Effective Revision Tips: Prepare, Plan, and Succeed!

1. Revision

2. Exams The exams are creeping closer and students have started revising. However, revising when your are not revising smart may be a waste of valuable time. But there is still plenty of time to get on the right track and plenty of tips we can give you.

3. Why it is essential to get revision right! • Practice makes perfect! You don’t become an expert overnight and revision should be viewed the same way. The more you put in the more you get out. • The more you repeat and review work the more able you are to recall that information. • Its all about hard work and perseverance.

4. The key to successful revision • Being PREPARED is half the battle and is a solid foundation for all of your revision. • Being organised means you can work smarter and do more with the time available. • But what do we mean by preparation?

5. Plan your day • REVISION TIMETABLES • Perfect for planning weeks ahead so you spend less time planning your day and more time working. • Can help you find a good balance. By allowing you to timetable regular breaks to avoid burnout. • The timetable is flexible! You can easily adapt it to focus on a subject you need to devote extra time to. • It is also very good for tracking the hours you’ve spent on each subject.

6. A suggestion is to follow your school timetable in the Easter break. Schedule revision sessions instead of lessons and don’t forget to include your breaks. Remember it’s not about doing 10 hours a day but little and often. Use the timetable above as a guide, or make your own to suit you.

7. How long to revise • How long you revise depends on YOU! • The human brain can only go so long without being distracted so it is important not to push yourself beyond your limits. • There is no sense sitting at a desk for 5 hours if none of the information is going in. • LITTLE AND OFTEN IS THE MOTTO  you should stick to short revision sessions with frequent breaks. • Try 20 minutes at a time with short breaks between. Revision Free time Sleep ARE YOU AN EARLY BIRD? Find out when you work best and adapt your revision schedule to fit this

8. The importance of breaks • There is a risk of overworking the brain by spending too many hours revising. • Without breaks the information we take in can become jumbled, instead of making clear memories of what we have revised. • Regular breaks will stop this confusion and keep you focused and motivated. What to do in those breaks • It is up to you but make sure that it is nothing to do with work,  it is all about giving your brain a rest. EXCERISE !  exercise can boost your memory and your brain power. It is also excellent for relaxation.

9. Where to revise • The perfect revision space needs to be; • Full of light • Free of distractions (social media, consoles, mobile phones, TV, etc.) • Quiet • Organised • If you are finding it hard to disconnect from social media and general phone use then lock your phone away or ask a parent/guardian to keep it whilst you are working.

10. How do you learn best? What type of learner are you? We all learn in different ways and we can adapt our revision to suit how we learn best. Visual  images, diagrams and mind maps. Verbal  discussion, read work aloud, teach someone. Physical  models and diagrams, walk whilst revising. Social  work in groups but make sure you are focused. Solitary  revising individually. Logical  makes lists and try exam questions

11. Revision techniques ‘Revision techniques - the good, the OK and the useless’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22565912 The way you're revising may let you down in exams – and here's why https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/may/07/the-way-youre-revising-may-let-you-down-in-exams-and-heres-why "Students who can test themselves or try to retrieve material from their memory are going to learn that material better in the long run" The BEST revision techniques Finding a technique that works for you is very important. Once you find what works you can work SMARTER and make the most of your time. So what makes a good revision technique?

13. And don’t forget to use all the fantastic resources provided by your teachers! They are the perfect tools for revision.

14. Defeating procrastination • If there is one thing that will stand in the way of you and achieving what you want in your exams it is PROCRASTINATION. • Revision is about being disciplined! Remember there is no time like the present. • It is sometimes hard to stay motivated when the rewards of working hard seem to be a long way away. But there are things we can do to bring these rewards forward.

15. How do we stop procrastinating Make the task ACHIEVEABLE  break down what you need to do into smaller steps. Do 20 minutes at a time with a short break between. Before you know it you will have accomplished a great deal. DESIGN your future actions  if you know you’ll be distracted by social media or the allure of Netflix then log off your accounts or ask your parent/guardian to keep your phone away from you. You know yourself best so be honest. Do you have the self-control to stay off your phone? REWARD YOURSELF  make the reward more immediate. Don’t wait for the satisfaction of getting amazing exam results. Reward your hard work over the revision period. Tell yourself if you do at least 2 hours after school you can watch your favourite show or go out with friends on the weekend. Only do the thing you LOVE while doing the thing you are AVOIDING  If you are obsessed with a new series on Netflix then only allow yourself to watch an episode once you’ve done an hour of maths. This encourages us to do the things we are avoiding because there is the promise of doing something we love. The 5 MINUTE RULE  The most difficult part of work is overcoming that first 5 minutes where you’ll be fighting to delay this work for another day. If you can force yourself to do something for 5 minutes then sticking at the work for longer will be a breeze. SCHEDULE!  if you go into revision without a plan you are more likely to end up losing your way. If you plan your day then you know what you need to focus on and this leaves you less at risk of falling prey to procrastination.

16. Find the balance • Exams are a stressful time in your life and it is hard to keep motivated amongst the chaos. But it is important to remain focused and positive. • It is important to look after yourself during exams. Not only mentally but also physically. You should always make time for your health and make sure you: • Get enough sleep • Eat healthily and stay hydrated • Exercise  even walking can make a big difference • You will be prioritising work till the end of the year, and this means hobbies and part-time jobs are going to take a backseat. • But it is important to continue to give yourself well deserved breaks to enjoy time with family/friends. You still need to find time to relax.

17. Stress • We all need a little stress in our lives to get things done! • And although stress can keep us focused and on task too much can affect our brain in negative ways and may even affect our memory. RELAXATION TECHNIQUES • It is important to keep yourself relaxed during the exam period, so you can perform to the best of your ability. • Relaxation techniques can be as simple as a few minutes of deep breathing. It gives you time to calm your mind and think clearly. • We should always make time for rest breaks. They are essential in order to prevent burnout. Search for this video online. It has some great tips to help you keep calm and understand the effects of stress.

18. The day of the exam What should you do before your exam? • MAKE SURE YOU GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP. • EAT SOMETHING!  your brain needs energy to work and importantly recall information so make sure you have something to eat. • BRING WATER it is important to stay hydrated. • DON’T CRAM  don’t cram in last minute revision just before the exam, the stress it causes will undo the extra 30 minutes of work you put in. It is important to stay calm on the morning of the exam and if you do any work it should be on small prompts such as equations or definitions. • BREATHE  exams are stressful but you don’t need to let that stress get the better of you. Make sure to take some deep breaths to calm yourself. The brain is no use when it’s stressed.

19. ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING REMEMBER that the most important thing is that you TRY YOUR BEST! So have faith in yourself and GOOD LUCK!!!