View Full Version : How on earth do you revise?
shredder
29-04-2005, 17:19
Hello! Wonder if any kind souls can offer me some advise? I'm trying to revise for my university finals and I've realised I actually have no idea how to revise!? All I seem to be doing is copying out my notes so I have them on two sheets of paper instead of one! Hmmmm I have found this to be a most ineffective method!Anyone have any methods they can recommend? All I have is an aching wrist and no more useful info in my head than before I started!
paulyoung666
29-04-2005, 17:25
all your way to your university finals and you dont know how to revise :disturbd: , having said that if you have got this far i reckon you might be one of the gifted people that does not need to revise , apart from that , how far are they away ?? , all i can suggest is to read your course work and course books to try and cement it in your head :erm: :D :D :D
Dunno, I've got 2 exams to revise for at the moment and I'm going to be doing some notes tonight and then it's time to start reading through all my notes to date, 2 books and 2 folders. All good fun this studying malarky :p:
shredder
29-04-2005, 17:29
haha I have been one of the lucky ones, I've never revised in my life, but I think for these exams I really should! My first exam is on may 16th....so i don't really have much time left. I've tried reading my text books but for some reason it goes in one ear and out of the other. I'm quite a creative sort of person and that method really doesn't work too well with me!
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Isn't it just Paul?! i've got pages to get through and 5 3hr exams, oooh I can't wait to graduate now!
<snip> I've tried reading my text books <snip>
That's usually a good starting point... :dozey:
Dave Stones
29-04-2005, 17:37
5 3 hour exams? i laugh. handed in 5 pieces of coursework today, got 3 more in on friday. then between the 10th may and 1st june i have 8 3 hour exams... and this is just at the end of my second year.
writing down the pertinent points on cue cards helped me last year :)
shredder
29-04-2005, 17:39
8? rather you than me? I know what you mean about the assignments though, handed all those in a few weeks ago, dissertation included. Thanks for the advise, think i'll give the cue cards a go.
Its a shame copying doesn't work for you... it did well for me. I did it more than once though. Environmentalists won't like me for this, but I just to fill pages with copied notes, and then throw them away and do it again. I found writing text requires more of your brain than looking at it, so your brain remembers it better than just looking at it
The other thing I use to do is fill out index cards, with basic facts, that you carry around with you. This works best for complex formulae etc/The rationale is that actually, you do have a lot of wasted time during the day, 5 mins waiting for the bus, 3 mins waiting for a checkout in a supermarket, etc. All that wasted time time adds up to a lot of extra revision
The last thing I used to do, instead of reading like 15 pages in 1 go, i'd read one page, and test myself, then go on. The extra interactivity helps reduce the monotony, because when it gets like that, your eyes tend to gaze over the text rather than read it, and you aren't really learning.
HTH. Good luck with your exams.
shredder
29-04-2005, 17:42
Thank you! you guys have given me the motivation and ideas I needed, will go to the shop now and buy some index cards!
Its a shame copying doesn't work for you... it did well for me. I did it more than once though. Environmentalists won't like me for this, but I just to fill pages with copied notes, and then throw them away and do it again. I found writing text requires more of your brain than looking at it, so your brain remembers it better than just looking at it. <snip>
I did somethnig similar in that I would write summaries of the textbook. I never really looked at the summaries again, but found the process of writing them down helped in remembering.
shredder
29-04-2005, 17:45
I think that's what put me off the idea (not looking at them again) of writing out loads of cards (irrational I know given that I was quite happily copying out pages!).
