Unfortunately, not all study methods are created equal. Some are significantly better than others, especially if they incorporate active recall. As much as you might enjoy using Quizlet or making pretty notes, is this really the most effective way to spend your revision time?
Past papers
This is the ultimate way to revise, and for many reasons. Not only does it incorporate active recall into your revision, but you also get to practice your exam technique. If you think you are good at retaining knowledge but still don’t do well on tests, then this is the study method for you! In fact, because of the versatility and effectiveness of past papers, everyone should use them.
Practice questions
Whether the questions be from your textbook, your syllabus, or a worksheet, practice questions are always incredibly useful methods of revision. This is because of the fact that they use active recall, which helps you remember important things during tests. Although they may not always be exam-style, doing practice questions is always good! You can even take it one step further and write your own questions for you to answer later.
Flashcards
Some people may prefer hand-made, paper flashcards, while others may prefer apps like Quizlet or Anki. No matter what method you like, the effectiveness of flashcards is the same – and believe me, they are very effective. Since you can incorporate both spaced repetition and active recall when using flashcards, they are undeniably incredibly useful tools, especially for memorising specific definitions.
Teaching someone else
Despite the fact that you won’t get any exam-style questions like this, teaching someone else is still a brilliantly useful way of learning and furthering your understanding of concepts. Not only does teaching someone else force you to explain the concept in detail, but any questions they ask you serve to fill in the gaps in your own knowledge.
Mindmaps and timelines
While they may not be the best method to revise, mindmaps are still undeniably useful. They let you summarise your knowledge in a clear and concise way, as well as allowing you to make links between topics and concepts. Moreover, timelines (which are very similar to mindmaps, just chronological) are very useful for historical subjects as they allow you to visualise events, meaning that you can then remember and understand them better.
Making notes
Although they are a method of passive recall, making notes is still a good revision method. Although you shouldn’t utilise this method when revising for your final exams, making notes is a great way to understand key concepts when you first learn about a concept. If you want to incorporate active recall into your note-taking, try reading then covering up your textbook before making notes, forcing you to try and remember the key information (just like active recall does!).
