Exam Revision Guide: As examination season approaches, education experts are urging students to replace passive rereading and last-minute cramming with structured, evidence-based revision methods. Research and revision guidance consistently point to self-testing, spaced study, practice under exam conditions, and adequate rest as the most reliable ways to improve recall and performance.
Several students get anxious when exams approach. Completing the syllabus and recalling everything that is read is a difficult task for many. One technique that comes to rescue during examinations is revision. Students can improve their retention capabilities, boost confidence, and reduce anxiety by following a structured revision plan for their exam.
The Birmingham City University, United Kingdom, has highlighted the following research-backed techniques for effective exam revision.
1. Pomodoro Method
Suggested for those who have difficulty to concentrate or focus, this is a time management method that breaks work into 25-minute focused intervals (called pomodoros) separated by 5-minute short breaks.
According to the university, the technique is a way to manage one’s time and make tasks seem more achievable by breaking them down into manageable portions.
2. Spaced Repetition, 2357 Method
The university noted that this is a scientifically proven method that involves reviewing information at closer intervals, boosting memory, and making it less likely to forget everything. “Spaced repetition acts like a catalogue, training your brain to find the information when you need it,” it said.
Discovered by a German philosopher, Ebbinghaus, spaced repetition is based on the forgetting curve which shows how we lose the ability to access information in our memory over time. So, what students can do is summarise the key points in their own words straight after a lesson. Next day, they can use the active recall technique to test themselves without looking at their notes.
Three days later, students can test themselves again, by blurting or by solving past exam papers. One week later, they can keep testing and identify what they are struggling with the most, and can focus on that.
Aspirants can also use the 2357 method in reverse to plan their revision sessions ahead of an exam:
- Start from the date of the exam and plan a revision session the day before
- Two days before the last session plan another one
- Then count three days back from that and plan another session
- Count five days back and plan a session there
- Then count seven days back and plan the first study session
3. Use Flashcards
Students and aspirants can use flashcards to remember words and definitions, facts, quotes, and other smaller chunks of information while preparing for their exam.
4. Blurting
Blurting is a form of active recall. Active recall means testing your memory by trying to retrieve information without looking at your notes. Students can practise this method by writing down everything they remember from their notes.
5. The Feynman Technique
Developed by an award-winning physicist, Richard Feynman, who shared the secret to his success in the following ways:
- Choose a topic to learn and try to remember as much as possible from your notes.
- Teach it to someone else in simple terms, only referring to your notes when you really need to. You can do this by explaining the concept to a friend or family member or pretending to explain it to a child.
- Review and learn any gaps in your knowledge.
- Teach it or pretend to teach someone else again.
It was noted that simplifying the topic over and over helps students memorise its key points and recall them during an exam.
6. Interleaving
Interleaving is a study method where one mixes, or interleaves subjects or topics. This method helps students find key differences in concepts and improves their ability to apply and transfer knowledge to different situations.
Experts noted that this works because when one alternates between topics, their brain needs to work harder to remember and apply new knowledge.
7. Combine Verbal And Visual Content
Students can also combine verbal and visual content like infographics, timelines, and diagrams. Visual content helps break down complex information. By presenting the same topic in two different ways, it helps students to remember better later. This method is also known as dual coding, created by Professor Allan Paivio.
After studying a topic, aspirants can draw a diagram, timeline, or flow chart instead of writing long notes. This breaks down information to be easier and understandable.
Students can also use timelines for subjects like history or literature to visually organise events. They are also advised to create labelled diagrams for scientific processes or structures.
Another method is to summarise a page of notes using a few keywords and simple visuals or symbols. Students can also use flashcards with a question on one side and a diagram or visual prompt on the other.