Plonking
29-04-2005, 17:50
good luck :) I normally just write notes, then condense them down, and write again, and again, until it's just a list of key references - which I then make myself write out from memory over and over again... I do psychology so a lot of it is to do with names and dates, and who said what at whatever time, so this way may not work for you :D I seem to be lucky in that it's my final year but I have three exams, two of which are 2 and 1/2 hrs, and a third which is 3 hrs... one is on a saturday morning though... :td:
P
Sorry, can't help you - I've never revised for an exam .... ever :)
shredder
29-04-2005, 17:56
saturday morning, that's harsh! I did psychology at a-level, not as hard I know but I remember learning the dates! I still have to do that on my course it's models and theories, I'm trying to revise for a business strategy exam at the moment. I've just bought some cue cards so i'll get started on them, I like your idea of repeatedly condensing the notes, I think that might just work!
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Sorry, can't help you - I've never revised for an exam .... ever :)
That would be the same as me then! After this I don't plan on repeating the revision experience, especially as it's really hot today and i'd love to be sat outside drinking a nice cold glass of wine
allieyoung666
29-04-2005, 18:01
I had real problems of this nature when I was at uni, I revised quotes on flash cards and I mind mapped so I had well thought I would have an idea. Plus our lecturers guided us in the right direction, Do you have an LRC at your campus libary as they have really good ideas as well.
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I had real problems of this nature when I was at uni, I revised quotes on flash cards and I mind mapped so I had well thought I would have an idea. Plus our lecturers guided us in the right direction, Do you have an LRC at your campus libary as they have really good ideas as well.
Whopps I forgot this as well, my and some of my friends hired a room and we crammed in there. Also try the internet .
allieyoung666
29-04-2005, 18:03
Professor Rammy to your service hahaha
shredder
29-04-2005, 18:05
I had real problems of this nature when I was at uni, I revised quotes on flash cards and I mind mapped so I had well thought I would have an idea. Plus our lecturers guided us in the right direction, Do you have an LRC at your campus libary as they have really good ideas as well.
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mmm sorry, that quote got a bit messed up!
Thank you! Sorry I probably sound really dumb now, but what's an LRC?
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The course is business and tourism management, the exams are on strategic management, eMarketing and finance.
A) we learn by listening.
B) We learn by listening and reading.
C) we learn by listening,reading and writing,
D) we learn by listening,reading,writing and speaking.
Employ all of the above to revise.Get someone to read facts to you..you write them down.You read and copy repeatedly(constant repition of facts is a very good way to learn-it's the best way to learn times tables).
using the index cards get someone to ask the questions and you ty to remember the facts.Question on one side of the index card, answers on the other so a complete dip can help you ;)
Use ACRONYMS to remember facts.Or sentences. E.G. Richard of York gave battle in vain will help you to remember the 7 colours of the rainbow by employing the first letter in each word on the sentence.make up a sentence for any basic list you need to remember.
The best presentation I saw in school on revision tactics was brilliant.They employed silly sentences to get people to count in Japanese inside 5 minutes.
The pity was they never gave us a booklet to help retain the ideas they suggested...
So just by googling I've found http://www.darvill.clara.net/revtips.htm which has some suggestions you might like to employ.
Good Luck.. :tu:
shredder
29-04-2005, 18:18
Thanks for the link incognitas, it would appear I am a visual person. I knew all those pretty coloured pens I bought would be useful one day.....
cookie_365
29-04-2005, 20:01
If the course is split into say 5 subjects, get 5 of the other students on the course and teach them one of the subjects each - prepare a short course, some handouts for them to take away, and think about the questions they're likely to ask you.
Best way to learn yourself is to teach it to someone else - and you'll clock up some brownie points from them too ;)
How about recording important points? Then listening to them on a player?
shredder
29-04-2005, 21:44
Do you know that would probably work but I work for ntl and i'm sick of the sound of my own voice!!!
Macca371
29-04-2005, 22:12
Yep all depends on your own personal learning style - there are three main types of learner - visual people who learn best by diagrams/pictures being drawn, auditory who learn best by listening to notes and tactile learners.
Experiment to find your own preferred style.
