How to Revise: 10 Tried and Tested Revision Techniques (With Pro Tip)

Wondering how to revise for exams?

You are not the only one stuck with this daunting question. Planning a full-fledged revision is certainly a tricky task. Most students feel puzzled with too many notes, Stick-Ons all over their study table, and confusion in their minds.

If you are looking for the best advice beyond the typical revision techniques spare a few minutes to go through this write-up.

So what’s the holdup?

Let’s get started right away!

What is Revision?

Revision is the process of re-reading, and repeating relevant study material/notes before appearing for tests/assessments/exams. Students can learn how to revise effectively through some tried and tested techniques for revision. These strategies and techniques help students to recall information better. Good revision eventually leads to a considerable improvement in one’s final scores.

This is not all!

Students who know how to revise for exams effectively have an edge over others and often keep failure at bay.

<In India, several students fail (29 lakh in 2023) to clear the public examination stage (class X). The chart below shows the number of students who failed class X exams prior to 2023.>

Let’s delve deeper to explore these advantages in greater detail.

Why is Revision Important Before Exams?

To be thorough with the subject matter
Make the content more familiar for the brain
Improve chances to recall information at the time of exam/test
Gain confidence through exam revision before the final day
Learn how to revise for exams and hone skills for the next academic level
Reduce chances of last-minute anxiety/academic stress.
Learn how to draw connections between concepts/information for a better understanding.

Without further ado, let’s understand how to revise for exams.

Top 10 Revision Techniques

1. Highlighting/Selecting Key Information

A simple yet effective exam revision technique is to segregate/highlight or pinpoint significant details from the main content. Never miss out on highlighting the salient ideas to create your own understanding of the subject matter. This is not just an effective way to improve the retention of information. But also a great practice for making crisp notes/revision material for future use.

2. Process and Practice with Tools

One of the best exam revision techniques comes from the age-old practice of using revision tools. Go back to solved question papers of the past years, download online practice sheets (such as the ones used in online schools). And collect sample papers to explore exam patterns with a better vision.

You can easily learn how to revise for exams if you procure the right revision tools (online and offline). Research the right options well in advance, and discuss the best options with your teachers, peers, and parents too.

3. Reflect Through Exam Wrappers

Self-analysis and reflective practices are also great exam revision strategies. You can download a complete questionnaire or an exam wrapper. And test your readiness to know the problem areas that need more attention.

Here are some examples of the questions in an exam wrapper.

The content I am confident about ____________
Topics/content that I am confused about __________
Categories that need more practice ____________
Topics that I need to prepare better ____________

4. Pomodoro Technique

As students, you must also understand that the techniques for revision are not only about the subjects and information. But also about your ability to reproduce information meaningfully during exams. A 5-minute break after every 25 minutes of studying replenishes the mind’s capacity to retain information. Pomodoro technique can be used to break revision time mindfully. But again, try to keep this break-time gadget-free as much as you can.

5. Explain it to Yourself

Flipping your role from a student to a teacher or an orator is also one of the effective exam revision techniques. Simply take a stopwatch and allocate a minute or two to summarize a topic/concept aloud. This practice will be a great act for revision. And you will know the topics that you can be confident about vs the ones that you fumbled with.

Use your personal time and space, and make the practice completely inhibition-free for the best outcomes.

6. Mix It Up

Most students struggle with the question, how to revise effectively, as they do not make use of the right exam patterns. Attempt all types of questions (short, long, MCQs, etc.) from various sources. And reconnect with the first-hand knowledge that you gained initially with the topic.

With the boom in the EdTech industry, supplementary resources are now within reach of students. Make use of free online resources such quiz, and worksheets (downloadable). And purchase subscriptions if you feel the need to do so. Mixing up resources with your regular textbooks is one of the NO-FAIL revision techniques for students.

<The Indian EdTech industry had a market size of $800 million in 2021. In the upcoming 10 years, this industry is estimated to touch a mark of $30 billion.>

7. Create a Mind Map

Research proves that effective techniques for revision facilitate information storage, acquisition, and one’s ability to recall.

If you feel anxious about how to revise for exams learn to create a mind map. The simplest and best way to create a mind map is to add information under headers like:

Main idea – Concept
Branches – Related information
Use visual clues – Different colors or symbols
Add numbers to create a sequence

Your mind map can look like a flowchart, a tree, or a set of bubbles. Choose what works best for your exam revision. And stick to the best versions (examples below).

8. Allocate Your Recap Minutes

After you complete a chunk, hold back and take a recap minute (or more). This will teach you how to revise effectively in a short time. and you will be able to identify the misses promptly. Effective recall can be made fun with a spate rough notebook, a different colored pen, and a self-rating scale towards the end.

Recall, rewrite, and rate yourself by validating the points with the textbook/supplementary study material. It is good practice to do this every 10 or 15 minutes during your exam revision.

9. Don’t Leave the Complex Topics for the End

Some of the techniques for revision are unnoticed and unattended. Try to plan your revision in a way that you cover the most complex topics initially. This will help you reduce the overall workload. And you will be left with the easy topics when the exam dates approach.

10. Collaborate with Friends

Last but not least on the list of the best exam revision techniques is to involve your study buddies. Do this in person simply initiate video calls at a decided time of the day. Be open to feedback, and take rounds of summarizing information together to make the most challenging subjects productive.

Pro Tip-

2-3-5-7 is one of the most effective exam revision strategies. With this, students prioritize their revision backward. They start covering the revision sessions 1 week (7 days) before the exam date. Next they space out sessions at the intervals of 5 days, 3 days, and 2 days before the exam.

Final Thoughts

Understanding how to revise for exams helps you in making the most judicious use of time and energy. Go ahead and use these strategies and unlock your true potential for the upcoming EXAMS!

Thanks for Reading!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best technique for revision?
Summarize, use highlighters, practice with online resources, and create mind maps to revise effectively.
How to revise really fast?
Take a recap break every 10 minutes and cover a large part of your syllabus easily.
How can I memorize revision better?
It is better to understand than memorize information. Avoid rote learning and practice enough to revise better.
What is the 2 3 5 7 revision rule?
Toppers make use of this rule by revising with a backward interval plan that starts 7 days before the exam. Students space out revisions again 5,3, and 2 days before exams.