One of the best ways in which you can prepare for examinations or tests is through Regular Revision. Cramming, on the contrary, is the equivalent of suicide! A last-minute intensive study (not revision) a few days prior to the exam, is extremely ineffective and imparts a lot of stress to the student. The huge, sudden input of information tends to confuse the brain when it causes information overlap. Plus, in cramming, more time is actually wasted in the overall in securing the same amount of knowledge as in Regular Revision.
Regular Revision
The Regular Revision that we refer to is a very simple strategy to follow. It is more time-efficient and a very much more enjoyable way to study! Instead of focusing all our mental energy on only the final revision, we begin the process of inputting information right from the very first lesson.
Read Textbook
Depending on whether your course requires you to have a textbook or if you're given only notes by the school, read up the material prior to class. Going into class prepared for the lesson gives you a great advantage in understanding. Not only can you grasp the concepts in class much better, you feel less worried than others when your classmates are not able to understand certain ideas!
First Lesson
Concentrate in class! You save a lot of revision time by simply listening intently in class. Clarify all the ideas which you are unclear about after reading the textbook. Actively thinking and building on your thoughts during the lesson helps you reinforce the knowledge exponentially. Jot down notes as you follow the class. Translating your ideas into words and figures will help you reproduce the knowledge more easily.
Read Notes
Some schools will distribute addition notes or others may simply teach from the textbook itself. Whichever is the case, reinforce your learning further by reading through the notes/textbook again to ensure that you understand just about 100% of the facts. Textbooks normally come with Review Questions which you should think about and answer. The questions will tend to lead you to focus on the important concepts mentioned in the chapter.
Home Work
After the 3 rounds of learning so far, you would have grasped the concepts pretty well! The assignment should be fairly easy to complete at the point in time. That's more time saved for you! Should there be questions you are not clear about, it will be much easier for you to find it in your notes or textbook since you have read through them. You should only consult your friend (ahem, not copying wholesale) as a final resort.
Final Revision
Should you have more than 2 months between the homework assignment and the next test, you ought to do another brief revision in between to retain your knowledge better. This would make your Final Revision an easy and care-free affair. The confidence you impart from knowing your concepts well will make for more efficient learning when you are more relaxed and feel more prepared.
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