Revise for Your GCSEs

They may be near, they may be far, but everybody in England, Northern Ireland and Wales has to face up to them at some point in their lives! The better you do in your GCSEs, the easier it will be for you to find a job. Revising is a great way to make sure you don't get stressed in those exams!

Steps

  1. Prepare all your supplies. The basic supplies you require may be notebooks for writing notes or a legal pad, highlighter pens and writing pens. You may also need items that are specific to particular subjects. For example, you need a protractor, a pair of compasses and a calculator for mathematics or if you are studying a language it is best to have a translator with you(though not at the test) . Also make sure you have suitable food and drink as staying full and hydrated will allow you to concentrate and work better.
  2. Find a quiet place free from any distractions. The library or a study hall would make a good location. Make sure you have sufficient space for revising as you may need to spread your work out. Ask people around you to keep noise to a minimum. Do not revise with a TV or music playing in the background as you will be doing the exam in silence. If you have younger siblings try to get your parents to get them to bed earlier so you can have a quiet nighttime revision. Having noise in the background does not help your context dependent memory; this means that if you do your revision in a similar environment to when you are doing the test it will be easier for you to recall information. Think wisely about where you want to be - it can be any place that's right for you.
    • Create a clean space that works for you. Don't get sucked into what your friends want you to do—if you don't feel you're getting work done in their environment, go somewhere else.Remember study how you feel you want to study.
  3. Start off by getting a book about the subject you first want to study. Also, get out your workbook from school and some paper.
  4. Start on the more difficult subjects - this way you have more time to tackle them. There are many ways you can revise; everyone has a different techniques. Some of them are: reading through notes you have made in classes, then re-writing them until they are memorised; using revision books; making mind maps and charts; using cue cards to write short condensed notes to make it easier to remember; making a voice recording of the information and playing it back over and over again. You have to find a method that works BEST for you.
    • Write down any important sentences you noticed and want to learn. Highlight keywords on your piece of paper.
    • Make some flash cards. Stick them up around the room-great if you are learning a language!
    • Read your notes that you couldn't remember and learn them in any way possible. This could be by reading them aloud over and over again, writing them out over and over again, putting them into a song, or anything else that works for you.
  5. Take short breaks in between revising. You shouldn't work for more than an hour without a break, but keep breaks to a maximum of 20 minutes. Use the break to refresh yourself with a wash or a drink, and do something completely different, though sometimes it is best to revise until you feel tired of revising then take a break
  6. If you find yourself stumped, write down exactly what you find difficult and ask someone reliable, such as a teacher, for help. If you're strapped for time, you may want to search on the internet, but it may help to limit yourself as you can easily get distracted by other things on the internet such as social networking websites.
  7. You don't have to revise around the clock. Make sure you revise without distraction for at least a few hours a day without forgetting to socialise and relax. Study different subjects on different days and don't stick to one area! Remember, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!



Tips

  • Teach what you revise to someone else (preferably someone who doesn't know as much about the subject as you) - you learn 95% of what you teach someone else.
  • Keep all your notes in a folder or on a wall. Keep reading them!
  • Make sure you don't have any distractions nearby like a mobile phone or the TV as you could forget what you're revising.
  • If you are studying from a textbook, try to make some notes while reading it because if you forget the information, you will have your notes to fall back on. Also try to memorize your notes; they don't have to be word-for-word. Just at least put it in your own words.
  • Don't just read the page - you only learn 10% of what you read.
  • Drink lots of water, juice or milk while revising.
  • Use your revision notes for homework. You may have the answer to that hard question already written down!
  • Eat a good breakfast in the morning.
  • Try to learn about what you're learning in lessons and a bit more. You'll be ready to impress on your next lesson!
  • Try put away anything that will lead you into being distracted, for example, Putting Phone, Remote Control and Laptops in other rooms.
  • Try to only do 20 minutes of revision, then 10 minutes mind map, and finally 5 minutes looking over the work you have done. Only do this 2 - 3 times a day and space out the subjects. (One before school, one after school and one after dinner)
  • Don't procrastinate. It will make revision harder.
  • Make it as fun as possible! Jump up and down while shouting out some countries for geography! Sing your favourite song in French! Go against somebody with a really hard math puzzle-an instant buzz if you are the only one that can do it!
  • Record yourself, and listen when you sleep.
  • Try not to do more than 3 subjects a day, unless you can handle it - don't get overworked.
  • Make a plan or a timetable to help you manage time better.
  • Make a timetable and stick to it. Therefore you won't forget about a subject.

Warnings

  • Don't ever say you can't do it! Try to imagine yourself coming out with that A* grade, that way you will be in a positive frame of mind to revise.
  • But don't forget that sport and music is a great way to take your mind of exams so just go and do something that you enjoy (not Twitter! ) for a while and come back, ready to learn.
  • Don't overwork yourself!
  • You will NOT be classified as a swot-ignore all those wiki's that say you will! You shouldn't care about what other people think of you! It's what you think of yourself that matters!
  • Take regular breaks (10-20mins) so you don't forget the information.
  • At the end of your revision filled day, try to conclude, for each subject, what you have learnt. That way when your mum, dad or whoever asks you what you've done, you won't be standing there with nothing to say.

Things You'll Need

  • Pens or pencils
  • Paper
  • Pencil sharpener
  • Folders
  • Highlighters
  • Computer (optional)
  • All your books for the subject you're doing
  • A drink
  • Healthy snack (fruit is always good)

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