Revising a lot is not always enough: revising well matters more. Some very common habits make you feel productive while leaving little behind on exam day. Here are the most common revision mistakes, and what works instead.
This advice applies to secondary school as well as higher education. It draws on what cognitive psychology has firmly established about learning, and on what our coaches have observed in the pupils and students they have supported since 2003.
Which mistakes should you avoid when revising for exams?
In short, the seven most common pitfalls:
- starting too late and revising everything in one go;
- rereading and highlighting instead of testing yourself;
- learning by heart without understanding;
- avoiding exercises and skimming over your mistakes;
- working for hours without a break, phone within reach;
- cutting back on sleep;
- struggling alone with a subject that is not clicking.
1. Starting too late and revising everything in one go
This is the most common mistake. You put it off, then try to catch up on everything in the last few days. The work is done in a rush, and understanding takes a back seat.
Research is clear on this point: spreading the study of the same material over several sessions with gaps in between (known as distributed practice) leads to longer lasting memory than the same amount of time in a single block.
What works:
- go over each chapter several times, a few days apart, rather than once for a long time;
- start with the heaviest subjects or the ones you master least;
- keep the last few days for consolidation, not for discovering new material.
2. Rereading and highlighting instead of testing yourself
Rereading your notes and highlighting your course pack feels reassuring: the text looks familiar, so you feel you know it. But recognising information is not the same as being able to recall it on your own, in front of a blank page.
A major review of learning psychology research (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013) rates rereading and highlighting among the least effective techniques. At the top of the list: testing yourself and spacing out your revision.
What works:
- close the book, write down from memory what you remember, then check;
- ask yourself questions, or use flashcards with the question on the front and the answer on the back;
- redo questions from past exams or tests, where they exist.
3. Learning by heart without understanding
Many pupils see revision as a pure memory exercise. That works for a list of dates or vocabulary. Faced with a reasoning question, a problem or an application, rote learning falls apart.
What works:
- put each concept into your own words;
- explain a chapter to someone else: the gaps show up straight away;
- link ideas together, for example with a mind map or a diagram;
- ask yourself “why?” and “how?” at each step of a line of reasoning.
These techniques take more effort than rereading. That effort is precisely what makes things stick.
4. Avoiding exercises and skimming over your mistakes
Some put off exercises “until they are ready”. Others do them, look at the answers and move on to the next one. Either way, you lose the most valuable part of practice.
Practising is already a way of testing yourself. And a well analysed mistake is often the best lesson of the day.
What works:
- vary the exercises, from the simplest to the most complex;
- find the cause of each mistake: a concept not understood, carelessness, a misread instruction, lack of time;
- write these mistakes down in a notebook and reread it before the exam;
- redo a failed exercise a few days later, without looking at the solution.
In maths and science, this analysis of mistakes often makes all the difference.
5. Working for hours without a break, phone within reach
As exams approach, it is tempting to stay seated for hours. Yet attention drops over time, and an afternoon “at the desk” can contain far less real work than it seems.
Your phone makes things worse: every notification breaks your concentration, and it then takes time to get back into it.
What works:
- work in short, defined blocks, each followed by a real break; the Pomodoro technique, for example, suggests 25 minutes of work and a 5 minute break;
- adapt the length of the blocks to your own pace, what matters is sticking to them;
- during breaks, move around, drink some water, get some fresh air, rather than scrolling through a screen;
- leave your phone in another room during work blocks.
On that last point, see also our article on the impact of social media on students’ lives.
6. Cutting back on sleep
Revising late at night, or pulling an all-nighter before an exam, seems to save time. It is a bad trade: sleep plays an important role in consolidating what you learned during the day, and tiredness reduces attention the next day.
Guidelines from sleep experts (including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine):
- from 13 to 18 years old: 8 to 10 hours a night;
- from 18 years old: at least 7 hours.
During the exam study period too, regular hours, meals at fixed times and some physical activity help you keep going. There is no miracle food for memory, though: a balanced diet is enough.
7. Struggling alone with a subject that is not clicking
Many people hesitate to ask for help, fearing it makes them look less independent. Yet a difficulty spotted early can often be sorted out in a few sessions, whereas it can weigh heavily if you only discover it the night before the exam.
What works:
- ask your teacher, form tutor or teaching assistant as soon as something remains unclear;
- sometimes revise in pairs or in a small group, to quiz each other;
- get support with the subject that is holding you back, or with the way you revise itself.
How My Sherpa can help
An educational advisor chooses a coach for you who suits your subject and your level. Lessons take place at home, anywhere in Belgium, or online. Depending on your needs, the coach works on the subject itself or on your study method : organising your revision, testing yourself, analysing your mistakes.
To go further, see also our 5 tips for studying and passing your exams, as well as our private tutoring for secondary school and higher education.
