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It is believed that a person can remember only 10% of what he reads. It is a normal human tendency. Though our brain is a wonderful creation having a storage capacity of 10 or 100 terabytes, at times it may still fail to remember answers during exams. Therefore active revision for exams is of paramount importance.
Realizing the importance of revision, schools in India such as the best international school in bangalore conduct mock exams. These exams play an important role in preparing the students for board exams. Mock exams help students know about the question paper pattern and prepare them to manage time efficiently.
Why is revision important for students?
Active revision is of paramount importance for students. You may pass an exam without proper revision but efficient and adequate exam revision techniques can help you in securing good marks and also boost your performance. Most importantly, revising well in advance will help you to reduce last-minute anxiety and stress.
How to revise for exams effectively?
There is no shortcut to success and revision is an important part of exam preparation. There are various effective revision tips and techniques from organizing your material to making flash cards
and sticky notes that can help prepare for your exam. You can try a lot of different techniques and
see what works best for you.
Revision Techniques For Students
The below effective techniques answer the question- how to do revision for board exams
1. Start your Revision early
Start your revision early to avoid last-minute stress and panic. Aim to start the revision early in the mornings when your brain is fresh and can store much information.
2. Organize your study space
Find a quiet space with good ventilation, and enough space to spread out your notes and textbooks. Let everyone in the house know that you are revising to ensure you are not disturbed.
3. Switch off all distractions
Switch off all the distractions such as TV, social media or your favorite series, so that you can clear your mind and focus on the revision.
4. Keep the stationery and equipment you need to hand
While doing the revision for your Cambridge IGCSE you will probably be going to take notes, draw illustrations and mind maps, create cue cards, complete past papers, evaluate your answers and more, so have all the necessary equipment ready with you.
5. Don’t just read your notes
Revise what you have learnt by writing them down on a paper or you can make your own notes to improve your memory and make recollecting concepts easier.
6. Make flash cards or sticky notes
Making flash cards and writing key terms on it will help. Writing down important points on the sticky notes and sticking around your study table will help in quick and last day revision.
7. Recall before going to bed
Try to recall whatever you studied the whole day before going to bed. The things you recall before sleep are retained in your brain.
8. Clear your concepts without procrastinating
While revising if you get stuck somewhere don’t just leave it, open the book and get yourself corrected where you got stuck.
9. Eat and sleep properly
Getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of water is very essential to help your brain store all the juicy information you have learned throughout the day.
10. Teach someone else
Explaining to someone else what you have learned is one of the best revision techniques. It also helps you remember the information and identify the areas you don’t completely understand.
11. Reward Yourself
Reward yourself at the end of a long day of revision. It could be anything from watching an episode of your favorite TV show to a phone call with your best friend.
How to revise for exams at the last minute?
1. Sit in a quiet place
Try to find a private place without any distractions and where you will not have to move for a while. For example, you can go to the library or a quiet room.
2. Review your summaries, rather than the full notes
It is a good idea to read over the summaries such as mind-maps or a one-page bullet point summaries of every topic.
3. Turn off Technology
Don’t keep any kind of distraction with you such as phone, laptop , only use written notes. Use paper and pen to scribble reminders if required.
4. Avoid stress-including in other people
Try to avoid other people who are stressed, this will only give you more stress. Instead, go to your usual revision spot so you feel more relaxed.
5. Don’t Panic and Stay Positive!
Although your exam is about to start, it’s important that you don’t panic. A simple can-do attitude will go a long way during this stressful exam period.
How to revise for an oral exam: Things to keep in mind
The importance of revision for an oral exam cannot be neglected. Try to adopt a strategic approach for your oral exam revision including the below tips:
1. Read your material orally and not in your mind. This will serve as a practice for answering the questions orally.
2. Record yourself speaking and then listen back to it.
3. Practice with a study partner. Explain the concepts to each other. This is one of the best exam revision methods.
4. Read slowly while practicing and slowly build up the pace to one which you are comfortable with.
The above tips provide a probable answer on how to do revision for exams or oral exams.
