There are very few of us who actually enjoy exams, they are high-pressure situations where we must display knowledge that we have learned and the results of which often have large implications. Even less enjoyable is the revision for those exams, often when we are given time to revise we procrastinate to the point where anything becomes more enjoyable than getting our head down and studying. Whatever level you are studying at, it can be difficult to get motivated, whether you are studying for a law degree like the once Duke University student JD Dukes or studying to pass your driving test, there are some rules that you can employ in order to stay motivated.
Start Early
Putting your revision off until a later date is going to do you no favors at all, you are simply moving the problem and in doing so piling more pressure upon yourself to revise the nearer to the exam you get. Make sure you get a good head start on your studies and begin revising as soon as you possibly can, this way you can revise in bitesize chunks that are easier to manage.
Prepare Properly
It is important to remember when revision not to give yourself any excuse to stop what you are doing, as soon as you stop your revision for anything, your mind can start to wander and it won’t be long before you’ve found something more interesting to do. In order to avoid this you need to prepare everything that you will need for your revision before you start, pens, paper, calculators, books and anything else you are going to need should be ready for when you start.
Notes
Notes are vital to your revision, small pieces of information that can be easily stored in the memory and they can save you great amounts of time when you need to go back to study a particular textbook. When making notes, ensure that you just pick out the key points that you are going to use, don’t over do it. Here are some other tips to help you in making your notes and learning from them
- Don’t just try to make them look good
- Post them all over the house
- Record them to listen to later
Take Short Breaks
Revision can take its toll, a lot of concentration over a long period of time can leave you tired and your brain just won’t accept any more information. To avoid this, plan in short breaks, no more than 10 minutes, you can use this time to go to the bathroom, head outside for some fresh air, check your Facebook or whatever else you need to do away from revising. Remember not to take any more than 10 minutes so that you don’t get distracted away from your revision and when you get back to your desk make sure that you pick up right where you left off so that you don’t waste any more time.