Revision Techniques
REVISION TECHNIQUES AND EXAM PREPARATION
You’ve got exams coming up and you’ve taken the first step towards success, thinking about how you are going to prepare yourself. You should allow at least 6 to 8 weeks, but the sooner you start the easier it will be. This leaflet is designed to give you some helpful tips on revising and getting prepared for exams. If you would like further advice the Students’ Union provides workshops on exam preparation, revision techniques and exam anxiety as part of the SORTED training programme.
REVISION TECHNIQUES
Essentials of revision
· Practice in recalling what you have been taught
· Practice in answering questions
· Practice in assessing answers
· Revision should be an active process
What to revise?
· Find out the format of the exam. Decide how many and which topics to revise. Consider the choice given in the exam – will questions combine topics? Is there are pattern evident in past papers? Think about the emphasis of the course and your own competencies
· There may be overlap between references. Read introductions, summaries and conclusions. If it appears that the text has ‘nothing new’ then consider not reading any further. · Refer to the University on-line catalogue that gives course aims and content to make sure you have a clear understanding of the objectives of the course.
· Are there any relevant publications that mirror the approach to the course? Read ‘core’ texts – a different publication may give another way of presenting the information
How to revise
· Aim to produce a good set of notes to use as a building block for your revision
· There are distinct stages of learning: Acquiring, understanding, memorising and testing knowledge. Each takes time, so allow for this in your planning.
Planning your revision
ACQUIRING
TESTING KNOWLEDGE UNDERSTANDING
You’ve got exams coming up and you’ve taken the first step towards success, thinking about how you are going to prepare yourself. You should allow at least 6 to 8 weeks, but the sooner you start the easier it will be. This leaflet is designed to give you some helpful tips on revising and getting prepared for exams. If you would like further advice the Students’ Union provides workshops on exam preparation, revision techniques and exam anxiety as part of the SORTED training programme.
REVISION TECHNIQUES
Essentials of revision
· Practice in recalling what you have been taught
· Practice in answering questions
· Practice in assessing answers
· Revision should be an active process
What to revise?
· Find out the format of the exam. Decide how many and which topics to revise. Consider the choice given in the exam – will questions combine topics? Is there are pattern evident in past papers? Think about the emphasis of the course and your own competencies
· There may be overlap between references. Read introductions, summaries and conclusions. If it appears that the text has ‘nothing new’ then consider not reading any further. · Refer to the University on-line catalogue that gives course aims and content to make sure you have a clear understanding of the objectives of the course.
· Are there any relevant publications that mirror the approach to the course? Read ‘core’ texts – a different publication may give another way of presenting the information
How to revise
· Aim to produce a good set of notes to use as a building block for your revision
· There are distinct stages of learning: Acquiring, understanding, memorising and testing knowledge. Each takes time, so allow for this in your planning.
Planning your revision
ACQUIRING
TESTING KNOWLEDGE UNDERSTANDING