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Effective revision

1 Declutter your workspace

A tidy, well-organised workspace helps to maintain a positive attitude. Keep as little as possible on your desk. Store your stationery in jars and boxes, and put books in neat piles. Think carefully about where you’re going to place each item so that your desk is an orderly place to study, and aim to keep it that way.

2 Make flashcards with key words

Create lots of flashcards with key words on one side and summarised notes on the other. Keep the notes as straightforward as possible so the information is easy to process and retain. Pick a card randomly and use it as a prompt to test your recall. Then turn over the card to check you have remembered everything correctly.

3 Use coloured pens to create mind maps

You may find images easier to retain and recall than text. Mind maps are colourful representations of your revision notes, and can help you to understand the links between different topics and modules. Choose your colours carefully because they have different effects — bright orange for core concepts, perhaps, and soothing green for citations. Keep your colour choices consistent so that the various shades help you to build an association with each topic. This makes it easier to recall the information during an exam.

Mind map
A visual mind map. Image credit: GREGOR from Pixabay

Esther Selsdon
6 May 2021


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