Exam Revision Tips From Redditors

Jeremy Cong on 3 May 2017
Exam Revision Tips From Redditors

Real revision tips from real students.

Exam season is upon us and we know what that means: 14hr benders in the library, stress overload, and binge drinking on energy drinks. But don’t get too daunted by revising just yet. Read up on some genuine revision tips below that can help you with your own studies.

Tip #1: Condense your exam notes into 1 side of A4.

This is a great idea for those of us who immediately feel fazed by the sheer amount of facts, concepts, interpretations, formulas, and arguments etc we feel we need to memorise before taking the exam. A one-pager is easy to digest and great for reviewing before you walk into the exam.

Tip #2: Set a timeframe of how long you’re gonna revise a certain subject (and stick to it).

Allocating a set time in which you want to revise certain areas of your subject will help you avoid spending too long a on particularly tricky topic. We’ve all been guilty of over-revising one area and completely neglecting other topics, and that’s definitely not a situation to be in come exam day. This method means you don’t get too hung up on one area, if it proves too difficult initially, you can always come back to it.

Tip #3: Get things wrong a lot before the exam.

Sounds counterproductive doesn’t it, to get things wrong before an exam? Well, in fact you’re wrong (excuse the pun). Getting things incorrect and understanding why they’re mistakes in the first place is a good way of testing your knowledge. Like ‘tomjarvis’ says here, once you understand why something is wrong, you can make an educated guess to find the correct answer.

Tip #4: Solidly revise for 15 minutes then take a 5 minute break. And repeat.

Everyone has trouble getting warmed up and getting into revision mode, and if you’re feeling in a particularly jittery mood when you’re trying to revise, this might be the method for you. As long as you’re disciplined and your 5 minute breaks don’t turn into 30 minute procrastination benders, this method could turn out to be a recipe for success.

Tip #5: Revise the hardest things first.

This makes perfect sense in so many ways. Attempting to go over an extremely difficult bit of a topic when you’re knackered and hangry is a foolish move. Take on the dreaded bits at the start, when you are at your most energised and are less likely to flounder and give up.

Tip #6: Skim read and highlight the essentials.

A good step by step way of going over a dense piece of text. Forget reading it word by word and sentence by sentence, instead pick out the most relevant and important bits and take that information in.

Tip #7: Repeat it till it sinks in.

Sometimes there’s no quick fix to revising for a complicated topic for your exam. You just have to persist and keep going over it till it’s fixed in your memory.

Tip #8: Make flashcards for key areas.

Creating flashcards can be quite a time-consuming task, but it can definitely be a very effective revision tool. Like ‘Skreamsayonara’ says here, it can be used for various learning styles: visual, kinaesthetic and auditory, which challenges you and ensures you don’t get bored by doing the same thing over and over again.

Jeremy Cong
Jeremy Cong on 3 May 2017