Exam season: How to make the most of your revision

Exam season tends to be one of the most feared times of the university year, and with many exams to revise for it can be very difficult where to focus your revision. Even for me right now, I’ve had a busy schedule with 6 exams to prepare for, and sometimes the pressure of ensuring I go into an exam ready is very high. Despite this, I also view the exam period as a good way to implement changes in the way I complete revision, and so I wanted to share some tips and different revision methods I have found effective so far for engineering at university.

Revise in a variety of ways

Revision isn’t limited to one method, which allows you to be creative in the ways you prepare for exams. During this period, I have found it useful to try different methods of remembering content and it has helped me a lot. Rather than relying on just active recall or past papers, I’ve utilised a variety of techniques which has made revision much more engaging. For me, personally, creating online flashcards to remember key terms and equations, and then testing that on past paper questions has helped me consolidate the areas I know and the areas where I may need to focus more. I recommend finding a good combination of revision techniques which will help you remember content effectively, as everyone is unique in the way they revise.

Talk with others

This one is self-explanatory, but very important. Isolating yourself for long periods of time during revision and limiting your communication with others can do more harm than good, especially in the context of a stressful period. Talking to someone who you find comfortable is essential for relieving stress but also provides you with an opportunity to revise with someone else, unless you find that distracting. In the past, I’ve asked for help and given help to my flatmates. We have found it useful to test each other on areas which we want to remember and will constantly go over until it is firm in our heads.

We also talk after the exam (not to check what each other wrote), but to get an overview and how we can improve for the next exam. Speaking from experience, this has helped when I thought I had not performed as well as I wanted or if I was stressing in the run-up to an exam. I think this becomes even more valuable when done with other course mates, or even other engineers.

Revise in a suitable space

This is also crucial. I consider myself a focused student, but I also can get distracted very easily when I want to. This year, I have found it very good to go somewhere where I can’t be deterred from revision. Whether this be on campus in a quieter building, or at a local café, taking myself out of busy environments or places which may distract me has been good for me. This has been the best thing for me this year, as last year, the majority of my revision was done in my room where I could easily find something else to do over revision.

Whilst writing this, I initially thought it may sound contradictory to my last point of talking to others, but I believe you can apply both techniques. Talking with someone after finishing revision may be a good way to look over what you have completed during your time.

Conclusion

To reiterate, revision can be and often will be very stressful, especially for an engineering degree. There is content to remember, equations to know and derivations to recall, but finding ways which allow you to make the most of your revision is essential. Maybe you have your own ways which work well, but having a range of options and methods is key to being successful during exam season.