How to revise for exams

Cramming might be great for that last burst of information, but you don't want to overload your brain with too much at one time. If you start studying early enough, your brain is much more likely to take in the information. Set yourself a date before the exam – 4-6 weeks is a good starting point – to focus on that particular subject, and do the same for your other subjects too.

Different people need different environments to study in, and while a few could claim that they prefer to study in front of the TV, you're better off giving your brain a chance at taking in the right kind of information.

Find yourself a quiet space where you're unlikely to be interrupted. Before you sit down, make sure the room is OK for temperature, and turn off your phone – or at the very least put it on silent.

Ensure you have all the materials you need with you, be it books, stationery or other notes you've made. It's very easy to get distracted when heading off to find something you may have forgotten.

When you're revising the work you've been doing all term, it's not unusual to see things from a different perspective or have further questions about what you've learned.

If your teachers are still around, ask them for further help if you need it. Obviously, they can't tell you exactly what's going to be in the exam, but they can help make things make more sense for you. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Spending hours on end reading endless pages or writing out notes isn't necessarily the best way to study. Try a different approach to studying that holds your interest.

Keep active by always working with a pen and paper rather than using a computer. Look for key points and test yourself. Set yourself tasks and complete those rather than restricting yourself to a certain amount of time.

Have a plan at the start of every study session and think about what you want to have completed by the end of it. Plan out what you want to cover and when. make sure you've identified the priority areas in each subject.

Aid your understanding by organising study material into patterns that make sense to you. Why not use illustrations or graphics to make things clearer. Slot new things you learn in beside things you already knew about. Working this way means that you're less likely to forget something once you actually understand it.

Set yourself goals that you know you can achieve so that you don't lose heart or interest. While you'll need blocks of studying time to aid your revision, spending ages on a subject doesn't automatically lead to success; it's the quality of the studying that you do which counts.