Making the Grade: Top Tips for Stress-Free Revision

 

It's almost exam season in schools, colleges and universities which means it's time to make a start on your revision!

Revision doesn't come naturally to everyone, but if you follow our tips on how best to prepare yourself for the next month of exams, you'll give yourself every chance to excel.

Revision Tips

• Start early – giving yourself more time to get ready for your exams is the best preparation 
• Set a routine – how many hours per night will you revise?
• Avoid distractions – turn off your phone and leave it out of sight
• Don’t just read your notes – make notes of your notes! It will actively engage your brain in the words you’re reading, improving your chance of remembering them
• Use revision charts, timetables and mind maps during your revision as they’re proven to help improve your chances of success on exam day!
• Reward yourself when you’ve completed certain tasks or a certain amount of revision. Have a tasty treat or do something you love, like cooking, watching/playing sport or pull up your favourite film
• Use colour throughout your revision – certain facts can jump off the page when highlighted, staying in your mind longer
• Use sticky notes by placing them around your house –  you'll be revising without knowing it every time you pass one!
• Think about a study buddy –  being able to motivate each other and test one another throughout your revision could massively impact both of your results
• Finally, try not to stress out too much – and don’t revise when you’re too tired; you're less likely to retain the relevant info while you're half asleep!

Good advice will get you so far, but there are a number of key stationery items that you'll need to make sure you're in the best possible shape to pass your exams with flying colours.

Zebra Ball Point Pens

The most important piece of stationery you can have throughout your revision and into exams are pens – and plenty of them!

You can often only use black pens in exams so you're best stocking up on them by grabbing yourself this 5-pack of Zebra ballpoint pens.

Their comfort grip makes writing for long periods much easier.

Sticky Notes Block

Great not only for placing randomly around the house, but also all over your work. Revise by writing little facts and figures on these colourful sticky notes, and re-read them over and over again.

Silvine Multi-Coloured Revision & Presentation Cards

Perfect for memory exercises during exam preparations. Write a question on one side of the card and the answer on the opposite side, test yourself and see how many you can get right.

When you look at the question on the front, and try to think of the answer, you're engaging in what's known as active recall - a much more effective method of learning (compared to just reading a long piece of text).

These revision cards are the perfect tools for active recall learning. Carry them around with you all day and refresh your memory every now and then.

Highlighter Pens

Highlight facts, figures, phrases and whole paragraphs of important information using these colourful highlighter pens.

With six different colours in the pack you can transform your revision notes into an engaging study tool, making the most important details stand out.

Do you have any revision and exam preparation tips? Let the B&M community know on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.