I have found that my preferred revision style is section by section, reading a passage, then reading it again and writing the important points on record cards, it may help if you make them as colourful as possible. Then I look at the record cards, and then I test myself on that section and if I make any mistakes I re-read the passage and keep trying.
http://www.ldpride.net/learning_style.html
I think this site might help you decide on your preferred learning style.
shredder
29-04-2005, 22:24
i definately think i'm a visual learner, i'm also very creative but i'm finding it hard to convert my notes into a visual style!
Use different colours then!
I'm in the same boat (uni finals!) and I've got meself six colours of pens and loads of index card thingies...
Basically, summarising the salient points of lectures, emphasising key points with a change of colour, you know... has the added bonus of making you go through your notes rather than skimming through them!
And then if I go out or something... I'll just grab a pile, put them in the pocket, and if I get a spare min or two have a look at them.
I was playing footy for a while tonight... but I've spent the bulk of today doing the cards, and I've done about ten lectures by now. A drop in the ocean :( but it's worth it :)
Everyone has different ways of revising so some methods do not work for some, whilst they do work for others.
If you are finding the taking notes approach is not working, then stop.
May be you would prefer to tape yourself and hear the notes being read back to you, or just write out short little cards instead.
I personanally like to revise in small chunks. So revise for 40 minutes then take a half hour walk and come back to it. Having a snack also helps.
I also tend to sometimes listen to music, though that can be a nightmare for other people.
I knew some people who would spend one day revising notes and then the next write out and do an essay question to see how they had learnt the previous day. This also allows you to practice exam timings.
I'm glad I only have coursework on my courese now, but I do rememeber the hell of previous exams.
Whatever you do, best of luck and I hope it goes well for you.
Professor Rammy to your service hahaha :Peace:
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The course is business and tourism management, the exams are on strategic management, eMarketing and finance.Sounds like you have to just rote learn it then. Sit down and make sure you understand it and then remember it.
Remembering it is best done in the 6-8 hours before the exam...........short term memory (if yours is good enough) .......plenty of pro-plus:D
A highlighterpen is your friend when revising. Highlight the main points then once you have gone through that page, cover it up and test yourself.
I'm lucky as I am doing multimedia design, we only have coursework and no exams. The history of art modules were very boring though as we had to do a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge essay for that.
I prefer the practical coursework design side myself.
A highlighterpen is your friend when revising. Highlight the main points then once you have gone through that page, cover it up and test yourself.
I'm lucky as I am doing multimedia design, we only have coursework and no exams. The history of art modules were very boring though as we had to do a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge essay for that.
I prefer the practical coursework design side myself.
define huuuuuuuuuuuuuge...
greencreeper
30-04-2005, 00:26
Raid the library for past exam papers. I find it helps to know the style of question likely to be asked. I think I've revised for maybe one exam my entire life - never seen the point in last minute "learning".
homealone
30-04-2005, 00:33
:Peace:
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Sounds like you have to just rote learn it then. Sit down and make sure you understand it and then remember it.
Remembering it is best done in the 6-8 hours before the exam...........short term memory (if yours is good enough) .......plenty of pro-plus:D
interesting point, I crammed all I knew for max 2 days, each, before my O' Levels & got 8 - 1xA 4xC 3xE.
A levels (then at least) weren't amenable to that approach - best I did was the O pass at the A level - confused? I was 17 :naughty:
since then an HND is the peak of my certificated achievement :)
I personanally like to revise in small chunks. So revise for 40 minutes then take a half hour walk and come back to it. Having a snack also helps.
I do that as well... my attention span is worryingly short. :(
I also tend to sometimes listen to music, though that can be a nightmare for other people.
I can't concentrate without music. Well, when I'm revising anyway.
I'm glad I only have coursework on my courese now, but I do rememeber the hell of previous exams.
lucky f*ck*r.
Whatever you do, best of luck and I hope it goes well for you.
Seconded.
I always found being tested was the best way.Getting someone to ask you questions after a short amount of cramming and the index cards as a final test.
Old exam papers provided they are not too old are helpful.
