Top Revision Techniques That Actually Work

It’s peak revision time, but it’s important to remember that there are so many more revision techniques than just copying out your school notes.

Discover top 10 proven Revision Techniques to boost your exam results and make your studying more effective.

1. Spaced Repetition

Spaced repetition is a game changer for remembering facts over the long haul. Instead of pushing all your study into one night (cramming, basically), you spread out your review sessions over days and weeks. The idea is simple: you come back to information right before you’d usually forget it. Each time you review, you remember it a little better and for longer.

Here’s how to get started with spaced repetition:

1. Break whatever you need to learn into bite-sized chunks.
2. Set review times for each topic – first review it the next day, then a few days later, then a week later, and so on.
3. Use tools or apps like Anki or Quizlet. They can remind you exactly when to look at each flashcard again, based on how well you’ve remembered it.

If you want a quick look at how your memory fades (and how spaced repetition can help), check this out:

The takeaway is that with each review, your chance of remembering stays high instead of dropping off a cliff, which is what happens if you just cram. And honestly, it feels less stressful.

Once you start using spaced repetition, you’ll probably notice you don’t dread revision as much, plus, you don’t have to relearn everything from scratch before the test. It’s definitely worth sticking with, even if setting it up seems a bit much at first.

2. Active Recall

Active recall is by far one of the most hands-on ways to study, and honestly, it’s got solid research to back it up. Instead of just reading your notes or highlighting until your fingers go numb, you’re actually forcing your brain to pull information out on its own. This sounds simple, but it’s way more effort than re-reading, and that’s the whole point.

So, how does active recall look in real life? After you finish a lesson or a chapter, close everything, your book, your laptop, whatever, and try to remember as much as you can. You might try to write down all the key points, or talk through the concepts out loud (yes, it feels awkward, but it works). The idea is to quiz yourself without any hints.

Here’s a quick way to bring active recall into your study sessions:

1. Finish reading or learning a section.
2. Close all resources (seriously, no peeking).
3. Write down or speak out everything you remember.
4. Check what you recalled against your notes.
5. Focus your next study on anything you missed or got wrong.

People love using flashcards for this, but even making your own practice questions is fair game. The more times you make your brain dig out the answers, the easier it gets to remember.

The best part? Active recall shows you right away what you don’t know. It’s a bit humbling, if I’m being honest, but that’s how you spot your weak areas. No surprises on test day. Just you, ready to remember the facts, not just recognize them.

3. Pomodoro Technique

You know those days when your brain just checks out after ten minutes at your desk? The Pomodoro Technique is meant for exactly that. If you struggle to stay on track or your attention drifts mid-session, this method gives you structure and, honestly, some much-needed breaks.

Here’s how it works:

1. Pick a single task or subject to work on.
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on just that—no phone, no checking the fridge, just pure study.
3. When the timer rings, take a 5-minute break. Stretch, grab some water, stare out the window, whatever clears your head.
4. Repeat this three more times. After four cycles, take a longer break for about 20-30 minutes before starting again.

Why do people swear by it? It’s simple:

• It encourages you to break work into smaller, manageable chunks.
• Frequent short breaks keep your mind fresh.
• The structure helps prevent burnout from endless, aimless study sessions.
• It’s honestly less miserable than marathon cramming sessions.

Here’s a quick breakdown of a standard Pomodoro cycle:

This technique is good for keeping your progress steady, while giving your brain moments to catch up. If you’ve never tried it, maybe do a few rounds next study session, you might be surprised by how much less overwhelming revision feels.

4. Flashcards

Flashcards are one of those things where, if you start using them right, you’ll wonder why you didn’t try them sooner. They’re not just for vocab drills in high school French, they actually work for all sorts of subjects and topics.

With flashcards, you get to quiz yourself, check what’s stuck, and move the tough stuff back to the front of the pile. Here’s how you can get the most out of them:

• Make them yourself: Writing the questions and answers (by hand or with an app) helps you pay attention and remember. Don’t just copy; spend time thinking about what’s hard for you and put those on a card.
• Shuffle and mix: Don’t just work through them in order. Randomize the deck, quiz yourself, and don’t peek. Miss one? Put it back at the front.
• Sort by confidence: If you’ve ever heard of the Leitner system, it’s basically splitting flashcards into groups depending on how well you know them. The ones you keep missing, see those more often. The ones you know, check in on them, but not as much.