How to revise for Maths exam: Things to keep in mind
A common question that students have while preparing for Mathematics exams is how to revise smarter. However, the trick to success in your math exams is by working through the Maths syllabus and keeping in mind the below things:
1. Practice with your calculator. All calculators work differently, and if you haven’t used a lot of different types of questions (Pythagoras, trig, indices, negative numbers) you might come unstuck in the exam.
2. Solve past year papers under timed conditions and exam settings. This will help in familiarizing yourself with the examination mood.
3. Get yourself familiarized with the formula sheet. While practicing, refer to the formula sheet and if you want, make notes on the formula sheet.
4. Try to understand the derivation of certain formulas. Learning the derivation of the formulas will help you to judge where the formula is applicable. You can ask your teachers to explain the derivation or search it on YouTube.
How to revise for a physics exam: Things to keep in mind
1. Physics is a subject with many formulas and equations which require intense practice. For students wondering how to revise effectively one of the obvious answers is to begin your revision on time and get familiar with relevant concepts.
2. Split your revision into 3 parts. Let the first part be the topics you know well. The second part can be areas you don’t know, while the third one can be topics you are confused about.
3. Practice your formulas and master them using formula sheets. Another effective revision tip is to know your physics formulae.
4. Another useful physics revision technique for students is to learn the practical elements of the subject. Try to learn the dynamics of each physics experiment. This includes plotting graphs from given data, recalling the apparatus used, etc.
How to revise for accounting exams: Things to keep in mind
1. Instead of surfing your whole book, revise your self-made short notes. Making notes by yourself will help you retain better and longer.
2. A very powerful method to revise and retain accounts concepts, is teaching what you have studied, to your family members, friends, or to any imaginary person. This will make you brush up your concept knowledge and understanding very comprehensively.
3. Practicing sample papers for revision of concepts is one of the most important aspects for scoring well in accountancy. The more questions you practice, the more you become confident about your exam preparation.
4. There are some topics in accountancy that hold a special share of marks in the board exams. Identify and practice such topics rigorously.
How to revise for an english exam: Things to keep in mind
English is generally a compulsory subject for students of most streams and one of the easiest exams. So don’t waste time asking yourself how to do revision for exams and start preparing with the below strategies:
1. Solve some past year question papers. Past year papers serve as a great way for testing your current knowledge and understanding. It also provides insight into the exam paper format.
2. You can read fiction and non-fiction outside of lesson time, this will help you improve your grammar and vocabulary.
3. When you’re tackling the practice questions, make a habit of planning your answers. A plan will give you a useful base to touch even if you lose track.
4. Consider memorizing lots of quotes and understanding the text in depth. The more you understand the context, the easier you will find to pull meaning from the texts.
How to revise for chemistry exam: Things to keep in mind
1. Instead of memorizing balanced equations, make sure you understand how and why they are balanced.
2. One of the effective revision techniques for students appearing for chemistry exams is to prepare a timetable. This will help you to structure your time more easily.
3. Consider writing down notes when you are revising. While doing this write it down in your own words instead of just copying them down.
4. While revising chemistry, procrastination is its number one enemy. To stick to your timetable, be disciplined and remove any distractions like TV, video games or social media and let your revision place be neat and quiet.
How to revise for mock exams: Things to keep in mind
Mock exams are important to prepare students for their board exams. Mock exams provide students with a valuable perspective on their readiness to sit in the actual exams.
They also provide a great opportunity to try out different exam revision techniques and strategies, to identify and address gaps in knowledge and build confidence. The below tips will surely help you in your mock exam revision:
1. Instead of revising one subject for six hours in a day, it is better to do one hour of revision for six days.
2. One of the most effective mock exam revision techniques is to do a variety of subjects every day, instead of focusing on a single subject.
3. Revision techniques such as quizzes, tests or past papers are some of the effective ways to improve your memory.
4. Some students become motivated by seeing their buddy working hard. Find a study- partner and you can discuss the answers with them and also you can test each other on difficult topics.
Conclusion
The key to acing your board exams or any other exam is a well prepared revision technique. So don’t stress yourself with the question of how to start revising for exams; plan your time carefully, and be aware of how and when you will learn and revise best.
Your exam revision should progress fairly and smoothly leaving you able to go for your exams feeling prepared and confident.
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