We've all been there: exam season is fast approaching and you have weeks, or maybe even days, until your exam- you know... the exam you haven't yet started revising for? This was the exact scenario that I was in last year two weeks before my GCSE Science Paper Two exams, but it was with this technique (as well as completing practice question after practice question) that I still managed to walk away with two grade 9's and an 8 in those very exams- and it is this method that I'll be sharing with you today. Though perhaps a little shorter than some of my other posts, I hope it is useful and as per usual do feel free to leave any thoughts in the comments below!
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Just before we begin, I thought I ought to do a quick disclaimer and mention that this technique is solely for memorisation purposes and, of course, memorisation alone is not enough to get you into the top grade bands. Furthermore, I am fully aware that everybody learns in different ways- so while this may be the best method for me to memorise information, it may not be the best method for you to memorise information. Anyway, disclaimers aside... let's begin!
Seeing as I mentioned it in the introduction, I'm going to continue to explain this method using GCSE Science- but it can of course be very easily adapted to suit other subjects. For AQA Biology, there were 7 main topics and I had made notes for every topic- which I then used to make flashcards. Flashcards are optimal for this method (there are many pre-made sets on Quizlet if you haven't made any yourself!), but I don't see why it couldn't work from other resources such as mindmaps. As an example, one of my flashcard questions from the homeostasis topic was "What are reflex reactions?" and the answer "Rapid, automatic responses of the nervous system that do not require conscious thought. They are involuntary". As you cannot memorise information effectively in such long chunks, I would begin to break it down into roughly the 5 word mark- for this one, I would probably do "Rapid automatic responses of the nervous system", "that do not require conscious thought" and "they are involuntary". I would then proceed to type out a section 5 times whilst saying it aloud; although it may seem odd at first, you will retain the information better- I promise! The first time, it goes without saying that I'd use the flashcard to type up my answer- but the further on I'd go, the less support I'd try to use. After doing this, I would turn to the side so I'd have no resources and speak the passage aloud again as I write down key words on my mini-whiteboard about 3 times- and then finish by simply speaking it aloud 3-5 times. I would repeat this process for other chunks and then do that with all of them together. Now of course, the number of repetitions are interchangeable and sometimes I won't do as many because it doesn't feel necessary- or I cut out the typing up and simply write the phrase out once properly on my mini-whiteboard, if I'm really pressed for time.
Timing-wise, I do this with the Pomodoro method because it's what I've found to be optimal for 'intense' revision like this; if you haven't heard of the technique, you work for 25 minutes and then have a 5 minute break- this is known as your Pomodoro, and for every 4 Pomodoro's, you can have a longer break of 15 minutes. It is important to recap your flashcards regularly, and I did a quick one at the start of every new Pomodoro session. From then on, I review my sets like this: right before I go to bed the same day I learnt the information; a few days after; a week after; 2-3 weeks after and finally, a month after (if I have a month, of course). Every time you don't get a a card completely correct, put it in a separate pile and repeat the process above- though of course, if you're in bed, it's enough to simply say it out loud a few times!
So, that was my rather complicated-sounding memorisation method- but I promise that that isn't the case once you get started! If you do give it a go, be sure to let me know how you get on!
Seeing as I mentioned it in the introduction, I'm going to continue to explain this method using GCSE Science- but it can of course be very easily adapted to suit other subjects. For AQA Biology, there were 7 main topics and I had made notes for every topic- which I then used to make flashcards. Flashcards are optimal for this method (there are many pre-made sets on Quizlet if you haven't made any yourself!), but I don't see why it couldn't work from other resources such as mindmaps. As an example, one of my flashcard questions from the homeostasis topic was "What are reflex reactions?" and the answer "Rapid, automatic responses of the nervous system that do not require conscious thought. They are involuntary". As you cannot memorise information effectively in such long chunks, I would begin to break it down into roughly the 5 word mark- for this one, I would probably do "Rapid automatic responses of the nervous system", "that do not require conscious thought" and "they are involuntary". I would then proceed to type out a section 5 times whilst saying it aloud; although it may seem odd at first, you will retain the information better- I promise! The first time, it goes without saying that I'd use the flashcard to type up my answer- but the further on I'd go, the less support I'd try to use. After doing this, I would turn to the side so I'd have no resources and speak the passage aloud again as I write down key words on my mini-whiteboard about 3 times- and then finish by simply speaking it aloud 3-5 times. I would repeat this process for other chunks and then do that with all of them together. Now of course, the number of repetitions are interchangeable and sometimes I won't do as many because it doesn't feel necessary- or I cut out the typing up and simply write the phrase out once properly on my mini-whiteboard, if I'm really pressed for time.
Timing-wise, I do this with the Pomodoro method because it's what I've found to be optimal for 'intense' revision like this; if you haven't heard of the technique, you work for 25 minutes and then have a 5 minute break- this is known as your Pomodoro, and for every 4 Pomodoro's, you can have a longer break of 15 minutes. It is important to recap your flashcards regularly, and I did a quick one at the start of every new Pomodoro session. From then on, I review my sets like this: right before I go to bed the same day I learnt the information; a few days after; a week after; 2-3 weeks after and finally, a month after (if I have a month, of course). Every time you don't get a a card completely correct, put it in a separate pile and repeat the process above- though of course, if you're in bed, it's enough to simply say it out loud a few times!
So, that was my rather complicated-sounding memorisation method- but I promise that that isn't the case once you get started! If you do give it a go, be sure to let me know how you get on!