A revision timetable is one of the core pillars of exam preparation, it’s your strategy for tackling what you need to do, how you can do it, and in what timeframe.
Revision timetables make tasks manageable and reduce the overwhelming stress you may initially feel when first faced with the prospect of impending exams not even knowing where to start.
The best timetables aren’t about dedicating your waking life towards revision and nothing else, but rather helping you balance your studies with your other interests such as hobbies, meeting friends, and making time for family without overexerting yourself. Studying is important, but you’ll be surprised at how well you do when you can balance that with time for yourself.
Here are our top tips to consider when making a revision table.
1) The format of your timetable
Modern technology gives us so many avenues to create timetables, ranging from austere to audacious. You may prefer a traditional pen /paper approach, or perhaps the dynamism offered by tools such as online calendar systems or Microsoft Excel. When choosing how to approach making your timetable, prioritise efficiency and effectiveness. However, do be mindful that if your calendar is on your mobile, it could provide an avenue for distraction…
2) Breaking the subject down into manageable chunks
As the saying goes, divide and conquer. Use your textbooks or any online resources you have on the contents of your syllabus, and pair this with knowing how your school is teaching you throughout the year to strategise breaking down your own revision in terms of content to learn and timescales to do it by. Some topics can be related too! For example, algebraic manipulation and applying formulae in Physics, understanding text in English Literature whilst comparing and analysing sources in History.
Within Mathematics, this could be looking at triangles; breaking this down into finding lengths, finding angles and solving compound problems, and so on. Regardless of the subject, finding ways to tie together revision of different topics that may share the same fundamentals or similar skills is invaluable.
3) Strategize
When listing topics to learn, it’s best to arrange the parts that you’re weakest with at the start of the day, and then moving onto your stronger topics later to act as a confidence booster and end the day on a high note. It’s like starting a meal with the bits you like the least before the tastier ones.
This will also involve closely analysing the exam paper, remember that the understanding the format of the exam is equally as important as knowing the content. Look at past papers and see where the most marks are allocated, making sure to gain mastery over those particular areas. Also consider what skills and knowledge you need to refine and how you can do so. Seeking mentorship from teachers, family, or even friends can be incredibly helpful with this.
4) Timings
Ideally, revision slots should be between 20-60 minutes. I have personally found 40 minutes to be the sweet spot, however this could be different for you so be sure to experiment and be mindful of how effective your revision process is, and tweak it accordingly. The earlier you can start this process, the better, allowing for clarity and peace of mind knowing that you don’t yet have exams right around the corner.
Another aspect to consider is what period of the day you prefer. I’m more of a morning person so whilst I was at university I would study between 07:00-08:00 to around 13:00-14:00 in the afternoon. If I struggled with concentration, I’d focus on recapping content and reviewing it in the evening.
5) Energy of activity
Vary how you revise by looking at different learning routes. We learn by listening, doing, visual analysis, and explaining to others. This can help keep things fresh in your mind and also help reinforce your memory. We learn by creating neural pathways in our brain by doing the task itself, and reinforce those pathways with repetition and even pairing a task with something memorable to us. An example would be using a specific colour for a subject, speaking aloud when describing a topic to yourself, as well as writing down that information too. By doing so, instead of solely writing down the information, you have a connection to the colour and auditorily describing that topic.
Your energy levels also influence how you’re feeling during the day (and vice versa!). Trying to conquer a big chunk of text whilst you’re tired from a long day is probably not the best approach. Mix up low/high energy activities such as revision games, taking a break, or flash card challenges to prevent burnout and keep things interesting. If you do notice that low energy is a regular occurrence for you, this is a significant tell that something is amiss in your schedule too.
6) Keep rest periods!
Within your 20-60 minute revision period, allow yourself small breaks in between these sessions and bigger time off every once in a while too. With the break, don’t just hop from one screen to another, get active, move about, and even though this sounds like an oxymoron, actively try to relax.
7) Practise papers
We noted earlier that understanding the exam format is just as important as understanding the content you need to learn. Tackling past papers is therefore one of the most important parts of the exam preparation cycle. First, get an understanding of how many are available for you to use, be it from school or online resources, and then split up covering them over your allocated revision period. Content for subjects is often similar between exam boards so this can also be an effective revision avenue, however be sure to double check this before making any assumptions.
Once you feel comfortable with the layout of tackling practise papers, do them under exam conditions to familiarise yourself with the content and format and identify areas in which you are stronger and weaker. That means no mobile phones, no distractions, and a timer to make sure you wrap things up in the time allocated by the paper.
Remember, being able to tackle a practise paper in the comfort of your own environment is one thing, but being able to maintain your composure, problem solving skills, and ability to recall information in a strict exam environment is something else. Exposing yourself and familiarising yourself to the conditions you’ll be in during the exam itself will provide you with a massive advantage.
8) Flexibility
Giving yourself some slack so there is time to do more or less at different periods is crucial. There will be times when you’re not able to study such as emergencies, family/friend events etc. that you may not have anticipated prior. Having space and time to allow these events will reduce your stress and stop the worry if you don’t have enough time to complete everything. It’s always better to overestimate rather than underestimate, your future self will thank you for it.
9) SMART goals
SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant and Timely) goals are an excellent way of ensuring the targets you set for yourself are within your best interests. There’s no point in allocating, for example, doing half an exam paper in half the allotted time frame and aiming to get top marks. This is extremely unlikely to yield good results and is an example of a goal that isn’t SMART.
SMART targets can help you keep track of where you are and where you’d like to be. For example, aiming to be more confident at triangle questions in mathematics. You can break this down into right-angled triangle techniques and scalene triangle techniques, with different skills such as applying Pythagoras’ Theorem, area formula, sine and cosine rules, trigonometry as useful goal posts. These areas are relevant because regardless of how quick your learning rate is, you know at least that these are in the specification. SMART goals also help attaining that feeling of achievement too, and help pave a clear pathway of how you’ve improved over time.
If this does seem overwhelming, a tutor can also help you stay on track and help guide you in those areas which you may not see yourself. At ZRT, we’re always keen to help – so please don’t hesitate to reach out.
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