I also find that watching a video AND making notes is much more helpful than just watching the video..Visuals will only take you so far.Writing wil only take you so far.Listening will only take you so far.I think combining as many of the different methods as possible to keep revision interesting is a better idea.Getting stuck in one mode may become boring and boredom is a revision killer. :)
I always found being tested was the best way.Getting someone to ask you questions after a short amount of cramming and the index cards as a final test.
Old exam papers provided they are not too old are helpful.
I also find that watching a video AND making notes is much more helpful than just watching the video..Visuals will only take you so far.Writing wil only take you so far.Listening will only take you so far.I think combining as many of the different methods as possible to keep revision interesting is a better idea.Getting stuck in one mode may become boring and boredom is a revision killer. :)
Now I can't remember something unless I write it.
You're a teacher, I presume you have a degree right... if you do, do you mind me asking what it's in?
Now I can't remember something unless I write it.
You're a teacher, I presume you have a degree right... if you do, do you mind me asking what it's in?
Batchelor of Education..I'm the old fashioned kind of teacher who trained at one of those old Teacher Training Colleges.. that dear old Maggie despised so much ;)
Now I can't remember something unless I write it.
You're a teacher, I presume you have a degree right... if you do, do you mind me asking what it's in?
Batchelor of Education..I'm the old fashioned kind of teacher who trained at one of those old Teacher Training Colleges.. that dear old Maggie despised so much ;)
I've always wondered... is there any subject specificity in one of those... and do you need a PGCE as well?
When I started in 1974 you did it by going to Teacher Training College or by completing a degree at university and then spending a year studying teaching.
Now there area variety of routes available..if you want more info there are loads of online info on how to go about it..why not investigate them before we drag this too off topic?
Try http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/_module/popularquestions//questions.cfm?keywords=-1&gatewayCategoryID=13&mainCategoryID=0&expandID=3660&new=0#3660
and http://www.tta.gov.uk/php/read.php?sectionid=109&articleid=456
Hope that helps.
Oh and please not that before one can teach one HAS to pay about £30 annual fee to The General Teaching Council.Without this you will not be allowed to teach what ever your qualifications. ;)
allieyoung666
30-04-2005, 18:01
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mmm sorry, that quote got a bit messed up!
Thank you! Sorry I probably sound really dumb now, but what's an LRC?
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The course is business and tourism management, the exams are on strategic management, eMarketing and finance.
An LRC is a Learning Resource Centre, most colleges and universities have them. They help you with exam revision and assignments and they are really helpful. Also I find that studying without any distractions such as music, tv and friends, works for me. Do not take the Pro Plus as they do not work and they make you feel like crap the next day.
good luck :) I normally just write notes, then condense them down, and write again, and again, until it's just a list of key references - which I then make myself write out from memory over and over again...
that's what i did as well. and then tested myself on the sumaries. or if your creative you could do bubble diagrams with the key references etc. and then memorise them.
i was quite lucky, because i have a bit of a photographic memory, so when i went into exams i would not even look at the questions but remember the bubble diagrams and then note the key points first and then look at the questions.
another way i found to revise was to revise with someone else and basically, "teach" them the module and i found that made it stick into my head. luckily my flatmate did the same degree as me, and she hardly went to lectures, so i literally was teaching her the course;)
good luck with the final:tu:
as an aside... it sounds like you might be an active learner, since reading text books hasn't helped you... so find some active way of learning your modules
My number one rule of revision was not to bother doing any the night before an exam. My point of view is that by that late stage you should already know the topic to the point where revision isn`t necessary, and if there is stuff you don`t know then you are going to learn it well at that late stage anyway. Far better to take the time to wind-down a tad so you don`t go in to the exam too stressed.
Other than that, I would worry about copying out notes again, if I were to do any revision I'd just sit down and read the textbooks.
I always found that it was possible to 'distill' down the information I had to know for the exam to the basic minimum. What did I need to know? Everything else was icing on the cake. As long as I could recognise what was important and memorised it, passing was easy.
