Studying can feel like a chore! Sitting down to read over your notes is so tedious, and in reality you only retain 10% of the information. This blog aims to give you some fun, helpful ideas for making revision more memorable so that you’re not left feeling like…
Flashcards
Flashcards are great for studying alone or with friends and especially family- your younger sibling can even test you without having to know about the subject! A bit of a double whammy, the act of making the flashcards is a great revision exercise and once you’ve made them you’re ready to use them again and again to test yourself. Making the cards is quick and easy- just grab some scrap paper and cut it into squares or if you’d like to splash out, lined index cards can be bought from any good stationery shop or supermarket.
When writing your flashcards, go through your class notes and think about what questions someone could ask you from them. Write the question on one side of the card, and then write the answer on the back. You could also draw diagrams or tables and colour code the cards according to subject- the possibilities are endless! Once you’ve written them, you can test yourself or get someone else to (since all the information they need to decide if you’re correct or not will be on the card).
Mind Maps
Pick a main topic and write the heading in the middle of your page. From there, think about the main sub-topics and how they each branch out into mini-topics. Everyone has their own way of drawing mind maps, but ultimately they are a good visual aid (especially if you’re good at memorising diagrams and pictures) and can be used as prompts to point you in the direction of things to study in more detail.
Condensing Notes
Taking your class notes and re-writing them out in your own words is a really good way to check that you’ve understood the content. Once you’ve re-written them out once, keep repeating the process until you have a condensed set of notes which contains all the key points that you need to know. This way, you’ll be learning kinaesthetically by physically writing the notes and can use your key points to test yourself.
PowerPoints and Teaching
The best way to make sure you know information in depth is to teach others. Teaching your subject to someone who isn’t familiar with it can really show up areas that you need to revise and also helps you to retain 90% of the information. Teach your family and friends and if they can’t understand an area even after you’ve tried to teach it in a different way, go back and have a look at your notes again to make sure you’ve learned it correctly. Another great way to learn and teach at the same time is to make PowerPoint or Prezi presentations to use as an aid for teaching others. Try to not use your notes when writing these initially, and then go back through the presentation with your notes beside you to highlight any important areas you’ve missed out. Then you can use your presentation to teach others or use it as a fun way to revise yourself.
Memory Games
Memory games are different for each individual and you can make up your own as you go. Some of my favourites are making mnemonics (great for remembering smaller topics which make up one big topic) and Kim’s Game (great for lists). Mnemonics are really easy to make; they can be either a word or a phrase. E.g. MRS GREN for remembering the features of living things or Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain for the colours of the rainbow. Kim’s Game involves writing out the list of things you need to remember (for example, the diatomic elements in the periodic table) and then covering them over, rewriting or reciting the list, then uncovering the original list to see how many you remember. The more you do this, the more you remember until eventually you know the whole list! This can be a fun game to play in study groups- make it into a competition with the person who remembers the most getting a chocolate or small prize.
Answering Questions
Ultimately in your exam, you’re going to be answering questions about your subject, so why not get some practice in beforehand? This can be done in many ways from answering past paper questions, to looking out questions from textbooks to writing your own. A good way to test yourself, and your friends, is to each write a set of questions on different topics. Swap these sets amongst yourselves and try to answer your friend’s questions. You could all meet to discuss and debate the answers (discussion helps you to retain 50% of the information). This is also a good thing to do before attempting past paper questions as it will ensure you are well prepared to tackle real exam-style questions with all your knowledge.
Hopefully this blog will help you prepare for your exams in a fun and efficient way. Remember to make sure to take breaks from studying regularly and to look after yourself (keep active and eat as healthily as possible). If you want any advice or have any questions regarding exams, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. As university students, we were once in your shoes and still have exams to this day, so we’re well versed in how to ace them!