REVISION

TECHNIQUES
WORKSHOP
Catherine Jeanneau
LANGUAGE SUPPORT UNIT

Skills required to prepare

for exams and do well on
the day.
Organise yourself
Prepare your revision
Memory style
Revision techniques
Keep stress away
Tips for the exam day

Organise yourself 1
Find out from Student Services the

exact dates and times of your exams.

UL Homepage-Current StudentsStudent Timetable-Exam Timetable
Look at past papers to know what you
have to focus your revision on. Check
with your tutors/lecturers that the
format has not changed. Past papers
will also be useful when you want to
check how much you have learnt (see
revision techniques).

Organise yourself 2
Make a revision plan that includes all your subjects

(dont leave the revision for your last exam for the
last few days as you will be tired and less able to
learn by that time). Think of revision as part of your
course.
Your revision plan should:
- have a daily outline including times for meals,
breaks, exercise and sleep. Leave time for
recreation.
- mix strong and weak subjects so that you dont do
all the difficult topic(s) at once!
- include learning targets you can achieve & tick off
when accomplished (it is a great confidence boost!)
- have learning periods of 30-45 min otherwise your
concentration goes. Alternate learning periods with
breaks or information/notes organising.

Prepare your revision

Once you have a revision plan:

- make sure you have all the class

notes (If you missed classes, try to get
notes from other students on your course)
- read through your notes and if there
are grey areas, use your reading list or
books in the library to cover them
- find a quiet place to study
- talk to other students on your course to
make sure they are revising the same
topics and see if they wish to plan revision
groups.(Possible to book rooms in library
for group study)

Before looking at revision

techniques, check your
memory style!
Flanagan (1997) argues that we remember:
20% of what we read
30% of what we hear
40 % of what we see
50% of what we say
60% of what we do
And
90% of what we read, hear, see, say and do!

Revision techniques

Always use past experiences to

improve.
What did you do last year/term
to prepare for the exams?
How did it work for you?
What can you keep? What should
you change?
Are there some revision
techniques you use in some
subjects that can be transferred
to other subjects?

Revision techniques 1

Rewrite and organise classnotes & info.:

Rewriting helps the memory process.

Summarise notes ( 1 page per topic). Write topic
headings and key points on index cards. Use back
of index cards for quotations etc.
Highlight: use either various colours or
symbols to indicate what is essential to learn
(it helps your photographic memory).
Record: Record essential points (on your phone or
MP3 player).
You can then listen to them as you rest, walk,
eat.. Good for your audio memory.
Speak out: Read your notes out loud, good for your
audio memory too.

Revision techniques 2

Recall: Hide a part of what you have learnt

& try to recall the essential info (very good

for word lists, grammar tables..). Use colour.
Test yourself: Try for example to do a
past exam respecting the time allocated.
Pool your knowledge: organise group
revision sessions: good to keep you motivated
(deadlines), the discussion helps you to
understand and remember, good for low
concentration (in the pm after intense
morning revision.)

Revision techniques 3
Jazz things up: Organise the info in tables,

diagrams, drawings or even cartoons to help. (see

mind maps, next slide)
Memory hooks: Hooks' are things you can
associate with the information to help you
remember it. Give meaning to what you are
trying to memorise.
Use your own techniques to remember: make
word associations, mnemonics (turning letters of
a list into a word that is easy to recall), poems or
stories to remind you of main points), for
grammar, make up example sentences
demonstrating rule.

Revision techniques 4: Mind Maps

To make notes on a subject using a Mind Map, draw it
in the following way:
1. Write the title of the subject in the centre of
the page, and draw a circle around it.
2. For the major subject subheadings, draw lines
out from this circle. Label these lines with the
subheadings.
3. If you have another level of information
belonging to the subheadings above, draw these
and link them to the subheading lines.
4. Finally, for individual facts or ideas, draw lines
out from the appropriate heading line and label
them.
As you come across new information, link it in to
the Mind Map appropriately.

Revision techniques:
styles & traps
Learning styles: see websites
http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html
Traps: Reading your notes is not enough as

it is inactive learning. Need to practise using

the info.You need to quiz yourself or test
each other in revision groups (orally/in
writing)

Quick revision tips

http://www.nwlg.org/pages/resources/knowitall/rev
ision/technique7.htm
Make use of short periods for revision e.g five or
ten minutes for course overview.
Short periods are also useful for revising word
lists, dates, or formulas.
Carry small revision cards and prompt lists for this
purpose.
You can check through a list whilst you are on a
bus, for instance.
Three or four shorter sessions like this might be
more useful than one longer block.
If you get tired, take a short break. Get some
fresh air.

Keeping stress away

Stress is no good: paralysing effects when

learning and when doing the exams.

So:
- Get enough sleep
- Organise a revision routine
- Set learning targets: sense of achievement
- Eat and drink regularly
- Exercise and get fresh air
- Avoid caffeine/high sugar inputs/high
amounts of cigarettes: energy but also
counteractive effects
- Find out when your concentration is higher
- Be positive (Youve done this before!)

Tips for the exam day 1

- Have a good night sleep the night before.
- Do not try to learn new material! Notes
-

only.
Eat something before the exam.
Get a bit of fresh air or exercise.
Make sure you have a watch, several pens.
Have enough to drink (bring water or
juice).
Check the time and venue and arrive early
enough to avoid stress. Avoid panic groups!
Wear layers of clothes (so as not to be too
hot or cold)

Tips for the exam day 2

Tackling the exam paper:
- Read the exam paper fully to assess what you have
-

to do in the time you have. Make sure you dont

forget some questions.
Allocate some time for each one and stick to it
(dont spend too long on 1 question).
Decide on the order of the questions yourself
according to points & knowledge.
Take a few minutes to plan answers.
Leave some space at the end of each answer so
you can add extra info. you might remember after
youve completed the other questions.
Keep time to re-read your answers and check you
havent forgotten some info.
If you run out of time, write bullet points.

Always useful
Make sure you understand the question(s)
Answer the question and only the question!
If it is an essay-type question, dont forget

to structure it (intro, development,

conclusion..)
Have a set of ready-made expressions (see
hand-outs)
Use structures you know and simple words.
Always make sure you organise your ideas.

FINALLY.

BEST
OF
LUCK ..