• Question: how do you revise to be able to access the top marks on exams?

    Asked by kept520woke on 9 Jul 2025.
    • Photo: Martin McCoustra

      Martin McCoustra answered on 9 Jul 2025:


      Everyone has their own way of revising. What worked for me might not work for you. I took a little and often approach to revision. Spending no more that an hour a night looking at my notes and doing problems but doing that every night from the start of the academic year. I didn’t increase the time when I got to near the exams as cramming doesn’t work in terms of getting stuff into long term memory.

    • Photo: Rebecca Warrilow

      Rebecca Warrilow answered on 9 Jul 2025:


      Try and use as many different sources of information as possible. Find out what type of learner you are (visual, auditory etc.) and focus on making revision resources to suit this. For example, if you don’t take in as much information from reading, try to record yourself speaking and listen to it back like a podcast. I suggest always trying and use a mix of different styles to cement any knowledge long-term! Also, understanding how the mark schemes work is a key to success in exams, and it can differ between subjects. Really spend some time delving into mark schemes and getting to know exactly what the examiners are wanting you to write. You will notice a substantial difference in your grades, as well as improve how much time you have in exams, if you focus on improving your perception of each question. When you’re confident in your knowledge and how to approach a question, practice over and over answering exam questions in exam conditions (even if they’re long and you don’t want to, you’ll thank yourself later when a similar question comes up in the real thing!). Hard work pays off – good luck! 🙂

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