Here’s what a super-simple Leitner setup looks like:

Some folks make physical cards. Others swear by digital flashcard apps, because they’ll actually sort and remind you what to review. Either way, they’re portable, throw some in your bag or line up a phone app, and pull them out when you have 5-10 minutes to spare. Last year, a buddy of mine used flashcards to memorize quotes for his English final, carrying a stack everywhere, and by the end he could rattle them off without thinking.

Flashcards aren’t magic, but they keep you active and honest about what you actually know. Plus, there’s something satisfying about moving a tricky question to the “mastered” pile. Give it a go, you might be surprised how something this basic can actually help you remember more.

5. Mind Mapping

Ever get bogged down by mountains of notes and just wish you could actually see how everything connects?

That’s where mind mapping comes in handy for revision. You start with a main topic or idea in the center of a page, and then branch out to subtopics, facts, names, whatever else you need to remember. It’s kind of like making a big, messy spider web, only there’s a method behind it.

Here’s how you can use mind maps to make studying less overwhelming:

1. Write the key concept in the center, maybe it’s “Supply and Demand” if you’re tackling economics.
2. Draw lines out from the center and add related ideas, like “Price,” “Shortage,” “Surplus,” etc.
3. Keep branching out with key details, examples, or even funny associations that help things stick. You can use different colors or shapes if that helps you remember (personally, I always end up with more colors than actual content, but it works).
4. Try to connect ideas that link across the map, nothing is stopping one branch from looping to another if it makes sense.
5. Once your map is full, walk through it like a story, explaining each bit out loud. If you can’t explain a branch, you’ve found a gap.

Why bother with all these squiggles and circles? Well, making a map forces your brain to organize what you know and spot what you’re missing. Plus, looking at a picture is way less boring than flipping through piles of notes. Sometimes you might realize halfway through a mind map that two ideas you’d never thought about together actually fit perfectly side by side. That ‘aha!’ moment makes it way easier to remember when it matters.

Give it a try for your next big topic. And don’t stress if it looks messy, messy means you’re thinking!

6. Blurting

Blurting is a technique that’s become popular because it’s simple and, honestly, kind of satisfying. The idea is straightforward: you grab a blank sheet of paper (or your laptop, if you type faster) and, without looking at your notes or textbook, you dump out everything you know about a specific topic.

It’s a bit like emptying your mental pockets to see what’s actually in there. Sometimes you’re surprised by what you remember, and other times you realize just how much you forgot.

Here’s how you can use blurting to sharpen up your revision:

1. Pick your topic – Decide on one subject or a chapter you want to test yourself on. Don’t make it too broad, or you’ll end up writing a novel.
2. Blurt it all out – Write down every fact, formula, diagram, or idea you can remember about that topic. Don’t worry about neatness or order. Just get it out of your head as fast as possible.
3. Check yourself – Once you’ve finished, grab your notes or textbook and go through them. Highlight what you missed, messed up, or got spot-on.
4. Go again – The trick is to repeat this process a few times. You’ll notice the gaps getting smaller each round, and things start to actually stick.

What makes blurting actually useful is how it gives you quick feedback. There’s no hiding; the areas you’re weak in are pretty obvious when nothing comes to mind. Plus, by writing things out, you’re actively recalling what you know, which makes your memory stronger. If you’re a fan of crossing things off lists, blurting feels a bit like that: you move through content and can actually see yourself getting better each time you do it.

You don’t need anything fancy to get started. A pen and some paper are enough. Some people like to set a timer, maybe 5 or 10 minutes per topic, just to keep the pressure on. Try it out on your next study session, chances are, you’ll remember way more than you expect, and you’ll know exactly which bits need a revisit.

7. The Feynman Technique

Ever try to explain something and suddenly realize you don’t get it as well as you thought? That’s what the Feynman Technique is all about.

Named after physicist Richard Feynman, this method is more than just reading your notes, it’s about showing yourself what you actually know. It works best when you’re honest and stick to simple explanations.

Here’s how to use the Feynman Technique in your revision routine:

1. Pick a topic you need to understand, like photosynthesis or supply and demand.
2. Pretend you’re teaching it to someone else—maybe your younger sibling or a friend who knows nothing about the topic. Write out your explanation in plain language. If you have to get technical, stop and think how you’d explain it to a ten-year-old.
3. Note any areas where you struggle or can’t make it simple. That’s your cue you need to go back to your textbook or class notes and fix the gaps.
4. Rewrite your explanation with your new knowledge, keeping it as clear as possible. Repeat until you can cover the whole thing easily and simply.

