6 Delirious Study Hacks

My final set of mock exams before my final exams in 2015 started last Friday and I have spent every day since revising and learning how to revise. Today presents me with a Biology exam and a Media exam and I have to say that I am perhaps most unprepared I have been all week, yet far more prepared than I have been any other year. That’s because I decided to learn about revision techniques, and I have compiled some of the tips that worked best for me.

Study Hacks and Revision Tips

Read Upside Down

If cramming is a must, read upside down (the paper, not you) and out loud. You’ll focus more on what you are reading than you will when you are mindlessly skimming your books, despite the fact that it’s a slow technique.

45 minutes

Your brain finds it difficult to retain information after 45 minutes so separate your revision schedule into chunks: 45 minutes of revision, ten minute break. Repeat.

Become a Teacher

Teaching another person a topic is an easy way for you to reinforce the learning in your own brain, and is also beneficial to your peers.

Healthy Snacks

Instead of charging yourself up with energy drinks, ensure that you drink plenty of water in order to stay hydrated and maintain a high level of cognitive function and energy. Eating fruits such as blueberries also reduces the level of toxins in your bloodstream and improve your memory function. Studies also show that chewing gum can boost concentration and focus.

Create Mental Associations

Relate the things you learn with what you already know. This is especially useful when learning a language and are many different types of association. For example, the Spanish word for “cat” is “gato” and I remember this by picturing a cat eating a (gateaux) cake. The word “rojo” is Spanish for “red”. Both “rojo” and “red” short words that begin with the letter “red”; a different kind of association.

I’ve been studying trigonometry, today.

Pretty Notes

Your notes should be colorful and illustrated where possible to help you to recall details when it comes to your exam. It’s also useful to use the creative side of your brain whilst revising; if only to relax.

Diagrams are also useful to draw when revising, to break up from any walls of text. As well as this, using different colours to differentiate from topics and using highlighters to highlight key information all make it easier for your brain to retain the information.