How to Revise Effectively – Our Essential Top Study Tips

Introducing Exam Season!

Everyone knows about the hit series ‘Years’. You may remember it’s four seasons, starting slow with ‘Winter’, building momentum with ‘Spring’ and ‘Summer’ (arguably the audience’s favourites), before maybe running one season too long with the fourth ‘Autumn’ season. 

But, if you’re reading this, then guess what? You get to experience the exclusive fifth season! 

That’s right – exam season. (Un)lucky you! 

But what does the run-up to exam season look like for you? Stress? Worry? Bursts of motivation in an otherwise ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ vibe? You’re not alone. Exams, that big test – whatever you want to call them – can be nerve-wracking and are often things we don’t look forward to. One of the main reasons is because we often feel underprepared, or that we won’t do as well as we know we can. 

So – let’s have a look together at how to unlock your potential with our essential study tips. 

Prepare for Progress

We may all get ‘a-ha!’ moments, but truly learning about a topic – understanding it – takes time. We recommend setting aside time before exams. And that means weeks or months, no days! 

Keeping it Real

If you set aside enough time ahead of exams to revise, then you’ll find you can be less demanding of yourself. You’ll be able to make a realistic plan. We advise making a timetable to revise certain topics at times/on days you know you can manage. The trick is not to cram; you’ll just wear yourself down and do worse at the end of the day. 

Reading is for Losers

It won’t make you a nerd, probably, but only reading to study doesn’t tend to work well. By only reading information, you have no control – you’re just taking in what you can. You need to take control of your learning. Whether that’s writing, or explaining to a bored family member, you’ll find that by producing your thoughts on topics, you’ll be able to understand them much better. 

It’s all a SIMulation

Remember the game The Sims? How you need to water them, feed them, and make sure they don’t die? Kind of like a houseplant? Well, that’s you too. Except you need to revise too – maybe the houseplant has it better than us. 

Sleep properly, eat well and drink plenty of water. Three simple things that make a HUGE difference to your ability to learn. We’ve talked before about making a sleep routine and world foods in case you’d like to check them out!

For the Day

One final piece of advice for the day itself – arrive with time to spare. There’s nothing worse than rushing around to get to your exam. It can make you feel more stressed than needed and can make you perform worse – undoing all the prep you’ve put in. Arrive at least half an hour before, bring everything you need with you, listen to some of your favourite tunes and go get ‘em. 

Further Resources 

Chunking: Learning Technique for Better Memory

The 9 BEST Scientific Study Tips

Bonus: Nonsense Tips

• Read your notes in a posh voice of a late 1800s aristocrat (person, not cat). If you sound smart when revising, that means you’ll be smart. 
• Sleep on top of your notes. It helps you absorb the learning.
• Only revise when doing a handstand. The extra blood in your brain makes you super smart (right before you lose consciousness).
• Wear only a toga-like an ancient Greek philosopher. Eat only olives.