The summer holidays are coming, but for many pupils and students they are not only about relaxing. A resit exam, a second session or simply the wish to start again on a stronger footing: summer can become a key moment to regain confidence. Revising during the holidays is entirely possible, as long as you take a flexible, balanced and gradual approach.
Why revise during the holidays?
Summer holidays last about seven weeks in French-speaking schools and two months in Flanders. That is a long time without practice. If the year has left gaps, they may widen. A well-measured approach, on the other hand, can make all the difference.
Revising over the summer first helps to consolidate the basics. This is especially true in maths, science and languages, where concepts build on each other year after year. Going over the foundations at your own pace, without the pressure of daily school life, makes the new school year smoother and less stressful.
It is also the right way to prepare for a resit exam or a second session. Spreading the work over several weeks helps you absorb the material better, feel ready sooner and keep real time for rest.
Finally, summer is often a chance to regain confidence after a difficult report card. Taking back control of a subject, a chapter or a weak skill gradually restores motivation and self-esteem.
Resit exam or second session: check the calendar
Before you plan, find out the exact date of the exams. Everything else depends on it.
- In French-speaking secondary schools, since the school calendar reform, no assessment may take place during the holidays. Schools that still organise resit exams hold them at the end of the school year or in the first days after school resumes in late August. Some have dropped them. Only the school can give you the date.
- In higher education, the second session takes place at the end of the summer. The exact calendar is on the website of your university or university college.
- With no exam to retake, the goal is different: keep up what has been learnt and close one or two gaps, at a much lighter pace.
Revising over the summer: 5 principles that work
Here are a few simple principles for revising during the summer holidays without burning out or procrastinating.
1. Assess your real workload
A pupil with three resit exams obviously does not have the same needs as one who simply wants to strengthen what they know. So start by taking stock:
- which subjects and which chapters?
- when are the exams, if there are any?
- how many weeks are really available, taking family holidays into account?
These answers let you build a realistic schedule, rather than an ideal programme that gets dropped after a week.
2. Spread out your revision instead of cramming at the end
Research on learning has confirmed it for a long time: spreading study sessions over time works better than last-minute cramming. You remember more, your memory consolidates and stress stays under control.
In practice, four or five short sessions a week are better than long days piled up in the final week. Coming back to a topic after a few days, then after a week, helps it stick.
3. Take a real break at the start of the summer
After an exam session or a difficult end of year, the brain needs to recover. A few days of real disconnection, without school pressure, often help you start again with more focus and a better mood.
That does not mean forgetting everything for weeks. This break works best when it has clear limits: decide in advance the day you will gently get back to work. A rested mind is then more ready to start again.
4. Vary the way you revise
Revising is more than rereading your notes. Passive rereading is one of the least effective ways to remember things for the long term. What works better is making your brain retrieve information rather than just recognise it. A few formats to alternate:
- write a summary to organise your ideas;
- explain a concept out loud, alone or to someone close;
- use flashcards or revision cards for definitions, vocabulary and formulas;
- do exercises and quizzes, especially past exams when the school provides them;
- watch a short explainer video for an abstract concept.
This variety makes the work more engaging, prevents boredom and lets everyone find the tools that suit them best. To learn more about these techniques, read our 5 study tips to pass your exams.
5. Set small weekly goals
Faced with a dense subject or several exams, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Break the work down into precise, concrete and achievable weekly goals.
Instead of “I have to go over my whole science course”, aim for “master basic chemical reactions by Sunday”. A clear goal with a time limit lets you see your progress, stay motivated and focus on what matters. Week after week, this rhythm creates a flexible but steady momentum.
What does a balanced revision week look like?
There is no standard schedule: it all depends on age, exams and holiday plans. A few guidelines still help find the right balance:
- revise at a set time, for example in the morning, and keep the rest of the day free;
- plan short sessions, with a break roughly every 45 minutes;
- keep at least one or two revision-free days each week;
- end the week with a short test on what you have covered.
For a primary school child, a few short reading or maths sessions a week are often enough. A student preparing for a second session will need a much more intensive schedule.
Parents: how to support without adding pressure
Your role is mainly to help your child get organised. Build the schedule with your child rather than for them: they will stick to it better. Value consistency and progress, not just results.
If your child lacks method, support with study skills can help them learn to revise on their own, an asset that will serve them well beyond the summer.
Revising is also about looking after yourself
Summer revision is not about weeks of extra constraints. It is about regaining confidence step by step, and starting the new school year without the knot in the stomach that so many pupils know.
And if a helping hand is needed, it is possible to get support at your own pace. At My Sherpa, an educational advisor chooses the coach who matches the pupil’s needs, for private tutoring in secondary school or to prepare for a second session in higher education. Lessons take place at home, anywhere in Belgium, or online, which remains possible even during the holidays.
