Even when students have studied a course thoroughly they can fail to do themselves justice in the exam through:

• inadequate/inefficient revision
• poor exam technique.

Remember that revision and exam techniques are skills that can be learned about and practised.

Think Positive: Preparation + Practice = Pass.

The subject of exam technique is dealt with in a further handout. These notes focus on revision strategies and approaches (of course the two topics (are closely related!). When revising, there are no hard and fast rules. Whatever works for you - stick with it - but most of us can do with some new ideas!

Planning Revision Time

Decide when you are going to start and work out how long that gives you. (Are some weeks more heavily committed than others?) Ideally, start in early September - don't leave it till the last minute. Decide what to cover and in what depth. Needs careful thought and as much advice as you can get. Past papers can help here, usually as many as possible to get a balanced picture. The tutor's advice is invaluable. Look out for sources of guidance in the course, eg. revision and review units, supplementary material on exams, Course Guides, etc.

Also think from the examination back to revision, eg. how much can you cover in 45 minutes? You need main themes and arguments, not a mass of detailed factual knowledge. Match up your time to revise with the material to revise and plan a timetable which is realistic.

Using Revision Time

NB Revision much be active. The more materiel is manipulated and thought about the easier it is to recall. Try revising the material covered in a TMA to prove this. When you sit down to work: start. This is easier said than done. Resist the temptation to make a drink, dig the garden, etc.

A good limbering up exercise is Course Mapping. Stand back from the block you are working on and try to map out the course as a whole, drawing out the links in it. This helps you to get an overall view of the course, and how it hangs together. When you start revising a block/unit/section it is helpful to write something.

One Possible Strategy: diagrammatic notes

Take a large blank sheet of paper. Draw a box in the centre of the page and write in it the unit/block topic. From memory, add in the main themes/arguments, important authors, etc. in sub-boxes radiating from the centre (diagram form). Doing this from cold will show you that you remember more than you thought.

Then sit down and revise: look at the block, your notes, past TMAs, etc. Work for, say, 40 minutes. (If you are really concentrating, fatigue effects soon set in, so breaks help. Have a coffee break every 30 to 40 minutes (a) it is a reward and (b) it helps to reduce fatigue.

Then go back to the diagram and, from memory, fill in anything you left out. Use a colour to focus on it.

About 24 hours later try a recall test. Draw your diagram again from memory. Again, fill in anything omitted in colour. Repeat recall tests at intervals, to build up confidence. Try this in difficult circumstances to prove you can recall easily even under stress .(standing in the checkout queue for example!)

NB if you don't find diagram form helpful, just make conventional notes. Summary tables or grids can be a useful alternative for some topics.

Why use this Technique?

I All you have already studied on a topic is there in your memory. You already know it.

2 This revision method helps to bring it to the surface and organise the material for easy access.

3 It gives you confidence that you do know it.

Useful Exercises for Getting to the Main Themes and Arguments of Blocks/Units.

Condensing Exercise

Take notes on a block and try steadily to condense them further and further until you have, say, 2 sides of A4 per block. This helps you focus on the main themes and arguments, the overall picture.

Ask Questions

Think of the central question(s) of a unit, then make notes on the answers.

Get Hold of Past Papers and Specimen Papers

Have a go at:

• tackling questions and writing skeleton plans for answers; include main points of argument and supporting evidence, examples, etc.
• writing a short introduction to a question in, say 5 minutes. Unlike a TMA, this is helpful in practising getting into a question quickly
• attempting a whole question or paper under timed conditions.

Imagine that you are the Chief Examiner. Take an examination question and imagine that you set it. What were you looking for in this question? List what you would expect and give marks for in an answer. Try taking a block or topic and setting 3 questions of your own with a brief scheme for answers, i.e. What you would expect in an answer.

If you do find that you have run out of time, here is quick strategy for revising a block:

• remind yourself of the gist of the block by flicking through the pages, looking at TV and Radio notes, reading the introduction, etc.
• turn to the contents page of the units, that will indicate the main headings that you will need get to grips with
• read the summary of each section and check that you understand
• if not, read sections that puzzle you.

When time is short this has the advantage of keeping the main themes of the block to the fore and preventing you from getting bogged down in details when (a) there IS not time and (b) examination answers won't call for very detailed factual knowledge anyway.

NB: when courses are in book form, adapt strategies as appropriate.

Work with Other Students

Self help groups can help by discussing things. A good lively discussion is the easiest way to learn.

Ideas for Use in Self Help Groups