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Start revising early
— i.e. months, not days before the exam. Make a timetable (see samples) to plan your revision and stick to it.
Take short breaks
— every hour, not every 10 minutes.
Use revision guides
In study leave, start revising early
i.e. 9am — that way you’ll get your day’s work done much quicker and will have time to relax in the evening.
Stick revision notes all around your house
so in the exam you think — “aha, quadratic equations, they were on the fridge…”
Don’t just read your notes
— you have to WRITE STUFF DOWN. This is real basic “how to revise” stuff. For the full details, get yourself a copy of our “How to Revise” book…
Don’t turn yourself into a revision zombie
— if you stop doing anything else but revision you’ll turn into a zombie. It’s really important that you keep time to do things you enjoy… like cinema, shopping, sports, frisbee, rock-climbing, making model planes, nose-picking, whatever tickles your ferret… When you’re doing these try to relax and totally forget about revision.
Do lots of practice exam papers
This is especially important as you get close to the exams — CGP has plenty available (another blatant advert).
Find the right environment to revise
NOT in front of the TV. NOT listening to the radio. Music can sometimes be OK, but you need to find the right kind. It’s got to be something that’s just there in the background that you’re not thinking about at all. Music without singing is better as you won’t be tempted to dance around your bedroom like a big fool.
Don’t hang around with the nervous paranoid
people on the morning of the exam. — they’ll just stress you out, which doesn’t help at all.
Look at the new tips books
— to get advice specific to your subject, e.g. Maths tips.