6 ways to sail through revision

The revision period is a time that strikes fear into the hearts of many students. In order to avoid the common deer-in-headlights reaction to imminent exams and deadlines, a fellow student has composed a list of six simple strategies to overcome stress and anxiety.

1. Talk to people

Every student will be stressed around this period, so make sure you vent with fellow friends and students who are in the same boat. Reach out to your family and UCL Student Support and Wellbeing if you’re feeling overwhelmed. 

2. Prepare as much as possible

The best trick to ease stress is to prepare for revision as early as possible. Start before the revision period begins by skimming through your notes for potential holes – perhaps you were ill at some point during term and missed some readings? Ideally you will have managed to do some further reading/research on topics and you should aim to have a full set of notes from the past year’s classes by the time the revision period starts.

3. Take advantage of resources at UCL

UCL offers many fantastic resources and facilities that can help students both personally and academically. Utilising these opportunities to your advantage gives you a fantastic heads-up, and can potentially give you new perspectives and approaches to exam and dissertation preparation. For example, you can gain from visiting your professor during office hours and consulting UCL’s Academic Writing Centre - they’re there to help! You can also attend one of the drop-in sessions or meet with your personal tutor to talk about how you’re feeling and to discuss your next steps.

4. Be disciplined with your phone

Keeping your phone by your side during revision is a bad idea. Every notification is likely to break your concentration and keep you from fully immersing yourself in your notes. Get into a routine of putting your phone firmly aside or on silent as soon as you sit down to study and only take it out during planned breaks.

5. Make a study plan

Make a schedule for revision. Divide the revision content into daily, manageable amounts, and do your best to stick to the schedule. Make sure not to cram the content into a few days, as you’ll find it difficult to absorb information effectively. Cramming increases the risk of your mind going blank in an exam, as everything you have learnt is only stored in your short-term memory.

6. Make sure you take time off

The revision period will have you buried deep in paperwork, notes and endless journals. Be sure to keep on pursuing your hobbies and seeing friends and family. The work-play balance is a must in order for you to be able to sustain your revision routine. Remember that revision is a marathon not a sprint – slow and steady wins the race!

Lousie Alestam Edman, BA student in History with a European Language