Advice
Lacking motivation to revise? If you find yourself daydreaming about the holidays, getting your fifth drink of the hour, or worse aimlessly scrolling through social media rather than revising - you've come to the right place.
Struggling with revision?
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1. Start with something interesting
If you're struggling to get motivated, make your first task one of the most interesting or enjoyable. This will help ease you into it, allow you to find your flow, and get you in the right mindset for more challenging tasks. You're also more likely to retain information on subjects you enjoy so this a nice positive way to kick off your revision. Not sure what works best for you? Find your revision style and discover study techniques that work for you.
2. Have a go at past papers
We know, we know. You’ve heard it before, but past papers are a great way to test yourself (*that is, if you really are testing yourself, put that answer sheet away!*) and track your progress.
Past papers are a way to use active recall, which reinforces information in your memory much better than passive methods like re-reading or highlighting notes.
Check out the mark schemes to help you understand what examiners are looking for in your answers in terms of content and structure. Compare the example answers to your own efforts and identify how you can continue to develop your answers.
3. Switch it up
If you’ve successfully highlighted every word on your flashcards and attempted enough past papers for one day, why not see if there are any podcasts or YouTube series that cover the topics you're studying? If not you can create your own podcast by uploading your notes to NotebookLM.
Revising through a range of methods can boost your productivity and improve information retention. A great way to reinforce learning is by using spaced repetition, where you review topics at increasing intervals to make them stick.
4. Put on your revision playlist
Now, we’re not suggesting you turn your revision session into a party, but a bit of background noise can help to focus your mind and get your brain into gear.
You could try a Pomodoro timer like Astrostation that has Lofi Spotify playlists pre-loaded.
5. Reward your revision
It’s the nature of exam season that your social life will dwindle (*it’ll be worth it in the end!*), so you should make an effort to plan activities you can look forward to. Make sure there are plans on the horizon for the weekend, completely unrelated to revision so you can use that as motivation through the week.
If exam stress is getting to you, try some simple mindfulness and breathing techniques to stay calm and focused.
You may be mourning the loss of your social life, and it can be really difficult to keep long-term goals in mind when you’re in the middle of a short-term struggle. Try to keep in mind the long summer you’re going to have after exams, and all the time you’ll get to spend with friends and family again.
