Revision | Tips & Tricks
It's that time of year again where exams are looming, deadlines are fast approaching and the prospect of sitting down to write another chunk of dissertation strikes fear into even the most studious amongst us. Yep. It's the run down to the academic year.
Between my GCSE's, 2 years of A-Levels and 4 years (thats a scary thought!) at university I like to think that i've got quite a good arsenal of tips and tricks that make my studying that tiny bit easier. It's just a few little nuggets of wisdom that have worked for me and people that I know and I thought that it might be helpful to share a few with you lovely people! I jumped back on the YouTube wagon for this one so it might even give you a cheeky little 5 minute break from all the studying!
Tip #1: Organise Yourself
Now this isn't rocket science, but spend a little bit of time getting yourself together before you actually get down to any revision. Get all your notes together, split bigger topics into smaller ones, think subject dividers, highlighters, coloured papers, coloured pens. Whatever you think will make your notes more interesting and whatever will make you take it in more, do it. You'l thank yourself for taking a bit of time to get sorted and it means that when it comes down to actual studying you can just get right on with it.
Tip #2: Remember That Not Everyone Revises in the Same Way
If your friend favours a mind map and you find it easier writing lists, don't change your methods. Stick with what works better for you. Theres plenty of online quizzes floating about that will establish what kind of learner you are and then what methods will work better for you. It's worth doing one just to see, you might be surprised. Also, it's never a bad thing to try out different things. Study groups are good (as sad as they may sound!) , you'll be able to pool your information and different people might have thought of stuff that you just haven't. Many minds are better than one!
Tip #3: Short Bursts Are Better Than Bigger Ones
Split everything up. Spending massive amounts of time on one thing is not as productive as it seems. Your brain can only take in so much information at one time and trying to force yourself to take in huge amounts won't make you take anymore in. Shorter bursts are much better and you'll take it much more in little sections. Set yourself little goals. I used to listen to music and tell myself that i'd work solidly for a certain amount of songs (be sensible with the amount!) and then take a break. Giving yourself little things to work towards will make things much easier!
Tip #4: Bribe Yourself!
This ones a bit of a no brainer and probably sounds a bit silly, but giving yourself little rewards will make long periods of work a lot easier to deal with. Take it from the girl that essentially wrote her entire 10,000 word undergraduate dissertation by bribing herself with Mini Eggs. I'd write 500 words then have a few Mini Eggs. If you're a procrastinator like me, sometimes little bribes are the only way!
Tip #5: Record Yourself
One thing I found really helpful, especially for certain subjects at GCSE was to record myself onto my laptop saying my notes out loud, convert the files into MP3 format and pop them on my iPod. You'll be surprised at how much more you'll take it when you aren't just sat there reading the same thing over and over again. It also means that you can take your revision wherever you go... Again that sounds sad, but it's amazing how much you'll remember just by hearing it between songs on your iPod.
Tip #6- Think Up Weird Ways To Remember Things
Be it a song, a rap or an anagram, weird things like that will stick in your mind. Nearly six years after doing my GCSE's there are still anagrams made up by my history teachers that I can rattle off all this time later. It's these kinds of weird thins that will come to you in a moment of utter desperation in an exam where you're telling yourself that you know nothing. It works, trust me!
Now, if you don't mind, it's over to you lovelies. What are your top revision tips? If you've been there and done it, what are the things you wish that you'd been told? Pop them in the comments below, I'm sure someone in a moment of procrastination might find them helpful!
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