Active Revision Techniques

Active revision involves you actually doing something with the information you are trying to learn and not just sitting there staring at a revision guide or textbook. Remember, people revise best in different ways. In other words, the most effective revision technique is a personal thing so choose what works well for you so long as it is an active technique. Here are some ideas of active revision techniques:

• Make bullet point notes in your own words from your exercise book, textbook and/or revision guide.
• Condense your revision notes onto small index cards or blank postcards with just the key facts and key words.  
• Draw spider diagrams and memory maps with small pictures, symbols and key words. This is particularly effective for visual learners and helps to show how concepts are linked together.
• Use colours and highlighters to emphasise important parts of you notes.
• Write keywords or concepts on post it notes and stick them all over the house so you can challenge yourself as you walk around (the back of the toilet door is an old favourite so you can revise on the loo!).
• Use mnemonics, rhymes or even songs to help you remember things.
• Practice doing past exam papers which your teacher has given you. Then use the mark scheme or your textbook/notes to mark your answers.
• Ask a friend or parent to test you by asking you questions using a revision guide, textbook or your own notes.
• Record your revision notes onto cassette or onto your iPod and then play them walking down the street or during your paper round!
• Use one of the websites recommended to you by your teacher but don’t just surf the web looking for revision websites because you will get distracted and the site might not be suitable for the GCSE course you did.
• Record questions on your mobile phone & then play them back to test yourself.
• Create a web page revision guide for that topic.
• Teach someone else the topic you want to learn.

 

Further school Exam information