Review Tips

How to Revise Successfully

How to Revise Successfully

Find out how these three steps can make revising easier.

Part 1: Organizing Your Revision

1. Find a good place to study.

Find a quiet, well-lit place to work that will be comfortable and free of distraction. Log out or temporarily disable social media like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Some studies show that studying information in different places allows you to compartmentalize the information, making it easier to recall at a later date if you can associate the information with the location.

2. Draw up a timetable for your review and stick to it.

What do you hope to cover by the end of the week? By the end of the day? Working from a revision timetable helps you to make clear goals for each revision session and allows you to check them off as you progress. Revision plans can reduce anxiety, reassuring you that you've taken the necessary steps. Alternatively, if this isn't your style and your life is more unpredictable, write up a tick list/ to-do list of all the subject areas or units you need to cover.

3. Set reasonable study targets that you know you can reach.

Going over twelve chapters of trigonometry the night before a big exam is probably going to do more harm than good. Organize in the most effective way to remember the most important information you've got to study.

You could revise throughout the year by spending 15 minutes each day making notes you'll be able to rely upon later. By doing it in short stretches, you will remember more and feel less stressed.

Prioritize the most urgent and important topics on your schedule.

Part 2: Reviewing Actively

1. Engage your texts.

Rather than simply reading quickly over the sometimes-dull texts you've got to study, take a more active role by making Q cards with your own questions, 5 or so questions per card is appropriate and should cover all the information in the text. These questions can then be used for self-testing or get a friend/family member to quiz you, if you get it wrong, the answers are on the back! Bright colors help make this bit more fun too as well as organizing your subjects.

2. Recall and summarize.

As you're studying, stop every few minutes to recap what you've read. Write a short summary--a few sentences--in your notes, or at the bottom of the page. Use your own words. A good way of recalling is writing your notes down from memory and then going back over them and filling in the gaps with another color of pencil or pen. You'll know the different color refers to information you might have trouble remembering. Periodically, Try to repeat the process of summary, writing down on a separate sheet of paper what you know about a given topic or subject without consulting your books or your previous notes.

3. Draw or doodle freely while you study.

For a visual learner, it's important to break down information into drawings or diagrams, to make recall easier in the long run. Diagrams, mind maps, and freehand drawings can be useful ways of improving both your understanding and creating a much easier memory aid than reading the text alone. Do not be afraid to use colors in much the same way––color your drawing or highlight the text.

4. Find someone who knows nothing about the topic and explain to them.

Even if it is explaining to the mirror or your cat, just take the time out to talk to someone as if the person is learning about it for the first time, and you are the teacher. It is hard to forget information once you have done this, and also forces you to clarify the information and lay it all out in the most concise and simple way possible.

5. Try to use a study guide or an old test.

Answering past exams or test papers in the same time limit, as the real exam or test will gives you an opportunity to test yourself under the same constraints. It will be a chance to see whether there are gaps in your knowledge that you need to go back over and it'll also be useful to see if you can get down all that you want to say in the time allotted. Do the practices under timed conditions by using a timer, which could be on your phone.

6. Take breaks periodically to give your concentration a boost.

If you take breaks regularly, your concentration will be better and you will find yourself retaining more information than if you try to plow straight through. Don't waste energy and time revising with an over-tired mind that won't remember what it just read.

Try to stick to your schedule. Make sure to check off topics and subjects as you accomplish revising them. It may even be a good idea to reward yourself with a treat on the completion of a target to help you get there.

Part 3: Finding Support

1. Talk to your teachers.

Look on your teachers and professors as part of your support network and use them for the resource they offer. Ask for their assistance when it becomes clear you need it. Knowing earlier rather than later in your revision will make it easier to approach them and get their help.

2. Revise with other classmates.

Find a suitable group of good students who hope to succeed, and schedule regular meetings in between your other revision activities. Discuss the topics of revision, helping each other solve problems, understand the materials, and test one another over the reading. Studying in a group can be a great way of reducing anxiety levels and making revision fun, as well as productive. Find ways to test each other, playing revision games as challenges. Use flashcards or structure your study sessions like a quiz game. Chat online if you haven't time to catch up in person.

3. Let your family help you.

Your family can help support you even when they cannot understand what you are learning. Ask them to test you, clarify problems for you, read with you, and help you to stay organized. Parents and siblings who have already experienced revision will have some good ideas to help you prepare. Moreover, family and friends can be good moral support when you are feeling down or anxious about the revision.

4. Stay relaxed.

Spend time doing something relaxing each day, such as listening to your favorite music, going for a walk or swim, spending time with your pets, or talking with a good friend. These activities will help you to feel relaxed and connected to others and the world as you keep working through the revision. You can also practice relaxation exercises, meditation, or simply just lay back and chill out now and then ...Possibly with a Q card in your hand.



How to Be the Best Student in Your Class

How to Be the Best Student in Your Class

Tips and learning strategies to stand ut in class and make the most out of your learning journey.

