As a current GCSE student, I am fully aware of the difficulties some people go through in order to revise effectively for their exams. So, I hope that I can be more than helpful to those reading this by showing you some tricks and tips on how to get the most out of your revision time and,therefore, do well in all your exams.

Quick Tips

  • Remember to take breaks when revising (but don’t procrastinate)
  • Drink lots of water to keep your brain going
  • Ask about anything you’re unsure of (teachers/parents/friends etc)
  • Don’t stress yourself out or overwork yourself
  • Remember you can only try your hardest in the exam

An important element of revising effectively is the environment in which you do it. Make sure you are in an environment in which you are able to revise and take the information in. In other words, try not to sit in the front room with your whole family if you can’t concentrate. Revise in your room if you feel comfortable and confident that you are able to actually absorb information there. If needs be, ask to go to the local library or somewhere you know will be a place in which you can revise. It’s vital that you are in a suitable environment or there would be no point in revising in the first place.

As well as this, you must make sure you are revising in the style that is best fitted for you. Surprisingly, a high percentage of people don’t know their learning type and so find it much more difficult to take in the required information. There are four main learning types: visual, kinaesthetic, audible and reading & writing. There is an online quiz at http://www.howtolearn.com/learning-styles-quiz/ which is good for determining the way in which you learn, although it is a good idea to take more than one just to be sure.

Visual learners: Copy down as many diagrams as you can and fully label it – the more the better. Use textbooks that contain a lot of diagrams and visuals. Watch educational videos. Use highlighters to make important things stand out. Use flashcards with diagrams – e.g. “what is this part of a cell called?” Replace words with symbols or initials to grasp concept rather than words.

Kinaesthetic learners: Use flashcards. Revise in short blocks – shorter periods and shorter breaks. Use examples an situtations when writing notes to remember things like formulae. Study with other people. Talk about what you have learned with others. Do something while you study – e.g tap a pencil, occupy your hands. Play music in the background.

Audible learners: Ask people questions – especially if you’re unsure of something. Get permission to record the teacher/class to replay it later. Watch educational videos. Use word association to learn facts and lines. Repeat things out loud. Participate in discussions. Avoid auditory distractions such as music in the background.

Reading & Writing learners: Take lots of notes during class time. Rewrite the notes you have taken. Rewrite the notes you have taken. Don’t lose any handouts or worksheets. Use bullet points to get information into an easy-to-read format. Turn diagrams and charts into words. Avoid auditory distractions – will allow you to interpret things in your own words and take in the information better.

A website I would recommend for revision is https://getrevising.co.uk/ which includes resources you can use for revision such as spider diagrams, flashcards and question & answers. There is also a feature that allows you to create a revision timetable for yourself and create your own resources rather than use other people’s ones if you prefer. I would also strongly recommend printing past papers as they’re always very helpful and give you an idea of what exam questions will be like for you. You can go to the website of your exam board and find exam papers really easily. Once you have completed the paper, you can also find mark schemes and grade boundaries online to see where you can improve!

Remember that you can only do your best in these exams. I find that walking into an exam with that mindset calms my anxiety a lot and it generally won't make you beat yourself up if you didn't get the grade you wanted, because whatever you got was the best you could do. Obviously, this doesn't work for everyone, but it does for a lot of people so it's worth giving it a shot.