Exam Preparation
Revision
• There is a knack to passing exams. Much of it
revolves around thorough preparation throughout
the duration of a course and during the weeks
leading up to the exams themselves. Amongst
other things, this means lots and lots of revision.
• For revision to be effective, it needs to be really well
organised and as active as possible. Together with
the support of your teachers and UCC’s tailor-made
website, this revision planner will go a long way
towards helping you to achieve this.
• Before you go any further,
complete the table shown
on the front cover of your
revision planner.
• Next, have a good look
through the planner from
cover to cover so that you
become familiar with its
contents.
Form Tutors: The centre number is 42151. To find
candidate numbers, do the following:On your SIMS registration page, click the Report tab at the
top  Student List  Registration Group List  Select
Years  Uncheck All  Select Reg Group  Selected Only
 OK  on the right, look at Select Data Area  select the
dropdown in the second box  Registration Details  drag
and drop Exam Number onto the group list  project, print
or save the list.
• Fill out your exam timetable so that you are clear about
what exams you are preparing for and when and where
they are taking place.
Exam Timetable
Day
Date
Time
Room
Subject / Paper
http://www.uccrevision.co.uk/
Duration
Done ()
 Look at the revision website:
www.uccrevision.co.uk
 For each of your subjects, make notes about what you
need to revise and then evaluate your strengths and
weaknesses.
 Effective revision is organised and planned well ahead of
time. Produce a revision timetable. Use mornings for heavy
revision, afternoons for lighter revision and evenings to go
over things again or to test yourself. Give a bit more time to
your weaker topics.
 Migrate between subjects and build in frequent short
breaks, maybe 30 minutes on and 10 minutes off. At the
end of the day stop, eat, relax, get some exercise and go to
bed at a sensible hour.
• Plan your revision by
filling out the daily
timetables in your revision
planner, one for each day,
including
evenings,
weekends and holidays.
 Effective revision is also active and should involve different
ways of going over each topic a number of times until your
brain is able to process and retain the information.
 We all learn through repetition and a mix of seeing
(diagrams, videos, symbols), hearing (discussing, teaching,
recording) and doing (making, showing, acting out). You
won’t realise it at the time, but the more you do of each the
more you will remember.
 Break a topic down into small
chunks of information and
organise it as a list, mind map
or something similar. Link it to
something that will trigger your
memory, something like an
image, an example or the
fingers on each hand. Then
return to it, go over it again,
perhaps show it in a different
format, play around with it and
use it to build up a bigger
picture or to answer a question.
The more that you repeat
something, the more likely you
are to remember it.
 Mind maps and revision cards – strip your notes
down to key points, terms and simple diagrams,
whatever suits the subject and topic.
 Mnemonics and association –
link key words and information to
the letters of a memorable word
or phrase, a familiar place,
image, body parts, tunes, objects
or even shapes, colours or
numbers.
 Quizzes, practice questions /
papers and model answers –
test yourself, mark and weigh up
your strengths, identify and
address
your
weaknesses,
understand how to write a good
answer.