A few semesters have passed and the examinations are coming soon. You may have your own revision techniques when it comes to exam preparation, which may work for some people.
For others, they may be struggling with the information overload after so many months of learning in classes and lessons.
If you are facing difficulties in having revision techniques, here are 6 methods that will help you achieve success in your examinations.
Study Early & Be Consistent in it
Never start revising at the last minutes. One of the key revision techniques is that you should do it early and frequently. After lessons on a new module have been completed, you should make sure to do revision right after that.
This is because the information is still fresh and new in your brain, and you don’t want to risk losing the familiarity of this knowledge. You can try reading and understanding the beginning of the module, close the book, and test yourself on the concepts and theories of the module.
This is one of the best revision tips anyone should be doing. By ensuring you are internalizing information repeatedly, your brain will naturally “imprint” them deeper and better. Also, you will havelesser stress to cope, which is definitely a great deal of help.
Once your examination is nearing, you would most likely have already understood most of the early chapters of your textbooks, so you can spend more time on the newer and challenging topics.
Set Revision Schedule
Benjamin Franklin once said: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” This mindset can be applied to almost anything, which includes revision for examinations. By scheduling your revision, you can be sure that you are conquering exam topics and not miss out any details.
Start by having a calendar, which most smartphones should have, and set dates and time to go through your revision notes and materials. Do remember not to set unrealistic deadlines for yourself to avoid giving yourself unnecessary pressure.
By having a strict and achievable revision timetable, you are already setting yourself for academic success.
Do Past Year Papers
This technique requires you to source for places where you can get quality past papers of the exam to practice. You may approach teachers, study groups, communities or even libraries.
One of the best benefits of this technique is that you can make full use of your revision notes as you apply your knowledge and check the answers that are favorable for the exam board during marking.
By doing past papers, you can know “blind spot” areas where you may have missed important concepts during your revision periods. This is crucial as your exam will most likely cover the topics you have learnt comprehensively. Start sourcing for past papers and revise better for your exam as soon as possible.
Mindmap
If you’re wondering what a mind map is: it is a form of visualized guide that can help you understand your revision guides faster and better.
Did you know that our brain can process images about 60,000 times quicker than text? Although some people may do revision with listing bullet points to help them understand notes better, most people do find it easier with the mind map revision techniques.
Start by drawing your topics of exam and branch out important sub categories. Make notes beside each branch to help you digest the topic’s information better. You can even branch out sub categories further to encompass more concepts.
Sign up for Tutoring lessons
If you are still having problems understanding certain exam topics, then you should join a tuition center that teaches a wide variety of modules and lessons.
One good example of a center is Integral Learning Academy, where it offers Primary to Junior College classes. This is extremely beneficial as you have a new way to revise for your exams especially with tutor’s new holistic teaching methods.
It has also been studied that students who participated in tutoring service had better grade scores than those who didn’t take part at all. As the group is smaller than your usual class in your school, teachers can spend more time and attention on you if you are facing difficulties in your studies.
You can start by finding tutoring centers near you if you prefer convenience. However, be sure to take note of the tutor fees as they may vary widely to fit your budget.
Memory Techniques
There are several ways under the Memory Technique that have helped countless students prepare for their exam.
One of the ways is Chunking. This works by segmenting your revision notes and creating relationship links with these segments. This is similar to why you can seemingly memorize phone numbers for around 30 seconds as that information is chunked. This helps tremendously as you’re able to recall the important concepts better.
Another memory method is Mnemonics, where you associate your notes with things that can help you remember better. You can try by giving features to something. For example, if you are trying to memorize a person’s name (who happens to have green eyes), you can use phrases like “green-eye Jonathan”. This will help greatly in memorizing quickly and better.
Final Thoughts
It is important for every student to have their own revision techniques when it comes to exam preparation. However, we should keep in mind that having a wide variety of methods is essential in achieving the best results. It is important to check on your progress constantly and see if your strategy needs any adjustments. Nevertheless, start your revision early and you can be sure to achieve academic success in your exam.