The Curse of the Revision Timetable

What is it about a revision timetable? We start out full of good intentions. Four hours of straight revision on a Monday night? No problem. Getting up at 6 am on a Saturday to work on Geometry? Don’t mind if I do. We produce a multi-coloured delight and pin it on the wall ready for action.

But almost as soon as the timetable begins we start to go off task. Cleaning and dusting suddenly become essential tasks that we have put off for too long (since our last set of exams in fact). Daytime TV has never seemed so attractive and I have been meaning to catch up on that box set on All4 for a while now. Social Media begs for our undivided attention.

So how can students overcome revision avoidance?

Well be realistic for a start. If you have never surfaced from your bed before 10 am on a Saturday you can bet that revision is not going to make you want to leap into action!

Revision is about the long game so plan for little and often with variety rather than long stints on one subject. Go for 40 minute sessions at the start of the day before a short break and gradually reduce the time over the day to 10 minute quick sessions as you tire.

Make the revision interactive. Reading and highlighting your notes is pretty much wasted time. Get creative with writing quizzes and drawing mind maps – it is the act of adapting the information that helps it to stick. Use poster paper, revision cards, colour pens and sticky notes instead of lined paper.

Go online and watch an instruction video then try to recreate it from memory using your phone to film it. Teach a topic to a friend or relative – Grandma has always wanted to master Vectors! Engaging with the information in new and creative ways will keep your energy levels up and form links in your memory. For more tips on revision read this Guardian Article.

Find past papers on your revision subject online and practise answering exam questions – with your notes handy at first and then without. Knowing the information is one thing, applying it to exams style questions is another. Find videos and exam questions here.

Above all keep at it, turn off any distractions and get your head down. If you slip up get back on track as soon as possible and don’t give up. All the time you spend interactively revising will pay off in the end.