Revision Tips
Find your own revision style – there’s no ‘right way’ to do it
Public Places to Revise
This can be different for everyone. Some people work better with music, some people need absolute silence, but everyone should find somewhere they can concentrate, preferably a desk with plenty of space to spread books and notes out on.
The Students' Union
The Gallery on Level 4, as well of the rest of the building, offers a great place to study. It has free wi-fi throughout the building, and is the ideal space to revise or just take a well earned break.
University Libraries
As well as the Students' Union dedicating revision space, some libraries have extended opening hours. To see usual and extended library opening times please click here.
Remember the Students' Union has free Wi-Fi throughout the building and provides a Women's Minibus for women leaving late at night!
Exam Technique Workshops
The University’s 301 Centre will be running exam techniques workshops at 17:30 on the 14th, 20th, 28th May. The session covers:
- matching your exam preparation to the way you learn best
- techniques for tackling essay-based exams
- managing exam stress
- creating an exam performance action plan, to help you pin down what you can do to perform better
See this and all of their skills sessions: http://301skills.eventbrite.co.uk/
Make a timetable
Try to stick to it! Don’t worry if you miss something on your timetable, but do try to make up for it by fitting the work in somewhere else.
Gather together all your notes
Make sure there are no gaps in your information before you begin. If something isn’t clear in your notes, look it up in another source or ask your tutors of friends for help to understand it.
Make a start!
Whether you’ve got one month or one week left, panicking isn’t going to help. Pick anything to start on and work from there.
Take frequent breaks
Most people cannot concentrate on revision over long periods of time. It varies for everyone, but working for no less than 20 minutes and no longer than 3 hours in any one revision slot is a good guide. You can waste time by trying to revise too much at once. Less really can be more!
* The Interval loves tea breaks and they love gorgeous slices of handmade cakes too!
Actively revise!
Just reading through your notes doesn’t mean you’re revising – you need to do something with them. Make mind maps, or write down key points and then try to recall them on another sheet of paper. Do anything as long as it means you’re taking the information in rather than just glossing over the difficult bits. Don’t ignore complicated topics or those which you find less interesting.
Use different coloured pens and highlighters for different topics
The colours can help you when you’re trying to recall facts.
Use past papers to your advantage
Using past papers can really help you prepare. You can see the number and types of questions which are usually set, and you can identify which topics are your weakest. Also practise timing yourself so that it's not such a shock when it comes to the real thing. But don't entirely on these for your revision. If using past papers means you only prepare for anticipated questions, you could be in for a nasty shock if the exam format has changed.
Group revision sessions can be useful
As long as you don’t end up chatting. Bear in mind that for some people, finding out that your friend knows more than you or has covered different topics doesn’t help your confidence. Figure out what’s best for you.