You don’t have to be an expert, just clear. The real benefit comes from catching holes in your own understanding before the exam catches you out. This technique isn’t just for science or math; it works with pretty much any subject that needs you to know concepts and not just facts.

8. Self-Explanation

Ever catch yourself just reading over notes and realizing nothing actually stuck? This is where self-explanation can really help. The idea is pretty simple: as you’re studying, pause every so often and try to explain the material to yourself as if you were teaching someone else. This isn’t about making things fancy, it’s about getting real with what you actually understand and what still confuses you.

Here’s how you can make self-explanation work for you:

1. After reading a paragraph or solving a problem, stop and explain—out loud or on paper—why you did each step.
2. Try to link the new stuff to things you already know. Ask yourself: “How does this fit in with the big picture?”
3. Whenever you trip up or notice you can’t put something into your own words, mark it. That’s the spot you need to revisit.

For example, let’s say you’re working through a chemistry reaction. You write, “This step happens because…” or you talk through, “I balanced these charges here since electrons have to be conserved.”

Doing this on a regular basis helps you spot gaps before they turn into full-blown confusion during an exam. Plus, it forces you to slow down and check if you’re just memorizing or actually understanding. You don’t need to overthink it, just get in the habit of pausing, asking yourself questions, and explaining things as they come up. Here’s a quick checklist for a study session:

• Read or review a section.
• Pause and explain it, either out loud or in your notebook.
• If you’re unsure about your explanation, circle back to your study material.
• Move on to the next topic only when you feel your explanation makes sense.

Over time, you’ll find you remember more—not because you read things over and over, but because you put in the effort to make it your own. That’s really what makes self-explanation stick.

9. Colour-Coded Notes

Have you ever opened a notebook and just felt lost in a sea of black ink? That’s where color comes in handy. Color-coding your notes can really help with sorting information in a way your brain actually finds useful, and honestly, it can make revision feel a bit less dull. It’s not just about looking pretty either. When you use colors with a purpose, you’ll spot patterns faster and remember things more clearly. Here’s how you can make your own system work:

• Assign specific colors to themes or topics. For example, maybe you always use blue for dates, green for key terms, and red for anything you’re stuck on. This way, you can skim and spot what you need in seconds.
• Highlight connections. Use the same color for linked concepts across your notes. Suddenly, that complicated process in biology or all those math formulas become a lot less tangled up in your head.
• Make a color key. Especially if you’re using more than three colors, jot down a little legend in the corner of your notebook. No more guessing mid-revision what yellow actually means.

Here’s a quick table showing some ways to organize colors:

You don’t need fancy pens, you can do this with cheap highlighters or even colored pencils. The trick is to stick with your system so your brain starts making those fast connections without even thinking about it too hard. It won’t solve every revision problem, but it definitely cuts down on the time you waste searching through messy notes, and gives your memory a little boost at the same time.

10. Study Groups

Sometimes, trying to study on your own can feel like running in circles. Working with a study group is one of those effective study methods that can actually make things stick. If you’re looking for the best ways to revise for exams, this one is worth your time – even if you’re not naturally outgoing.

Here’s why joining or setting up a study group can help you improve memory for studying and pick up proven study strategies from your peers:

• You get fresh perspectives. Sometimes, what makes perfect sense to your friend is something you just can’t get your head around – and vice versa. Swapping viewpoints can clear up confusing topics fast.
• Explaining aloud helps you learn. When you have to talk someone else through a tough topic, you realize pretty quickly where you’re not so confident. Teaching others is a solid memory trick, sometimes, you catch details you missed the first time.
• Accountability actually works. Having people who expect you to show up keeps you on track. It’s one of those classic tips for exam preparation: you’re less likely to bail on a session if your group is waiting.
• You split the workload. Each group member can summarize different sections or make practice questions. This not only saves time; it mixes things up so you’re not seeing the same notes all the time.

Here’s a quick table with some common study group activities and what they help with:

But a study group only works well if everyone stays focused. Keep the group small (3-5 people is ideal), set a clear agenda, and take turns sharing what you’ve prepared. If meeting in person isn’t easy, online chat or video calls work too.

If you’ve been struggling with revision feeling stale or lonely, try a study group. You might end up picking up some of the best ways to revise for exams and learn a few new tips for exam preparation from others who know what you’re going through.