It's Never Too Soon To Revise Old Content: 3 Reasons Why
3 years ago
Revision takes time. Even the brightest kid in the school can’t leave revising an entire unit to the night before the exam and still ace it. We know it’s probably not what you want to hear, but we’ve decided to burst your bubble now, rather than when you’re 2 days and 3 mental breakdowns away from your first Year 12 exam.
What if we re-imagined revision? Instead of it being another word for cramming, we reckon revising regularly throughout the year is the key to succeeding in your exams. Here’s our take on why:
1. Learnt ≠ Memorised
Year 12 subjects are often taught over an entire year, so naturally, the content you learnt at the start of Term 1 won’t be as fresh in your brain as the last topics you’re taught.
According to Jun (Head of Tutoring at RESN), “the mistake many students make is thinking that having learnt a topic previously means it’ll come back to them quickly. This isn’t always the case, and probably won’t be if you leave a topic untouched for more than half a year!”
2. Our Brains Are Lazy
A lot of the research out there suggests that you retain more if you break your revision up into small and regular chunks. This report recommends a technique called ‘spacing’. This means giving yourself gaps between revision sessions to allow yourself to forget and re-learn the content. Pretty cool, right? Basically, it’s looking like 1 hour of revision a week trumps a 3 day cramming session in terms of what you’ll actually remember when you sit down in the exam!
3. Less Stress, More Success
Exams can be daunting - especially when you approach one feeling under-prepared. So, why not be kinder to your future-self and map out a way to approach the exam-period with your revision well under way?
Jun says spending just 15 minutes every second day on a subject will mean you’re comfortable and familiar with the old content, while you learn the new stuff. According to our maths that adds up to a whopping 21 hours per subject after 6 months!
Want more tips on how to study ‘smarter not harder’? Check out our post. Have more questions? Feel free to submit any study-related questions on your portal. You’ve got this!
Words by Ella Katz