Revision

Revision: Techniques and Tips

Everyone has different ways of working and revising; the most important thing to do is recognise what approach works best for for when create your own revision schedule and strategies. We’ve put together a list of some ideas and techniques which might be useful in developing your own ways of revising.

1. Plan a revision timetable

Start with a weekly routine - independence and flexibility are important, but structure is key.

Planning when (and how) you're going to revise will help you to approach exam season feeling in control, prepared and confident. Experiment, find what works, and stick to it. Block out revision time and key deadlines in your calendar. Tools like Notion, Trello or even a simple diary can keep you organised and avoid any last minute panic.

Know your exam dates:

Mark all exam dates and timesLink opens in a new window on your calendar, including:
- Exams listed on your personalised timetable;
- Any in-class/locally timetabled exams organised by your department;
- Any coursework or assignment deadlines.
Consider all of your exams - even the ones at the end of your exam period! It's good to prioritise your earliest exams first, but don't forget the others - planning ahead avoids any last-minute pressure.

Tip: colour-coded calendars or mind maps can make deadlines and revision plans easier to process.

2. Prioritise what matters

Multiple modules? Competing deadlines?

Start by identifying your priority areas and topics. Which lecture content did you understand most, or the least? Reflecting on this will help you to create a priority-driven schedule, and work out how much time to dedicate to each topic.

Use prioritisation techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix to decide what needs your attention first. Break big tasks into smaller steps so you feel less pressure and can tick things off as you go.
Create a RAG plan of your topics:
- RED = least confident areas;
- AMBER = in the middle;
- GREEN = your most confident.

3. Find your space

Whether it's the Library, at home, or in a café - be honest with yourself about what setting works best for you.

Deciding where you will work is equally as important. What resources and environment will you need? Some people prefer a quiet, low-stimulation study space, whilst others find complete silence more distracting. Noise-cancelling headphones or soft background music can also help to ensure that different environments work for you.

Discover some of the study spaces available on campus.Link opens in a new window

4. Find your peak time

This might feel obvious, but work when you’re most alert.

Some people can work for long periods while others need to work in shorter bursts. You can boost your productivity by thoughtfully choosing what time of the day you study. For example, some people tend to work better in the morning and might prefer to start early and finish before their energy dips later in the day. Try an energy tracker (online or an app) to figure out when you'll perform best.

5. Beat procrastination

Set clear goals for each study session and reward yourself when you hit them.

Try the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of focused work, then a short break. It’s great for keeping momentum during revision and avoiding burnout.

Tip: when trying something like the Pomodoro technique, you can adjust the intervals to suit your concentration span.

6. Stay motivated and stay connected

Becoming more independent as a learner brings great freedom and rewards.

Some people might find that this independence also brings challenges as getting motivated can be tricky. Set yourself short term, achievable goals, such as by tomorrow I will read one chapter of.... This can help you to maintain motivation and stay on track with your work. You could also consider forming your own study group. This can be a great way to make friends, test your knowledge and motivate each other.

Tip: short walks or stretching between revision sessions can reset your focus and energy. Visit the page on looking after yourself during exam season.Link opens in a new window

Revision Strategies

When starting your revision, it's easy to focus on:

Rereading lecture slides, handouts and books.
Using Lecture Capture to revisit topics at a slower pace to make more detailed notes.
Copying out information word-for-word or highlighting big chunks of text to remember.
Reciting information on repeat to help it stick in your brain.

However, it is important to note the difference between recalling information and recognising it. Whilst the above techniques can jog your memory, they do not tend to effectively help you recall the information without a memory aid.

Below are some examples of strategies which might work for you.

Making notes

Making notes doesn’t just mean writing things down! It’s about organising information in a way that helps you understand, remember and apply it to your exam questions.

Here are some effective note-taking techniques which might work for you:

The Cornell MethodLink opens in a new window

This works by dividing your page into 3 sections:

A cue column on the left (for your key words and questions),
A note-taking area on the right,
A summary at the bottom.

This encourages active engagement and review, and facilitates self-testing.

