1. Start Early!
Students who enrol now have a full year to prepare for their exams,
which is plenty of time to complete the course. A common mistake is to
put off revising until the exam is on the horizon. Whilst tempting, this
means that you’ll lose a lot of time that could be put to use studying.
You don’t even need to do a lot of revision, if you do it regularly and
start early. For example, if you enrol now and put in just 30 minutes
of studying per week then by the time exams begin you’ve put in over 24
hours of revision! Log in and register at
www.hometuition21.com, use the new course planner and exam preparation programs to schedule your
study periods and get going!
2. Use your tutor support.
All of our students have unlimited tutor support – this means that if
you are unclear on something you have a qualified tutor to assist you
and help you work through any problems that you have. Don’t be afraid to
ask your tutor if you don’t understand, that is what they are here for!
Tutors actually appreciate it when a student asks for help, because it
mean that they know that student is paying attention!
3. Know your weaknesses... and your strengths!
As you only have a limited amount of study time before you take the
exams it’s probably a good idea to make that amount of time as efficient
as possible. Working out what you need to work most is essential to
planning your revision. What we’re not saying is to neglect subjects
that you’re good at, as that would be very silly!
4. Make revision fun!
Ok, so a lot of you will be saying that this isn’t possible! Revision
is probably never going to be as fun as hanging out with your mates,
but that doesn’t mean that it has to be a slog either. Don’t just stare
at the pages for hours. Make revision more fun by setting yourself
challenges and beating them. For example, imagine you want to memorise a
certain set of facts. Test yourself on them until you get all of them
correct, then give yourself a reward. Turning revision into a game means
you won’t get bored and will keep your mind fresh.
5. Rewards.
Set yourself a reward when – and only when- you achieve a goal,
target or complete a challenge. Your reward can be a snack, a few
minutes on Facebook or watching some TV. Don’t overdo it – it’s too easy
to get distracted and waste loads of time. Discipline now will pay off
later!
6. But I don’t have the willpower.
You probably do, you just need to work on it! Instead of dodging
revision, try to think about what the rewards are for studying hard and
doing well in your exams. If you really don’t have the willpower, then
you might need to make more drastic steps. There are apps to block
access to Facebook and YouTube
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/leechblock/ and in extreme cases you might really benefit from handing over your mobile to someone until revision is complete!
7. Exercise!
Taking a break from revising to get a little exercise can be
incredibly useful. Exercise releases endorphins which make you feel
better, refreshed and can be a great reward for studying. This can make
revision easier to do, helps you sleep better and makes your study time
easier.
8. Know your subject.
Psst – want a sneak peek at what your exam marker is thinking? You can find the full specifications (very
useful for checking off your knowledge before the exam), past papers
(great for practicing exams) and marker guidance papers (these tell the
exam markers exactly what to look for when marking the exam!!).
Download all of the documents for your course and have a thorough read
through of all of them before you begin, that way you know exactly what
is expected of you and you’ll be able to revise more effectively.
9. Keep it interesting
Revision doesn’t need to be mind-numbing. There are plenty of ways that you can make it more interesting, yes, really!<
Instead of staring at your book, try to make your revision sessions
more interactive. Whether it’s creating quizzes or flashcards, making
your study experience more lively will mean you retain more of the
information.