Study advice needed - please share your revision tips

[Upsidedownrightnow]

I am currently studying anatomy for a new course and we will have an exam soon, it is only level 3 so not extremely difficult but I am finding it hard to revise and take it in at the moment.

I haven't studied in a while and i'm not sure even how to go about it to get it in my memory.

Should I just read over the printouts from class? anything else you could suggest?

Does anyone else find it difficult to concentrate right now?

I am finding i am easily distracted by my phone or cleaning or anything really.

For procrastination, I had a stopwatch (olden days) which only ran when I was actually working. Bribed myself with social media or chocolate after each hour.

Write a list of everything you could do, reading notes, practice questions, anything. Then timetable in work you are going to do as far in advance as possible, start with only a couple hours a day and slowly work up to what your limit is. Don’t focus on the same thing for more than an 1hr 30 and take a break every 1hr 30-2 hours to get a drink, something to eat and go to the toilet.

Cross things off your list and each day on your timetable because it will give you a sense of achievement and set an alarm for each 1-2 hours you do.

Hope this helps

Peajotter - I live the chocolate idea but im currbrkty dieting too 🙁 so I can't even do that!

Eatsleep - they are very good tips thanks you 😊

Right now all. I can think of is reading over notes, reading text books, practice tests and quizzes! I thibk a timetable would be a good idea as I just hope to do some all the time and it doesn't seem to get done!

I despise exams, even in school. I've recently just finished my degree, last year I had 3 exams (painful). I have crap memory also, but what helped me was cutting small squares of paper, writing the relevant info that was in relation to the potential exam questions, and highlighted them, I would go over them a few hours a day, until I could remember bits of it. On the day of my exam I got to uni early and kept reading through them.

Believe me it's not easy but you'll do it, I was up the night before with my then 2 year old, didn't get much sleep.

Good luck, you will smash it!

Is it for Health and Social Care?
Have you heard of dual coding? It's where you use words and visuals to describe the same idea. It is a great revision technique.

Tony Buzzan has written a lot about learning techniques. I don't know if any of his ideas have been superseded, but it is a good place to start. So things like: take a 5 minute break after 30 minutes, as most people stop taking things in after half an hour, review work after a day or so, then after a week to get it into long term memory. How to draw mind maps and how to remember lists.

From my experience, reading through notes, in the hopes most of them will sink in, is a waste of time. You need to do something with the information for it to go into memory.

Lastly, I agree with writing a timetable. I don't always stick to it, but it helps me break down what seems like an impossible amount of work into manageable tasks. It also stops the.. I'll start when I've had a cup of coffee, bushed my hair, gone on Mumsnet...

Make revision cards with two or three key points on, illustrated with pictures that will help you remember the key points. If they are funny then that is even better.
Then stick the cards up around your house. Each time you pass them stop and read them aloud to yourself. Put them in key places, like above the kettle, top of the stairs etc.

Hi, this article may be of use to you! www.whatuni.com/advice/student-life/top-gcse-revision-tips-and-techniques/83434/

Go have a look at The Learning Scientists website- they give lots of techniques and explain why looking at or highlighting notes is really ineffective

There's a lot of good stuff on YouTube. For anything I struggle to get my head round, I try and watch a few different videos and find different ways to look at things.
I also recorded voice notes, I found it excruciating to listen to myself at first but I think it helps you remember! I used it for Latin plant names, I think it's better for short stuff.
Good luck