If you can do the same you shouldn't have any problems...........easy for me to say though, my exams are 11 yrs behind me :D
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My number one rule of revision was not to bother doing any the night before an exam.I used to crash revise up to 9 pm and then get up at 5 am to do more last minute short term memory work. I agree that this approach doesn't work if you have no work behind you already though.
Pro-Plus was a great help........ :D
greencreeper
30-04-2005, 23:04
You could try mind mapping - do a Google. It's basically a non-linear way of taking notes that looks like a spider diagram, only with pictures and colours.
My number one rule of revision was not to bother doing any the night before an exam. My point of view is that by that late stage you should already know the topic to the point where revision isn`t necessary, and if there is stuff you don`t know then you are going to learn it well at that late stage anyway. Far better to take the time to wind-down a tad so you don`t go in to the exam too stressed.
Other than that, I would worry about copying out notes again, if I were to do any revision I'd just sit down and read the textbooks.
I'll second that. But then again, I was quite disciplined and did a lot of reading beforehand. My idea of winding down the night before an exam was to get a couple (I stress couple) of pints at the Student Union. :)
You could try mind mapping - do a Google. It's basically a non-linear way of taking notes that looks like a spider diagram, only with pictures and colours.I never could get that to work for me :(
greencreeper
01-05-2005, 06:56
I never could get that to work for me :(
It's not an easy technique to use, but I think that's because right from the word go, we're taught that lists are good. The brain doesn't work that way though.
A mind map is an individual thing - it means something to the person who wrote it, but others might have trouble understanding it. A little doodle might mean one thing to you, and something else to me. There isn't such a thing as a good mind map neither - just ones that work well for the individual.
I think you can get software that helps you draw them - I know I used a demo tool from a disk on a magazine. That was ages ago though.
It's not an easy technique to use, but I think that's because right from the word go, we're taught that lists are good. The brain doesn't work that way though.
A mind map is an individual thing - it means something to the person who wrote it, but others might have trouble understanding it. A little doodle might mean one thing to you, and something else to me. There isn't such a thing as a good mind map neither - just ones that work well for the individual.
I think you can get software that helps you draw them - I know I used a demo tool from a disk on a magazine. That was ages ago though.
These are very good because you can share it among a group of you and then it expands even further with those ideas that you missed being added by others. ;)
Plonking
01-05-2005, 14:33
I wouldn't say that mind maps are perfect for everyone, we all have to utilise various aspects of our talents to make the most of them when revising. I've never been able to get my head into mind maps.. when you go into an exam can you still see your map and visualise it?
I can normally do this with chunks of text, and lists that I make. Sometimes I can copy out the picture in my head of, say, an article or textbook, down onto the piece of paper in front of me as though I have the original in front of me.
I just remembered, a friend of mine wrote a guide on improving memory, which you can find here (http://psychwire.co.uk/articles/memory.doc), hopefully it helps somehow, lol :D
shredder
01-05-2005, 15:09
Thank you everyone! You've given me some good ideas there! I feel some reps coming on.
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Hmmm i'm trying to revise now, I've downloaded myself some past papers off the uni intranet, only problem is i have the worst hangover, and to say I cannot concentrate is an understatement. What's a girl to do?!
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I can normally do this with chunks of text, and lists that I make. Sometimes I can copy out the picture in my head of, say, an article or textbook, down onto the piece of paper in front of me as though I have the original in front of me. :D
That's exactly what I did last year, isn't it strange?!
Thank you everyone! You've given me some good ideas there! I feel some reps coming on.
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Hmmm i'm trying to revise now, I've downloaded myself some past papers off the uni intranet, only problem is i have the worst hangover, and to say I cannot concentrate is an understatement. What's a girl to do?!
Then remember the pain you are feeling and associate it with what you are revising and when you remember the hangover...you can hopefully remember some facts. ;)
shredder
01-05-2005, 15:15
Then remember the pain you are feeling and associate it with what you are revising and when you remember the hangover...you can hopefully remember some facts. ;)
Ha Ha! I knew there was something positive somewhere in this hangover!
