As a year 11 student, chances are you will repeatedly hear about GCSE revision throughout the year from your teachers and parents. Despite these reminders, inevitably some students will start their revision in good time and others won't. If the days have crept up for you, and you've realised you're weeks away from your first exam, we are here to help with revision tips.

We’ve all been there at some point, leaving our submission for a deadline or our exam revision to the eleventh hour. This may be because you left it this late, or perhaps there were circumstances out of your control, try not to fret. Either way, if you’re wondering where to go from here, here's how we can help. Below are 5 rapid GCSE revision techniques and tips (with a bonus one) to help you out.

1. GCSE Revision: The Right Mindset and Self-Talk

In a time like this, you'll need to make sure you have the right mindset because the last thing you need is stressing over how little time you have left. Instead, figuring out the most efficient way to cover the topics for your subjects is a better use of your energy. You can do hard things, and exams are just one of many you'll overcome in your life. For this reason, being intentional about cultivating positive self-talk can make a difference.

You may second-guess the usefulness of affirmations here, but the last thing you want is to crumble under the pressure as it can throw you off. To avoid this, you must take care of your mental health during this time. Later on, we share a bonus tip to help you manage your mental well-being in your exam preparation.

2. Use Active Recall Strategies for GCSE Revision

One of the benefits of starting your revision in good time is that you will be able to learn, understand, and recall the topics and their contents for your subjects effectively. Active recall as the name suggests is a study technique which relies on you recalling information you’ve learnt (not crammed). It usually involves explaining in depth (according to your understanding) or answering a question you’ve been asked by say a tutor, study buddy, family member, or teacher on a given topic from memory. 

Here are a few ways you can do this:

• Writing on a whiteboard what you know about a topic, erasing it and rewriting from memory
• Creating flashcards (either electronic or paper) to test yourself
• Asking a friend or family member to quiz you on content
• Creating Mnemonics to remember trickier topics (useful for Science and essay-based subjects like English, Psychology etc)

Whether you’re pushed for time or not for your revision, active recall is a necessity. It's a crucial revision technique that you will use even when you're in the exam hall, so you're better off using several of these revision techniques.

3. Building Discipline: Use Apps and Tech For Your GCSE Revision To Your Benefit 

Quite frankly, many of us rely on our phones and social media to wind down, decompress, or fill our spare time. However, in the lead-up to your exams, you may want to redirect the time (hours) you otherwise would have spent scrolling, watching or doing whatever else on your phone, towards your revision instead. It is equally important to assess how you spend your time today, and spending less time on social media is one of the ways you can do so. If you are open to it, you can use your phone (well apps) to support you with your revision.

There are different kinds of apps targeting different goals. Some can be used to avoid distractions, and others to test your knowledge. Using apps for your GCSE revision can help test your knowledge and highlight areas to improve, so don't underestimate how your phone can help you! 

To help you, we’ve together a list of (mostly) free apps to support your GCSE revision and exam preparation. These include: 

•  Evernote
• Quizlet
• Forest
• Knowunity
• Seneca Learning

Though you shouldn't rely on these apps alone for your GCSE revision, they can be useful as a starting point.

4. Create a To-Do List for Your GCSE Revision

I know that a to-do list or plan might seem pointless and a waste of time, but I always suggest it as it will allow you to see the content you need or want to cover. Though everyone won't do this, I believe it's a useful tip as you’ll know in scope (and see) the topics you need to cover. With the time remaining, you can plan which topics you need to review and the ones you won't. Plus, being able to mark things off your list can leave you with a sense of accomplishment while under pressure.

The reality is most students have topics they perform better in or more easily understand, and ones they struggle with. That’s normal. Including the topics you’re not as confident in on your to-do list, is a good place to begin your GCSE revision.  

If you can identify your areas of weakness, you'll be able to knuckle down to improve your understanding of these. Spending time running through your classroom notes, tuition material or YouTube videos that break down difficult topics is also good.

5. Use Past Papers, Sample Papers and Mark Schemes

For GCSE revision, past papers are always a good idea as they allow you to practice before the real thing. To get the most out of them, you should complete them under timed conditions. Remember though, you shouldn't rely solely on past papers for your revision, as they are a testing method. You'll still want to leave some time to cover content material.

Your efforts don't need to end here though, you can (and should) use sample papers and mark schemes to your advantage as well. In another post, we share links to various exam board past papers and examiner reports, but for today past and sample papers can aid your success.

Although you might not see the value in doing this as it does take intention and time to complete, you have nothing to lose. Practice makes progress, and at this point, you need as much practice as you can get. You don't need to sit every past paper, but testing your knowledge will prepare you for the real thing. There are past papers for all subjects, so aim to complete several of them in the subjects you struggle with.

6. Take Time To Recoup and Refuel

While you may believe it’s best to run through all your notes, mock papers and classwork day and night, you should know that burnout isn't the goal. After all, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and Jill a dull girl. Although you want to use your time well, you don't need to neglect rest and breaks in your preparation as they do more good than harm. Balance is your friend, not your enemy.

By leaving room for recuperation, you give yourself the chance to be in the best mental, emotional and physical state for your exams. As mentioned earlier, having the right mindset supports your success, and makes all the difference but so does rest! If you find yourself struggling to destress, rest, or unwind, consider using the Headspace app. It's not a one-size-fits-all fix, but it does have guided meditations to help you stay calm and recoup while you take a break from revising.

In case you didn't know, Headspace is a mindfulness app, with a paid version, but you can also use it for free. It has many features, but its stress relief techniques, guided meditations and breathwork exercises will be most useful for you. Below is a short guided meditation video to give you an idea of how they support mindfulness.

Main Takeaway - What Should You Do Now?

If you're short on time, the main thing you need to do is prioritise. I cannot stress this enough! Don't spend too much time thinking about how you wished you'd started sooner. Or thinking about how you might have ruined your chances. And if you don't take anything else anyway, don't give up on yourself!

To revise productively and healthily, remember to:

• Eat enough
• Sleep Enough (cannot stress this enough!)
• Complete the revision you can (reasonably) get through
• Avoid cramming
• Ask your teachers for help on topics you don't understand (or a tutor if you have one. To reach us, you can send us an email at hello(at)dreamteamtutoring.com)
• Use active recall revision techniques (flashcards, exam papers, writing on a whiteboard/piece of paper information you've learned)

Next, you should work through past papers for your exam board (and your mock exam feedback too). Most students will have one or two subjects they feel confident in. This is a good place to start as doing something familiar, and that you "know" already can help you build the momentum to keep going.

There you have it, our 5 (and bonus) rapid GCSE revision techniques for you to use in your exam preparation.

Leave us a comment below or a like if you found any of these tips valuable, and we wish you the best of luck in your exams.

Happy Revising!