• Question: What revision technique do you think was most effective when you were studying science?

    Asked by anon-342479 on 21 Nov 2022.
    • Photo: Katie Pickup

      Katie Pickup answered on 21 Nov 2022:

      I used to just write out notes in different colours, and then repeat that, condensing the notes every time. I found physically writing it was enough to consolidate it in my brain, but everyone learns in different ways. Sometimes doing revision quizzes with your friends is helpful, or finding online things where you can match up flash cards -eg matching terms with definitions like mitosis etc.

      I also had a really great chemistry teacher who used to make us get into groups and present different aspects of the course to the rest of the class. Presenting a topic, especially one you find difficult, is a really good way to make sure you understand it! This was particularly useful for topics that are harder to actually understand, rather than ones that just rely on memory. If your teachers don’t have time to do it in class, you might be able to do it on a smaller scale while revising with your friends.

    • Photo: Ailish Tynan

      Ailish Tynan answered on 21 Nov 2022:

      Everyone will have a different method that works for them but I always used flashcards through school and university! I would write a question on one side like ‘What are the 4 DNA bases?’ and then write the answer on the back. That way I could test myself with the question and check I had the correct answer. I also used to make up little cards for processes like photosynthesis or the Krebs cycle and jumble them up so I could try and put them back in the correct order.

      Another great method I love was making mind maps to try and help myself to condense lots of information on 1 topic onto a single piece of A4 paper using key words.

      Practising for the exam using past papers was also very helpful to get a sense of what kind of questions were likely to be asked so I would definitely recommend doing that too!

    • Photo: Charli Corcoran

      Charli Corcoran answered on 21 Nov 2022:

      I found being able to listen to my notes the most helpful way of revising. At university this was easy as either the lecturers recorded their classes themselves or we were allowed to record them, but at school I recorded myself reading my notes. I would then listen to them back. I also made mind maps of the topics and how they were all linked together.

      I also practised for the exam using past papers, as you can really get a feel for how the questions are asked and what the best way to answer the questions could be.

      The best thing to do is try a few different ways and figure out what works for you and what you find the most interesting way of studying. Everyone learns differently so what works for us might not work for everyone.

    • Photo: Kaye Eve-Rowe

      Kaye Eve-Rowe answered on 21 Nov 2022:

      One thing that helped my during revision was to teach my mum/family members the topic that I was currently revising after I had made my revision notes and condensed them onto cards. This was useful to me because my family didn’t have an in-depth knowledge about the things I was teaching them which meant they would ask lots of questions and I would have to explain things in a different way to what I had written down in my notes. It also forced me to think about how I could explain things in a simpler way. Additionally it improved my use of scientific terminology as I would have to explain the specific terms I was using to them.

      All of this really helped me understand the topics more. It was encouraging knowing that I was teaching my family something new and they supported me in return. It also meant that I wasn’t in my room all the time just studying, I was interacting with my family too which helped with some of the stress and anxiety of exams and revising.

    • Photo: Gabrielle Harker

      Gabrielle Harker answered on 21 Nov 2022:

      I would write notes on all the different topics to essentially make my own personal textbook! I would use different colours for keywords, highlight things, and draw lots of diagrams (this one really helped me!). I would also watch a lot of online videos on topics that I wasn’t so confident on and add anything relevant to my notes. Another thing that I think is always useful is practice, practice, practice! What I mean by that is doing exam questions and past papers – just anything to get you to apply your knowledge and highlight areas where you aren’t so sure so you can read up on them.

    • Photo: Charlene Kay

      Charlene Kay answered on 22 Nov 2022:

      Everyone is different so I encourage you to find what works best for you but for me it was a multi-pronged approach! I used to write notes from my lecture again into notecards or bullet points, say it out loud, and then worked with a friend to quiz each other. Everyone’s brain works differently but for me it really helped to re-write key points and say it out loud. I found it stuck in my head better that way!

    • Photo: Sharon Madzorera

      Sharon Madzorera answered on 22 Nov 2022:

      I took notes, lots of notes. I wrote everything down, and most of it was handy lol

    • Photo: Katie Williams

      Katie Williams answered on 22 Nov 2022: last edited 22 Nov 2022 2:20 pm

      Flash cards were my favourite for memorising information – I made paper ones with the question on one side and the answer on the other, and I also used an app called Brainscape to do the same thing but on my phone instead.

      I’m also a big fan of the pomodoro method, where you break your studying into 25-minute chunks separated by five-minute breaks. This worked really well for me at keeping focussed. Try some different techniques and find which ones work for you.

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