get used to it again to find a method that suits you

 

[rainbowlemon]

Some tips from the top of my head and I have to study a lot:

1. Anki has changed the way I study. It's a program you download onto your computer to make revision cards. It's about spaced repetition. You have the option of seeing the card again in 1 min, 10 min, 1 day or 4 days. (Then longer time periods again). If you want it on your phone thought they do have an app on the phone which is pricey but worth it. It allows to me to study whilst I'm walking to classes, the supermarket or waiting for a teacher to turn up. There's lots of videos on youtube and reddit about it too. Making the cards can take time though. One of my decks has 1000+ cards at the moment and I firstly go through my entire syllabus then try to work through it but also do the cards as I go along. It means you don't forget anything!

2. Might not be so applicable now but I used to study a lot in coffee shops- so I wouldn't get distracted. I often just bought the cheapest item on the menu (usually a 50p pretzle or a small coffee) and would stay there for hours.

3. Not for everyone but I also have audiobooks in the background if I'm staying at home.

4.I also use the FLIP app to measures how much you're actually studying and gives you monthly, daily and weekly statistics. It keeps me on track so I can compare where I am.

5. Pomodoro method for days you're not feeling it. Study in blocks of 25 mins, then take a 5 min break and repeat. AFter 4 take a 30 min break.

6. I would also take some notes and read them whilst I was walking in the park and on the treadmill.

7. Something is better than nothing. Don't compare yourself to others. It's okay to take breaks and stop for a day or two when you're starting to feel burnt out.

8. Might sound harsh but I usually have my phone in areoplane mode and have already asked my family not to call me ( i live alone) and I that I will call them if I want to talk. My friends also know that I don't get back to people straight away unless its an emergency.

9. If you don't understand anything there's always youtube.

 

[rainbowlemon]

Sorry for all the grammar and missed out words!

 

[Sw4]

Writing notes, rewriting them shorter, saying them out loud to yourself, and rewriting again in another format eg mindmap. Reread as much as possible. I found this would cement info in my mind and I'd look through the notes so often that in the exams I'd often be able to picture my notes exactly as they were. But as someone mentioned earlier work out if you are mainly visual, audio or kinesthetic, there's quizzes online you can do to find this out. Some people learn well by listening but I just tune out as I'm not an audio person at all, never listened during story time at school and cannot get on with audiobooks! I'll read it myself thanks!