Getting the Most out of Learning

Get your brain and body ready to learn. 

Get lots of sleep. You'll need to get the right amount of sleep for your body if you want your brain to work at its best.

Learn in a way that works for you. 

Everyone learns best in different ways; this is called a learning style. Find a way that works for you and try to learn that way as much as you can.

TIP: For example, have you noticed that it's really easy for you to remember charts or pictures? This means you might be a visual learner.

Pay attention.

The best thing that you can do to become the best student in any class is to pay attention to when your teacher is talking. If you get distracted you might miss important information and you'll have a harder time understanding what to do or when you have to study later. 

If you're having trouble staying focused when your teacher is talking, try sitting in the front and participating more in the class.

Learn how to take notes.

Taking notes effectively can be tricky, but it will make it much easier for you to learn and study, which means your grades will get better and your test scores will improve so you're the best student in your class. TIP: Just remember, you don't have to write down everything your teacher says. Just write down the most important things and the things you know you'll have a hard time remembering.

Do your homework on time and well.

Even if you don't get very good grades on your homework, just doing it on time will help keep your grade up as much as possible. You should aim to make your homework marks the highest in the class or you're not really trying to be the best in your class. 

Look for extra ways to learn.

Learning stuff that isn't included in your classes can help you understand the information you do cover a lot better and it can also really impress your teacher.

Pursuing information in a way that follows your interests can also help you stay focused in class. Look for more ways to learn about all of the subjects you study and you'll find that all of the school is more interesting and that you're more and more successful.

Study earlier. 

When you see the number of portions just before a test, you may get scared. One of the most effective ways to get better scores on tests is to start studying and preparing for the test as early as possible. Definitely don't leave it until the night before.

TIP: Write down the possible questions that can come on the test and start jotting down key points.

Being a Good Person

Make people feel good, not bad.

Being the best student in a class is about more than just getting good grades. You should also work on being a good person. 

You don't want to be a bully or a class clown; that will not make you the best student in the class.

Focus on making people feel good by giving them compliments and telling them when they do a good job. Don't be mean to people and tease them or say hurtful things.

Be helpful to everyone.

Be a good person by helping people when you can. If you know how to do something or you have an easier way of doing it, show them how. Don't make yourself seem smarter or better, just be nice and friendly. You can also do small nice things, like holding a door open for them or helping them carry something heavy.

Be respectful to people, even when they're being mean.

Even when people are mean to you, you should still be respectful. Don't shout at them or physically hurt them. Don't call them names or cut in front of them in line, just to spite them.

Be respectful to people by not talking over them and definitely giving them a chance to talk if they want to. 

Respect their opinions and don't worry if they think a little bit differently than you. 

Stay calm.

When you're in class, stay as calm as you can. Don't run around and disrupt people. You should also try not to get stressed when school gets tough. This is bad for you and it might also cause you to lash out at other people

Focus on learning the material as well as you can and don't worry about the numbers or letters that your teacher assigns. Knowing the material is more important than getting a grade.

Make things fun for everyone.

Try to help everyone have fun. Be enthusiastic and positive when you're in class. This excitement to learn will make everyone feel more okay about learning. It might even get some people to show excitement when they wouldn't normally let other people see that they care.

Be yourself! 

Most importantly, be yourself. You can't be the best person you can possibly be if you're pretending to be someone else. Do the things that make you happy. Share the things that you love. Be friends with the people that get you and make you feel good about yourself. Don't worry about what other people think. The truth is that years from now, you won't even remember half of their names. If they don't think you're the coolest person now, you're not going to care in five or six years. What you will care about is how unhappy you are that you didn't do things that made you happy.

Making Your Teacher Happy

Be respectful.

If you want to make your teacher happy, being respectful is really the best way to start. Especially if other students are disrespectful, you'll stand out and quickly become their favorite

Don't be disruptive. Don't pass notes, talk to your friends, make jokes, or move around too much while your teacher is talking.

Be punctual (on time or even early) and definitely don't skip their class.

Ask questions.

Teachers like it when students ask questions. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, it tells them that you're paying attention.

Second, it shows them that you think they're interesting and that you're enjoying the subject (even if you're not). 

Third, it makes them feel smart and helpful. Everyone likes to feel smart and helpful. Ask questions when you have them and you'll find your teacher liking you more and more.

Ask for help.

Asking for help actually makes you look smart and it will make your teacher happy. When you ask questions, your teacher knows that you'll work hard and understand what they're teaching much better. They'll be proud of you for taking the initiative to get the help you know you need.

Be a helpful student.

Be a student that not only keeps out of trouble but also makes the classroom a kinder place. This is about more than just starting fights and arguments (although you shouldn't do those things either). This is also about being a person that helps solve problems when they come up.

Stay on top of your work.

Do your homework on time. Get study guides and ask for help at least two weeks before a test, and not two or three days before. 

Take notes. When your teacher sees you working hard, even if you're not the smartest and even if you don't get the best test scores, they'll still like you best.