The Outline MethodLink opens in a new window

Use headings, subheadings and bullet points to organise information hierarchically, and indent your sub-points under the main ideas.

This makes your notes easier to scan and review and shows a logical flow of information.

Visual Methods

Create visual cues through mind maps and diagrams. Use arrows to show how ideas link together and add more branches to your notes as you broaden and develop your ideas around the topic.

You can either do this by hand, or use online software such as MindView and Coggle.

Move your notes off the page!

You can also try making notes on sticky labels and stick them around your house/desk as you’re revising. This is especially useful for retaining short pieces of information, such as quotes, dates, facts and figures.

Placing these around a room can also help your brain create a spatial link (between the location and its piece of information).

Memory aids & recall techniques

Exams are not just about memorising and regurgitating facts and figures; however, remembering key information is important in order to interpret theories, structure arguments and apply knowledge to specific questions.

Here are some examples of memory aids which can make your revision more effective, and some recall techniques which can be used alongside these:

Memory Aids

Flashcards

These are particularly useful when revising for an exam which has a lot of similar content (e.g. facts/figures/vocabulary). You can create these by hand or use online software such as Quizlet – which also has a self-test function. You could also use Microsoft Copilot as a quiz partner, asking it to test you on topics you need to revise.

Acronyms, mnemonics & rhymes

Remember all those riddles and rhymes which used to get stuck in your head when you were younger? There’s a reason for this!

‘Silly’ creations, such as these, can help you remember key pieces of information, and distinguish between topic areas more clearly.

Mind maps

Create visual diagrams and cues from your written notes.

This links to…

...dual coding

This means combining more than one style of information (e.g. text and visual). This gives your brain more than one way of remembering topic information and can be beneficial to your recall.

Recall Techniques:

Active recall

Try testing yourself on the material, rather than just reading and rereading it.

This forces your brain to retrieve information, and strengthens your memory pathways, ensuring you can remember the information, not just recognise it.

Blurting

Write down everything you remember about a topic without looking at your notes. You can even set a timer for an added challenge!

This will highlight any gap in your knowledge and strengthen your overall recall of a topic.

Retrieval grids

Create a grid with prompts from different topics (or ask a course mate to do this for you) and fill it in from memory.

This will encourage recall across a range of topics in each module and will identify any gaps you need to work on.

Interleaving

This is the process of mixing different topics, or subjects, during a study session.

Instead of studying one topic for hours, you can rotate between different areas, and improve your ability to distinguish between topics, skills and requirements for each exam, and apply concepts flexibly.

The Leitner System

Organise your flashcards into boxes, or piles, based on how well you know them. Review the difficult ones more often, until you can move them into a different pile.

This ensures you’re spending most of your time on weaker areas.

The Locus technique

This turns information you need to remember into a narrative, or a story. For example, you can imagine the information you need to remember as items you might find walking through a house and link them together into a narrative chain.

You can replay this scenario in your head when it comes to your exam.

Teach your friends!

Try to explain a particular topic to one of your friends, or family members – preferably someone who hasn’t studied the module and isn’t an expert in the field.

This will force you to break down more complex ideas into simple explanations and will identify any gaps in your recall.

Top Tip

Try switching up your surroundings for each module/topic you’re revising. Sometimes spatial associations can help you recall the information you need – and it’s also better for your wellbeing!

Group revision

Why not organise your own study session with a group of course mates?

Revision can feel quite isolating sometimes – studying as a group can help you feel more supported and calmer during a stressful time. Discussing topics ‘out loud’ can also help you to better recall information at a later stage, and it is useful to hear other people’s suggestions and ideas on particular topics.

Past papers & practice quizzes

Completing past papers, or practice tests, will help you apply your revision, and see what still needs work.

Whilst it’s unlikely that module convenors or tutors will be able to mark this work, they may be able to provide some general feedback and guidance.

Modules with more short-answer exam questions may also have practice quizzes and tests available. All the resources you need are usually collated on Moodle, or myWBS, for easy access.

If you have any questions or problems accessing these resources, you can contact the module convenor for support.