The Edinburgh Academy

Where to Revise

The conditions in which you revise will influence the effectiveness of your revision. Your family will hopefully be sympathetic to your need for quiet concentration. It will help if you have one place that you can associate with prolonged study.

1. Use a quiet, comfortable, warm, ventilated room which is well lit.
2. Use a comfortable chair and a spacious desk or table.
3. Have all files, books, paper, pens, calculators near you.
4. All TVs, CDs, personal stereos and possibly even PCs should be switched off.

Revision Action Plan

Remember it is all up to you. Only you know if what you are doing is worth while and if you understand what you are supposed to be revising. You have a chance over the next two months to take control of your own future rather than letting someone else decide for you.

1. When will I start? You have had a hard couple of terms – take a break!! If you are having a weeks holiday leave the books at home but make sure you put the work in when you get back. If you are staying at home spread the work out over the holidays by starting with a spring clean of your notes, then have a few days off and then start your revision in earnest.
2. How much time will I spend each day/week revising?
    How much do you need?
    Calculate on a scale of 1-5 how much effort you need to give to each subject when revising.
    You could spread this out or use it in concentrated periods of time.
    Break up your working day – don’t lock yourself away.
    Work steadily – do not cram.
3. Consider carefully your working environment.
    It should be quiet
    It should be away from other distractions in the house. Avoid windows!
    You might find the local library is a better place to work during the holidays.
    Try to study at the same place each day.
4. Prioritise subjects in order of the time they will require for revision – allow extra time for subjects you find difficult.
5. For each subject
    List all the topics within the subject (the contents page of the textbook is a good starting point)
    Organise your notes so that appear in the correct order. Is there anything that appears to be missing? Do you have all the text books? Should you have a booklet of past papers? Is it worth buying a revision guide?
    Decide if you need to revise everything.
    Allocate topics to your timetable
    You may wish to practice past papers
6. From the earliest stages of revision try to be active in your revision. Eg. summarise your topic notes into spider diagrams or create mind maps of how a topic hangs together.
7. Allow time for rest, relaxation and enjoyment – physical activity can help the memory to absorb information and can refresh you so that you can accept new information.
8. Eat well and regularly.
9. Get the usual amount of sleep – no burning the midnight oil, but equally do not put off all your work until the afternoon just because you like a lie-in. Evidence shows that most people work best in the morning!
10. Finally – do not panic! You have time – slow and steady works better that last minute.

Revision is up to you. It is like money in the bank because you don’t always realise how much you might depend upon it later – do it and you’ll thank yourself that you did!

Signs of stress

Many students experience stress at this time of year. You are not alone and you are not at all unusual, even if no-one else admits to it. It is important to understand what it can do to you.

1. It can cause us to worry and results in feelings of panic or loss of control.
2. Lack of control may make you even more disorganised.
3. It can make you avoid essential tasks or put off what needs to be done.
4. You may feel alone in your position and that nobody understands you.
5. You may be tired and irritable and this may affect your health.

How to cope

Your anxiety might only be coming from a couple of subject areas. Identify the problem and try to solve it. Talk about worries you have with a friend, parent or teacher. Sharing a problem does help to relieve tension and can pave the way for practical solutions. They might be able to see a solution that you cannot.

1. Consider breathing and relaxation exercises before and after revision sessions and after exams.
2. Relax by forgetting about work – play sport, read or visit friends. Physical exercise is an excellent way of refreshing your mind and body.
3. Keep to your normal pattern of sleep.
4. Keep to a balanced, healthy diet.
5. Avoid drinking coffee which can lead to stress and stomach cramps.
6. As far as possible, take control – know when the exams are and where, ensure in advance that you have all necessary stationary and turn up on time.
7. Prior to the exam avoid what one writer has called – “those ghoulish groups of fellow examinees bent on mutual intimidation.”

In the Exam

Plan to turn up at least 10 minutes early. Read the instructions on the front page carefully – answer the right questions. Manage your time carefully – spread it evenly. Do not overshoot on the first question. Read the question carefully – know what is meant by; explain, discuss, compare etc.

Write neatly and lay out your work with spaces so that you can return to the question if you think of something else to write later. Remember it is quality not quantity that counts. Do not waste time on making easy answers longer than they have to be or on the impossible that you know you cannot answer.

Read through your answers before moving on. HAVE YOU ACTUALLY ANSWERED THE QUESTION? Are you coherent? Don’t Panic!!!! If you “lose it” slow down, breath slowly and deeply, then move on to a question you know you can do.

After the exam.

Avoid post-mortems. Do not hang around for morbid discussion with fellow students. There is no way to improve your exam score and finding something out may wind you up or lead to anxiety. Go home and relax. Then move on to whatever your next exam might be.