Revision tips 2.0

It’s exam season but don’t worry – you’ve got this. All of that hard work you’ve put yourself through has led to this moment, and now all you have to do is remember it. The Mix has collected the top tips and tricks to make sure you walk out of that exam with your head held high and a big fat grin on your face.

We asked a poll of 100 imaginary people if they enjoyed revising for exams and they all told us to leave them alone and never contact them again.

Let’s face it, revision sucks. Truly sucks.

But it’s here and it’s not going anywhere. So the only thing to do is make it as easy as you can. Luckily, The Mix has just what you need – the #1 hacks to help lighten the load when it comes to revising…

The Timeline

First things first, what’s the plan?

Having a plan of what exams are coming up and the time you need to prepare for them will ensure you’re hitting the ground running…and not crawling instead. Here’s one (very effective) way of having a plan…

Step 1: Grab a piece of paper and a pen.

Step 2: Turn the paper so it’s landscape and draw one long horizontal line from left to right in the middle of it. Mark the left side as ‘Now’. Mark the right side with a reward you’re looking forward to after exams (think holidays, lie-ins, sunshine or the opportunity to do absolutely nothing).

Step 3: Fill in the rest of the line with your upcoming exams and their dates. Make sure there’s enough space between each exam (you may need more paper if you have a lot of them).

Step 4: Now that you have a good idea of what the next few weeks look like, you’ll find it easier to map out what you need to revise and when. Create a list of the essentials – what do you think the exam will cover? What has your teacher recommended? Write it all down in short lists for each exam.

Step 5: Marvel at your masterpiece. You’ve now got a visual timeline of your revision duties. The timeline should now have made revising a little bit more digestible and a little less overwhelming.

The Anti-Cram Approach

The sad reality is that we’re not all futuristic AI robots who have the ability to absorb non-stop knowledge without any biscuit breaks. Not yet. And we wouldn’t want to give up our biscuits anyway.

Now that you have your revision timeline framed and resting on your mantelpiece, it’s important to follow it.

And that doesn’t mean all at once.

The best way to remember information is in bitesize chunks.

The average person can only remember around 7 items of information at a time. (Check out Miller’s Law – it’s pretty cool).

You’ll be doing yourself endless favours if you condense your revision work into a similar number. The revision road ahead might seem daunting, however, grouping your tasks into 7 chunks is a great way to soak in all that info and avoid burnout.

Whether you’re brushing up your knowledge from textbooks or reviewing past exam papers. Whatever it is, assign yourself a short break in between these sessions and avoid cramming it all in one sitting.

7 pieces of information.

Biscuit.

7 pieces of information.

Biscuit.

(The Mix is obliged to say that other forms of rewards and breaks are available other than biscuits).

Tell a story

The world is full of them – so why not make a story around what you’re revising?

Triggering our imagination is a great way to retain information and also have a little fun along the way.

Studying the periodic table? Well let me tell you a little story about Ag-atha who travelled on the silver bullet train to visit Au-drey, the 98-year-old hipster with gold-plated teeth with her friend Cl-oe who smelt of chlorine.

Still thinking of Audrey and her teeth? Well you must be thinking of the periodic symbol for gold too then.

Storytelling can work for any subject, so beat the revision blues by transporting those textbooks to another world and you’ll be surprised at how much you can remember when it comes to smashing those exam papers.

Create your own podcast

Let’s be real – who hasn’t thought about their very own idea for a bestselling, world-stopping podcast?

OK, maybe not everyone.

However, revision can be great inspiration for one. How? By recording yourself talking about all the essentials you need to know for those upcoming exams.

Yes, we know it’s not the most riveting idea for a podcast, however, studies have shown that when we listen to information rather than reading it – we tend to remember it more. Listening to those books and notes can also be a healthy break away from having your eyes glued to them on a daily basis.

Don’t like the sound of your own voice? Don’t worry, the internet’s got you.

There are many applications and websites that will transform your written word into audible pieces. Just give it a quick search to find the one that’s right for you.

Whatever you do, just breathe

If I had a penny for everyone who forgot to focus on their breath to gain some peace and clarity, then I wouldn’t be here writing about how everyone forgets to focus on their breath to gain some peace and clarity.

The benefits of taking a moment to notice your breathing can have immense benefits when it comes to revision.

When you revise, you’re loading your brain up with all of that information to the point where it starts to feel a little bit heavy.

Taking a moment to pay attention to your breath instead can help lighten that load. Don’t worry, you haven’t forgot everything you studied. Quite the opposite actually.

By focused breathing, you’re giving your mind the chance to rest and bring some order to your busy brain. Think of it like a classroom at the end of the week. It’s a bit of a mess but, by breathing, the cleaners come in and put everything back where it should be, ready and waiting for you to use again when you need it.

Our guide to meditation offers some handy tips on how to bring more breathing into your daily life.

In case you missed it at the beginning of this article – YOU’VE GOT THIS! You know you have, you don’t need us to tell you that.

Revision is a fact of life, but it shouldn’t take over your own.

With these revision hacks, you can get the best out of your exam season and (dare we say) even enjoy it a little too.

Useful resources

Want to know more? The Mix have a bunch of articles to help get you through this year’s exam season, including:

• Tomorrow is my exam
• Overcoming exam anxiety
• The pressure to do well in exams
• Coping with exam stress
• How to cope with exam season
• Revision tips