Academic Skills Advice
Planning for Exam Revision
This workshop will:
-Explore what feeds into preparing for revision, including the exam itself
-Assist you in setting up a revision timetable to aid effectiveness
-Offer tips on dealing with procrastination
Teaching Points:
- Being effective in examinations
- Common mistakes in revision strategies
- Developing a timetable: breaking the day into 6
- How to solve procrastination
Adapted extensively from Cottrell (2008)
1.Being effective in examinations
Many students are nervous about taking examinations, whatever form they take. This is not necessarily a negative feeling; it shows you care about the outcome and want to succeed. One way to overcome nerves is to take control of your preparation and revision activities. As you work your way through your revision activities and hit your own targets, you will start to feel more positive as your knowledge and understanding will inevitable increase. Knowing what you are going to do and when will also give you confidence which is a major factor in achieving success. So…
Be positive: students who expect to succeed achieve the best exam marks – so think yourself to success.
Make time for you and revision: your body and brain need to be fed and rested, so make sure you do both. Create a timetable for revision rather than just thinking that you will spend the next fortnight doing it. (More on this later).
Create the right environment: study and revise when you are at your best whether that be at the crack of dawn or in the middle of the night. If you like it quiet but home is too busy, revise at university in the library, or if you like a bit of noise, one of the cafés might suit you better.
Know the exam: ask tutors what the format the exam is likely to be (essay, short question, multiple choice, etc) and what markers are looking for. Practise old papers – this will not only give you an insight to the layout of the examination but will also get you used to writing for the length of time required.
Identify and apply recall strategies: find out what works for you – mnemonics, patterns, rhymes, colours, etc – and use it.
Use the time in the exam effectively: allocate time to reading instructions, choosing questions, writing, and editing and proofreading.
Treat revision like ajob: a full-time job is 35-40 hours a week, so put in the same hours for revision.
2.Common mistakes in revision strategies
Most students start out with good intentions to revise in a certain way for a set amount of time focusing on a particular topic. However, some of these somehow lose their way and the revision they need to do is not done.
Activity 1: What are your mistakes?
Place the letters A, B, and C next to your top three mistakes when trying to revise. A is what you do most often, etc. Be as honest as you can. Then write down A and the number of the mistake on a Post-it note, (e.g. A. 4 – you would ‘work alone too much’ the most, etc.) Do the same for B and C.The Post-its will be collected and we will discuss how to solve these issues.
Common Mistakes / A,B or C1 / Leaving all revision until the last minute
2 / Finding there is always something more important to do than revise
3 / Spending too much time planning revision and too little time actually revising
4 / Meeting other people to revise but spending the time doing other things
5 / Avoiding revision because it is boring
6 / Reading, revising or making notes for some time and not being able to remember much about it.
7 / Spending a long time on the same subject without feeling you are making progress
8 / Revising too few subjects
9 / Not being able to identify the really key points about each topic
10 / Revising too much information
3.Developing a timetable: breaking the day into 6
Different revision sessions can have different purposes and these need to be timetabled in.
- Exam familiarisation and orientation session
- Revision unit coverage session
- Revision unit practice session
So, you need to plan in time to:
- Get to grips with what is required and any information from handbooks about what is being tested.
- Cover the actual material in a way that supports adequate knowledge recall
- Find or create ways to test this recall once the material has been covered.
How do you eat an elephant?
It can be helpful to see the day as having 6 segments to it of about 90 minutes to 2 hours each. This enables you to both have enough time to get into a ‘groove’ or ‘rhythm’ with a topic without interruptions but also means if you are struggling with a subject, there is a break around the corner.
Your life is very busy and there are lots of things you have to do including the following:
- Compulsories = external factors giving you no choice e.g. lectures, labs, assignment deadlines, exam dates, paid employment, etc.
- Necessaries = must be done but you have some leeway as long as you fit them in e.g. meals, sleep, etc.
- Protected time = things that are important to you and your well-being, e.g. gym
All of these must be included in your weekly revision timetable so you can see what time you actually have available.
The example graphic below is based on a simple word document you can create or just draw one out and photocopy it.
Activity 2: Completing your revision timetable
Using the space below, write your weekly activities beneath the appropriate description. Place these in the table below – how much time do you have left for revision?
- Compulsories = e.g. lectures, labs, assignment deadlines, exam dates, paid employment, etc. You may decide to revise rather than go to teaching sessions, especially when they are very close to your exam. However, these can be very useful as tutors and lecturers may emphasise important points drawn from the course (Barrass 2002).
