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Revision Tips

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Student Life & Education
I have my AS level exams in about 2 months, and i really cant pass, i know ive left it late to start revising, but i need some tips on revision, anyone help me?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What i tend to do if ive been given essays to read and learn or even just notes from class, i write them up again, in the shortest form you can but make sure it still makes sense to you. That way rather than having loads of pages to keep reading over you only have one or two, it also helps you to remember it if you have to short hand it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Lexi99 wrote: »
    What i tend to do if ive been given essays to read and learn or even just notes from class, i write them up again, in the shortest form you can but make sure it still makes sense to you. That way rather than having loads of pages to keep reading over you only have one or two, it also helps you to remember it if you have to short hand it.

    Yeah what she said. Also helps with the environment you're working in too. I need to be at a desk, thats not got papers all over the place. And i work better with some music or something in the background.

    Go over notes, make some more notes. Nothing over the top, keep it short but pick out the keywords, dates and formulas you might need. Past papers always help to. I tend to do past papers, then mark it with the mark scheme then i write up the paper with the answers. I always find a couple of the same questions get thrown in year by year, maybe with a few changes.

    Good luck!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think it depends a bit on the subjects you're doing. If you're more science focused, then writing down short notes with the facts you need to learn and carrying them EVERYWHERE with you - so you can look through them over coffee, in traffic jams, every spare second you have - will be handy. If you're more arts focused, then it's probably more useful to write practise essays in a more structured way. Either way, make sure you don't get stale - build in regular breaks, and make sure you're learning in the most enjoyable way you can. It might help to record certain things and play them back to yourself. You just need to find out how you learn the best and use that.

    And I don't think you've left it too late to start revising at all, not if you give yourself a structured plan of how you're going to deal with the subjects you need to cover. Anyone telling you they started revising months ago and are now working for hours every day is lieing :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Also - find out the way you learn best!

    I'm a visual person so I use different coloured pens for different things, and I set it out nice and neatly on the page so that when it comes to the exam I can imagine the notes in my head =]
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    TBWAH. wrote: »
    I have my AS level exams in about 2 months, and i really cant pass, i know ive left it late to start revising, but i need some tips on revision, anyone help me?

    I agree with everyone's revision technique, but I would also recommend past exam papers. I assume you know the exam boards, but if not find out and pull down every past paper you can from their website.

    I didn't do A levels, so at university I had to learn the hard way that revising from notes sometimes isn't good enough by itself (on a computer science degree it isn't, anyway). Answering the past questions helps you to understand what makers typically look for and if you're lucky it might be they even publish mark schemes for A level papers.

    You need to figure out what works best for you.:)

    Good luck
    Steve.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I always found it useful to make a timetable, figure out how long you've got and what you need to cover and then try your best to stick to it. But as mrbox99 says it's about finding what works best for you.

    You might find this article useful too, good luck with it :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Set yourself a target for the day or the hour or something like that. For example, say to yourself okay in this hour i need to make notes on these two sections. Then when you've done that have a little break then do it again. Works that way plus you get less stressed and its easier to work if you have a target :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    GoodFella wrote: »
    Set yourself a target for the day or the hour or something like that. For example, say to yourself okay in this hour i need to make notes on these two sections. Then when you've done that have a little break then do it again. Works that way plus you get less stressed and its easier to work if you have a target :)

    :yes: And give yourself incentive to reach the targets too.
    I'm addicted to tea, so I say to myself 'If I get this done in x amount of hours then I'm allowed a cup of tea! If I get it done sooner I'm allowed some chocolate too!'
    But maybe that's because I'm motivated by simple pleasures!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I like tea.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    GoodFella wrote: »
    I like tea.

    No you don't.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If you're anything like me then all your AS levels will be with new exam boards at the moment so pulling up past paprers can be difficult. However I find there is still some useful questions as long as you have asked your teachers to give you an example of the syllabus so you know what it is that you need to know.Your school might also have a program that makes up exam questions for you, I think we do for sciences...

    Also the main problem I have with revising is that I like to look over what I already know as a confidence boost but that is really the worst thing to do. Pick up on the bit you hate the most and start from there then once you've got that, it feels like a huge weight off your shoulders :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    DancingHorse wrote: »
    Also - find out the way you learn best!

    I'm a visual person so I use different coloured pens for different things, and I set it out nice and neatly on the page so that when it comes to the exam I can imagine the notes in my head =]

    Dancing Horse is bang on here. If you're revising/learning in a way which is conducive to you understanding, then you've got half the battle won. I'm a very visual learner and it really helps me to sketch out ideas; trying to fathom abstract concept in my head, or just verbally, is a no win situation for me.

    Also, don't skim over stuff you don't fully understand - make a point of trying to understand everything.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i find revising with someone else very useful (if u are both set out to work and dont get distracted). not only is this useful for the person being 'taught' as it were, but its really good revision for the 'teacher'. getting someone to explain it to u would be beneficial to both of u and its a more enjoyable way of learning :)
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