Hey, I'm starting revision for my A2 exams and I'm sure a lot of forum users are around the 16-26 age range so this could be helpful for some people - especially seems exam's are closing in! But I need advice for sure. I'm personally was thinking of transferring my notes into Powerpoint presentations and then printing them off and sticking them all over my bedroom walls. That way, I revise through repetition of copying everything down again and also when I'm on the computer gaming, browsing, in bed or what ever there going to keep the notes fresh on my mind. Every few days I can swap the Powerpoints over to another another set of notes from one of my three subjects. Sound okay? I know I need more than that but I think it's a decent start. What revision strategies do you use? (which work!) How intense do you revise? PS: I do English Language, ICT and Media Studies. Cheers
I do 3 hours a day revision at least. Break every hour for 10 mins. Works for me This can sometimes tip to 4-6 hours though or more depending if im really focussed and into it. Best method I found is keep up to date, and revise when not necessary (i.e: no exams) then when it comes to exams hammer it but in a paced way so I'm not in a panic. Almost like jogging and keeping the proper pace. Got me 90% in each exam so far. GL.
Im A2'in as well... I always find the best way for me is half an hour, then 10 mins off, otherwise my concentraion starts to waiver.. Also, no matter how good your notes are, when you read them out, write them out again, as breifly as possible... oh, and use colour! And whatever you do, dont stress yourself out. I've used this system for the last 4 years, and its been plain sailing all the way.
Disclaimer: there have been a few moons since I last took an exam, more than I care to remember.... ...but I think my notes will stand the test of time. The single most effective way for revising for me, and many other people, is to make revision notes. Tackle one subject area at a time, and write down a list of sections and sub-sections... Then for each write a heading or two, with perhaps a paragraph alongside, to summarise the content of each (sub-)section, then do another pass through and write up notes for each section in detail. Pretend you are developing a revision guide to be published - you need to cover all the important points, but you need to be clear and succinct. The benefits to this approach are: writing (or typing) is one of the most effective ways of committing something to memory - far better than simply reading dividing the subject into sections and subsections helps put each section into perspective, and helps you prioritise how much work to put into each section in order to write effective notes, you need to actually understand the subject - much better than trying to memorise someone else's words and leaves you with a well-structured, and concise-but-comprehensive study guide to review in the last few days before the exam Hope this helps...
switching topics can help, and when your mind wanders when reading, book mark the page and do something else for a few minutes.
i didnt revise for my A2s still got AAB though. But then I am one of the lucky ones. At university I made myself revise. I normally have 3 stages 1. Notes - Make notes on everything that could be asked, they need to be brief/summarized from the notes you get given 2. Tutorials / Practise Questions - These normally have worked solutions and are a rough basis on true questions. I do these questions and check with the worked solutions 3. Past Exam Papers - Then its just practise practise practise... Cant get enough practise and I tend to do every paper I can as many times as I can. Having said all that I do Engineering so most my questions are equation based and hence there is only one answer (in most cases). Whereas if you had something more essay based, it would be better to replace 2/3 with writing practise answers and learning them, but I dont have much experience here In terms of procrastination... I havnt found a solution. Just tough it out, sit down and set targets. 2 hours and then a break for 30 or something. Or just set targets for the day which is what I do. I have to do x amount of papers, make x amount of notes... and then I keep going until its done. Generally I do 4-6 hours of revision a day. Some people I know do 12 or more!!!! personally I couldnt do that as it would become couter productive so you really need to find your own balance
Do questions related to teh topic and go mark yourself. Only works with sciences with little or no subjectivity. For interpretational subjects, good ****ing luck.
Cheers, with ICT and Media I do repeat a few topics over both years and in the course work. Helps that A2 ICT has quite a bit to do with how computers work e.g. networking & hardware which is natural knowledge to me and most people here. English is my weakest, but there is quite a bit of theory I can use your strategies on . Thanks for the advice and to everyone taking exams out there good luck! Any more comments are more than welcome!
The key is efficiency. Have you ever meet those people who don't revise until the week before and still end up getting As? This is their secret. Acknowledge that 2 hours worth of focused work is vastly better than 6 hours when you're tired, in a mood for procrastination and distracted by things around your room. There is a debate if active or passive revision is better, but I believe this will vary with person to person. On the other hand, this efficiency method I'm talking about is true for everyone. Seriously, being a veteran (now 3rd year uni lol), the best advice I can give you is to maximise your efficiency. Begin by sleeping well and eating well. Try to maintain a daily routine; weird sleeping and eating habits should be avoid until the exams are over. This means you can physically work more efficiently. Next, find a room free of distractions. Turn off your phone and computer. If possible, do work and only work in this room. Your brain will subconsciously associate the room with work and you will be in the correct mindset once you establish this routine. Believe me or not, this will make revision a lot easier. Organise your revision to 1-2 hour 'blocks' (the length of these blocks will differ from person to person). Plan in advance what you want to achieve in these blocks (ie. I want to learn XX pages of my notes). Attempt to achieve these targets. This really helps you stay motivated. Take a 10-15 minute mental break after each 'block'. The biggest mistake I see people make is to work for 4 or 5 hours non-stop. You can never concentrate well enough for that long. I like to crash down on the couch with some good tunes from my iPod. This helps to reduce mental strain and helps you ease the workload over the day. Always focus on small aims and never ever think of the big picture. "OMGZ I have to like revise for the next month solid" is the number one way to demotivate yourself. Instead, take it on a day by day basis and numb your mind from the true amount of work you will end up doing for the forthcoming weeks. This is extremely difficult as it requires a ton of self control but if you can manage it then you're essentially mastered this method. I hope this helps. I've been refining this method since GCSE and it really does work if you have the willpower to follow it through. Best of luck for your exams mate!
I could go on about organisation etc etc but that has been done already. The earlier you start planning the better. If you can get hold of any recent past exam papers and practice them, I recommend you do. Ask your teachers nicely! You would be surprised at the kinds of questions that get asked year after year. Remember to reward yourself with a break every now and then or you wont learn very well and switch subjects/topics to keep interest higher. Don't forget you are doing this so that some day in the future you can have an awesome job and loads of money!
When i was revising for my exams last year i kept getting distracted by my computer so i used the windows parental thing to lock my self out for a certain amount for time to force my self to revise
I am revising for A2's. Managed to grab all A's (in philosophy, maths modules, politics, modern history units) by simply reading, rereading, practice papers, rereading, rereading, more practise papers and occasionally watching recordings of uni lectures. Although it may not work for some people I seem to be able to pick stuff up just by looking at it several times. However I know a friend who I help sometimes with history and philosophy who learns very well by simply reading, writing, then trying to get what he is writing as close to the model answer to an imaginary question as possible. Seems to work for him. Also: This. Im not sure how good your guys focus is but simply setting up something similer to a secondary school browsing blocker worked wonders on my focus.
