Now that you’ve drawn up a revision plan, you’re probably wondering how to go about it. Your revision plan may consist of a list of tasks to do on a particular day and you may ask, when and how should I complete each task?
There are usually two ways that I do this:
- Complete all tasks by a set time: I may give myself a deadline to complete all of my tasks by. For example, this could be 3pm in the afternoon. Now that you have a cut-off for revision, you need to predict how long each task will take and whether you’ll complete them by this 3pm deadline. You may have to wake-up slightly earlier on this day so you can begin early. Or, you may have to increase the intensity just so you can finish by 3pm. In essence, you carry out your revision earlier in the day. The great thing about this method is once you reach this cut-off, you are free to do whatever you want for the rest of the day.
- Revision in short bursts: Sometimes it can be difficult to revise for long periods of time in the morning because fatigue starts to creep in. When this happens, its best not continue with revision because your brain switches off and thus, information will not stick. This is why, whenever I feel mentally drained, I leave revision for a while and focus on a completely different activity (note, your body will tell you when you should take a break). When I’m re-energised, I return to my books. In practise, I revise for 1 or 2 hours, take an hour break, revise for another hour, take another break and repeat this process. This is an alternative way of carrying out your revision.
Ultimately, it’s your decision. Choose a revision system that suit you. There isn’t a ‘better’ way. I like to incorporate both.