Revision preparation for final exams

secondary school students doing chemistry experiments

For those of you in year 11 and 13 you have about eighteen weeks before your final exams begin.  It may seem like a long time but it will pass quickly.  In this blog post I provide some tips to help you make the best of the time you have in order to complete your revision and be ready for your final exams.

 

Tip 1:  Start your revision preparations now!

There’s no excuse for not starting your revision now.  To be blunt, whether you are preparing for ten GCSE’s or three A Levels you will not be able to thoroughly revise all the subject material if you wait until you go on study leave.

 

Tip 2:  Break down each subject into manageable chunks.

If you’re not sure how to do this then the syllabus is a good place to start as this arranges the subject by topic.  Bear in mind that some topics will be bigger than others.  Try to break the subject into 45 minute revision segments.  There may be lots of segments, this is why you should start now!

 

Tip 3:  Plan how you will use your time.

Once you have broken each subject down you will have a clearer view of the task that lays ahead of you.  The next step is to allocate your revision subject material to your available time.  If you’re not sure how to do this then you can download my revision planner document by clicking this link.  The document is editable so you are free to edit it to meet your needs.  You might find it useful to revise a particular subject the day before you have that lesson.  This will give you a golden opportunity to speak to your teacher about any issues that arise at the earliest opportunity.  If you have indeed chosen to start your revision sooner rather than later then not only are you giving yourself plenty of time but you can build time to rest into your schedule without feeling guilty about it or worrying about completing your revision.

 

Tip 4:  Revise challenging subject material first

When it comes to selecting which parts of the subject to revise first you might be tempted to choose subject material that you understand well.  It may be of greater benefit to start with subject material that you find tricky or haven’t fully understood.  It will demand more of you in terms of effort and output but you stand to gain more in the long run.

 

Tip 5:  Stick to it.

Once the plan is in place, get on with it!  It will not always be easy but maintain your self-discipline and stick to it.  There will be occasions when something comes up and you have to adapt.  That’s fine, as long as you reschedule any revision that you have to postpone.

 

Summary

  • In each of your subjects use a combination of the syllabus, your text book and your notes to break down your revision into 45 minute chunks.
  • For each subject, determine the order in which you will revise the subject material.  Start with more challenging material first.
  • Download the revision schedule schedule and indicate which subjects you have on each school day.
  • Fill in the time slots with the subject you intend to revise.  Where possible, revise a subject the day before you have that lesson so you can speak to your teacher about any issues that arise.
  • Build time off into your schedule (within reason).
  • Start today and stick to it.

 

I wish you the very best of success.  More subject material blogs and study tips will appear in the coming weeks.  If you have a particular chemistry related enquiry then please feel free to contact me via my social media outlets on Facebook and twitter.