When I was at school, it was really difficult for me to know how
to revise. I didn’t know where to work, I found it difficult to know how to
revise in the best way for me to remember things, and I struggled to wind down
and relax after I had finished my day or few hours of revision. So, I thought I
would write a blog post answering the questions that I had through school, and
the answers I found along the way.
• BEFORE – The Environment
•

• DURING – The Actual
Revision •
Potentially the hardest part – actually getting on revision
after putting together a revision plan. For me, the best way to revise is to
make a booklet. I gather all my notes from lessons and type them all up into
one booklet. This way everything I need to know is condensed into one space in a
form that I like, and therefore I can better remember pieces of information
because I am able to picture them in the booklet. After this, I make mind-maps
and write the notes out even more condensed as many times as I need until it
goes in my head. Then I simply put all the condensed notes onto revision cards
so that I can look through these before my exam and also get someone (usually
my Dad or Mum) to test me the night before using these cards. This is the way I
like to revise, but of course everyone is different. Some people only do mind-maps,
or some like to talk things through with another person. Whatever it might be,
you can only find your revision style through trial and error, so keep trying
things out and seeing what works best for you.
• AFTER – Winding Down
•
Relaxing after spending time revising is so important. I
think managing to relax and wind down gives your brain chance to switch off and
re-charge so that when you get to revision the next time, you are ready and
refreshed to start again. Some good ways to turn you brain off from revision
are;
- Spending time with friends and family. Doing this means that it not only gives you chance to do something other than revision, but also gives you a great distraction and reminds you that throughout the revision-period, you aren’t stuck to only revising and you can spend time doing fun things. Having this to look forward to also made me more accepting of revision, because I knew I had something exciting happening in the evening.
- YouTube and Netflix. I know that it’s probably not the best advice to say look at a screen in order to relax, but catching up on my favourite YouTubers or Netflix programme in the evening after revising was another thing to look forward to and allowed me to switch off from work by focusing on something else.
- Do something you enjoy. Whether this be having a nice bath, going to the gym or cooking/baking something tasty to eat, doing something you enjoy after working mean that you can feel as though you are being rewarded for you hard work.

So,
there are my top pieces of advice for revision – before, during and after. I think
the most important thing is to know that the revision-period isn’t going to
last forever and soon summer will roll around – which means warmer weather and
fun with friends! Also, it’s good to remember that whilst revising, it’s good
to give yourself regular breaks and remember that you don’t have to revise from
the first thing in the morning until the last thing at night to get good
grades. Figure out what works best for you to get the results you want and
stick to that.
I
hope this post has helped you and good luck with whatever exams you have coming
up! I’m sure you’ll do the best you can, and that’s all that matters.
I’d
love to know in the comments any tip and advice you have for revision – how do
you best like to revise, where do you like to work and what do you do to switch
off after revising?
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