- Necessaries = e.g. meals, sleep, etc.
- Protected time = e.g. gym
AM 8-10 / AM 10-12 / PM 1-3 / PM 3-5 / EVE 6-8 / EVE 8-10
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
4.How to solve procrastination
Procrastination is not doing what you should be doing which, in this case, is revision. Students have cleaned their ovens to avoid revision!
What stops you from getting on with your revision and how can we help ourselves? What tips do you have for the excuses below?
?The task seems too bigSolution:
?It’s unpleasant Solution:
?I am not good at it Solution:
?I don’t know how to do it Solution:
?The exam is far off Solution:
?I am too tired or panicking Solution:
It can be a good idea to remind yourself why you are doing your exams: they are a means to an end. The end is graduating with that important qualification. So, whether you want a degree because your siblings have one and you don’t want to be left out; or you need it for your dream job; or you just want to prove to yourself you can do it, make sure you keep telling yourself why you are here doing this revision and trying to pass these exams. You will get there.
References
Barrass, R. (2002) Study! 2nd ed. Routledge Study Guides. London, Routledge.
Cottrell, S. (2008) The exam skills handbook. Palgrave Study Guides. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.
This study guide is well worth borrowing from JBPL or purchasing for own use, as it comprehensively covers planning to succeed in exams.
Answers
Activity 1: Common mistakes
Common mistake / What to do:1. Leaving all revision until the last minute. / -Set a date now to start your revision.
-Set reminders (in diaries or using mobile devices).
-If the exam date is months off, as the date draws closer formulate the first ‘units’ you will be revising.
2. Finding there is always something more important to do than revise. / -Set yourself short sessions initially, leaving yourself the option of studying longer if you get engaged.
-Start each revision session with a re-assessment of personal priorities. How important is hockey training compared to passing your final year at university? Are the dishes more important to your future than getting a 2:1?
-‘Plan’ for your distractions, e.g. allow yourself breaks where you will check your phone and email before starting a fresh unit.
3. Spending too much time planning revision and too little time actually revising. / -Decide on a method for doing your planning and stick with it. Make it quick and visual and easily updatable (i.e. use pencil or a PC).
-If, as time draws on, the revision plan needs work to make sure everything can be fit in, set time aside for this that is ‘extra’ – i.e. don’t take the time out of an allocated revision slot.
-Admin is not learning, however well it’s done!
4. Meeting other people to revise but spending the time doing other things / -Meet in a study space so you will ‘feel’ more like revising than chatting over a coffee
-Set an alarm on your phone or other device for 10 minutes after the start of the session to make sure you are discussing your subject and not going out!
-Take a list of topics you want to discuss and tick them off as you go through them
5. Avoiding revision because it is boring / -Break up revision into different activities of varying lengths of time
-Set yourself short tasks to start with and lengthen them each week to build up your tolerance
6. Reading, revising or making notes for some time and not being able to remember much about it / -Break revision sessions into smaller sections with specific tasks
-Go through your notes at the end of each session to see what you have covered
-Don’t just read your notes, transform them into a different format, devise a mnemonic, or any other activity
7. Spending a long time on the same subject without feeling you are making progress / -‘Little and often’: don’t try to cover a whole topic in one session
-Start with an overview and then look for details
-Set specific goals for each session: e.g. read a chapter, section, or article before taking a break
8. Revising too few subjects / -Plan more time to do more revising
-Don’t hope there will be a question set about the subjects you have revised. Examiners may not set a question on every topic, so always revise more topics than you originally think you will need
-Questions may ask for connections between subjects, so again, revise more topics than you think you will need
9. Not being able to identify the really key points about each topic / -Look for the main schools of thought, theories, models, debates, individuals, etc. to give you a start.
-Then, read around these topics
-If still unsure, speak to your tutors
10. Revising too much information / -Before the exam, filter out any detail you won’t have time to cover in the exam, and go over this material
Procrastination
?The task seems too bigSolution: Break the subjects down and
revise in small chunks
?It’s unpleasant Solution: Reward yourself when you have
completed a session or day of revising,
e.g. a chat with friends, surfing the
internet, a cup of tea and a biscuit
?I am not good at it Solution: Revise any subject you like,
preferably starting with a topic you like or
good at.
?I don’t know how to do it Solution: Get help and use the ideas in this
booklet
?The exam is far off Solution: It is never too early to plan your
revision, so set a date to start and stick to
it
?I am too tired or panicking Solution: Get some sleep and relax, or if
you feel you are unable to cope with the
stress of the exam, visit the Counselling
service website on
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