One easy way to revise is to cut off the plug on your PC powerlead so you cant switch it on.
The temptation to go on the net for a quick break which turns into a long break is tooo tempting at times.
allieyoung666
01-05-2005, 16:47
I used to pick out the interesting and relevent bits and then revise them as the majority of the stuff you do not need. But good luck with the revision and we hope we have managed to help you in some way or another. Go for phrases that you think are relevent as you will get extra marks. I have just done a prep exam and did very well the examiner commented on how many statements I put in.
shredder
13-05-2005, 13:29
Hello! Thought I'd give you an update! It's going suprisingly well actually, though I have discovered my attention span bares an uncanny resemblence to a pea. I've been out and bought index cards and A3 paper and some pretty pens and have found these to be two effective methods. So thank you to everyone who offered me ideas, we'll see if it worked on monday for my first exam.
cookie_365
13-05-2005, 18:21
Good luck - and try to have a relaxing weekend; do a bit of final revision but only a couple of hours each day at most.
However much you know about a topic you can always find more, so the more you spend revising at the last minute the more you'll find that you don't actually know and the danger is if you start panicking, but you don't have to know everything there is to know about a topic to get a good score in an exam about it!
Remember that most essay markers are looking for a handful of key points, so so long as you can remember those key points and can string an argument around them you should be fine.
It's a while ago but I just spent my last weekends before exams just writing down a series of bullet points on each topic; not trying to learn anything, just writing them down. Then on the morning of the exam I reread the bullet points 3 times, again, not trying to learn anything, just reading them. They're more likely to worm their way into your head if you're not trying to force them in!
And I did pretty well - but then I'm one of those irritating people who do no work throughout the year, but are good at picking out key issues ...
Good luck ;):tu:
allieyoung666
13-05-2005, 18:23
CRAM, CRAM, CRAM. And you should be fine I do better in exams then I do writing essays. So Cram the more you get in and do not forget those quotes!!!! You get extra credit!!!
shredder
13-05-2005, 18:25
And I did pretty well - but then I'm one of those irritating people who do no work throughout the year, but are good at picking out key issues ...
Good luck ;):tu:
Ah ha me too but one day i won't get away with it anymore! thanks again for the advice :)
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CRAM, CRAM, CRAM. And you should be fine I do better in exams then I do writing essays. So Cram the more you get in and do not forget those quotes!!!! You get extra credit!!!
I have a head full of quotes so many in fact i'm forgetting which exam they're for! oooooh who do i listen to now? you saying cram or cookie saying not to? lol
cookie_365
13-05-2005, 18:58
Ah ha me too but one day i won't get away with it anymore! thanks again for the advice :)
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I have a head full of quotes so many in fact i'm forgetting which exam they're for! oooooh who do i listen to now? you saying cram or cookie saying not to? lol
:erm::erm::erm::erm::erm: !!!
Remember, everyone has a different learning style; clearly mine's different from allieyoung666's - so you're going to find out quite soon which one's yours - hopefully not which one yours isn't ;)
If I remember correctly allieyoung666 is a nurse (sorry if I'm wrong allie) which I would have thought is a job you need to know facts about (the knee bone's connected to the, err, other bone, as Dr Nick Riviera would say ...) whereas I did management related stuff (marketing, psychology, economics, that kind of thing) where there aren't so many facts but more formulation of arguments, extrapolation, ideas, and so forth. Apologies to all nurses if I've grossly misrepresented your job :dunce: !!
So think carefully about a) what your learning style is; this link (http://www.campaign-for-learning.org.uk/aboutyourlearning/whatlearning.htm#the) might give you a better idea of what that might be - it's not too late :), and b) decide from previous papers what sort of stuff you're expected to know - facts, arguments, whatever.
And once again: good luck ;):tu: !!
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