We know exams and revision can be challenging in all kinds of ways, especially when it comes to remembering all the facts and figures that may pop up on your exam paper… If only there was some way to make remembering them easier… some kind of memory hack or something…
Well, have we got some good news for you! The Mind Set team are here with their top techniques and handy hacks to help cement those fiddly facts and faffy figures into your mind. Watch this short video for some tips and then read our recap below.
Video: Memory hacks and revision tips
Milly I like active revision, such as teaching, testing, drawing and singing.
Lauren Each subject is different, so you can't revise it the same way. You can't put all your eggs in one basket.
Shay If I read a piece of information five times in one day, I was never going to remember it. But if I read it once a day for maybe one or two weeks, it was definitely going to go into my long term memory for the exam.
Milly I sat in the car with my mum once and I literally taught her a subject, because I think it is really beneficial to teach someone what you know, and it also identifies hotspots of a subject that you don't know.
Shay I always got someone like my mum to help me when I was doing my revision. For example, she never studied history, but it didn't matter. Reading something out loud with someone can really help, rather than just passively reading the content all the time.
Daniel I make visits on my phone with questions and answers for the test to have coming up. I walk around my house listening to my voice notes in my headphones, and I remember it fast just like a song that I hear on the radio.
Iain I would keep my mind maps around my room, colourful and everything. So that way, even if you don't know you're revising, you're still picking up and retaining the information in your head, and if they're so colourful, it means that it catches your eye.
Sekani For English, I really like to shout quotes at my friend and she'll shout quotes at me, and it'll really help us remember because it's really a funny experience. So if we're laughing about it, you tend to remember like happy memories more, so we're shouting Macbeth quotes at each other, it really does help.
Rohan Multiple choice quizzes are a fun way of testing knowledge rather than doing a full past paper.
Lauren So I used a lot of songs in my revision for like things like equations in like science and maths and quotes in English literature, and what I did was, I would take a song that was popular at the time or what was just stuck in my head, and I would substitute the lyrics to the equation, just add the equation into the lyrics and learn it that way.
Joe I like to use drawings when revising to help jog my memory. It's simple and it's full. It's fun to do because it's different than just writing things down.
Sekani When I think of themes in Macbeth, such as ambition and gender, I can link them to news stories and that really helps me remember them.
Shay You'll often hear people say that the best way to revise is maybe doing a 20 hour cramming session before the exam, but that's just simply not true. The best way to perform best in an exam is definitely to revise little and often.
Our coaches' memory hacks and revision tips
Shay recommends asking a parent or guardian to help when you do your revision. Although his mum had never studied history, it didn’t actually matter; if you read something out loud to someone it can really help you to remember it, this is because you are doing something active rather than just passively reading the content. Milly also uses this method. She says, ‘I think it's really beneficial to teach someone what you know and it also identifies hot spots of a subject that you don’t know."
You could try making voice notes on your phone with questions and answers for your upcoming exams, like Daniel. This way you can walk around the house listening to the voice notes in your headphones. Daniel says that this helps you remember the answers like you remember lyrics to songs. Talking of songs and lyrics, Lauren would take a song and swap the words of the equation with the lyrics to help learn equations in science and maths, and to remember quotes in English literature.
Making colourful mind maps and putting them up around your bedroom could help you pick up and retain the information in your head, and it won't even feel like you're revising. This is Iain's preferred revision technique. Joe also liked to use drawings when revising to help jog his memory.
Like Rohan, revision methods such as multiple choice quizzes might work for you as they are a fun way of testing your knowledge, rather than using a full past paper. Or you could just shout English literature quotes at your friends like Sekani. She assures us that this helps her to remember the quotes! Her theory is that if you are laughing about something, then you tend to remember it better. We're always up for a laugh, so it works for us!
How to make a flashcard
Flashcards are really useful when you're revising. They can help you test yourself and you can personalise them to include the things that you struggle to remember. Here's some top tips on how to create a fun and fact-filled flashcard that will work for any subject you are revising!
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How to make a mind map
Creating a mind map can really help your existing knowledge of a subject and help solidify that information in your mind. Mind mapping is a great way to plot down a lot of information on a subject to help your remember the things you need to know. Here are some useful things to remember when you create a mind map, and some mind map examples for you to check out for inspiration!
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What is The Mind Set?
The Mind Set is two things: a series of films to help support you through your GCSEs and Nationals and a group of amazing young coaches who appear in the films.
Our coaches have been through their GCSEs or National Qualifications already. They come from all different backgrounds and all corners of the UK and they’ve all faced different challenges in getting to grips with exam revision. What they’ve got in common is that they all have heaps of exam revision tips, advice, helpful hints, hacks and wonderful words of wisdom they want to share with you.
In the series, we also hear advice from mental health professionals like Josh Fletcher (AKA “Anxiety Josh”) on how to look after your wellbeing and stay resilient during revision and exams season and we have top revision hacks from our very own memory expert, Dr Vanessa Loaiza!
Explore the Bitesize Study Support pages for more information and revision support.
This article was last updated on 12 October 2023.
If you need support
You should always tell someone about the things you’re worried about. You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you’re doing.
If you’re in need of in-the-moment support you can contact Childline, where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There are more links to helpful organisations on BBC Action Line.
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