Revision and Exams
Exam Advice
Exams looming? Here are some tips to kick-start your revision:
- Start by gathering and organising relevant notes. Then write summaries of your notes, taking into account a possible thematic structure for your draft answer.
- To become familiar with alternative sources of information when doing wider in-depth reading and researching, remember to critically evaluate what you are learning. Write down the arguments for and against, draw attention to any comparisons, and approach your subject and your reading according to emerging themes.
- Use Facebook and Twitter to discuss your subject with friends. You could create a virtual or real study group to raise questions about the subject and ask peers to mark and assess your draft answers.
- Look at past exam papers to familiarise yourself with the type of questions that are typically asked and to help you to predict what to expect on the exam day. Think about what questions need to be answered and what questions you will need to choose from. This will save you time and avoid confusion on the day. If you need more example past papers come together with your friends to write your own questions, and remember to time each other.
- Write an essay plan to help maintain the structure of your answer. Practice writing, drafting and editing your plans as you revise, and be ready to adapt and restructure your plans as you do more reading. Doing so over and over will help you identify knowledge gaps and cover more topics.
- Get into the habit of practicing writing essay exams in full, keeping in mind the structure and timing. This will help you realise how much writing you’ll be able to fit in within the time limit, and by practicing under exam conditions beforehand, without any notes, you will have a better grasp of how things will feel on the exam day.
We run workshops for advice and guidance on doing your best in exams. Check out our Workshops page.
More advice on exam revision and coping with exam stress.