Strategies

Reviewing and revising content is important, even if you do not have exams. All final assessments require you to make connections across the semester. If you have not been developing your understanding of the unit and its content during the semester, these can be just as challenging as not being prepared for an exam. Using a range of techniques has also been shown to increase assessment performance (Marsh & Butler, 2013; Walck-Shannon et al., 2021). There are plenty of study strategies you can use to revise content. The following list of study strategies work from consolidation to application.

Studying should be more than just reading your notes. One of the first ways to identify what you want to revise is to summarise your notes. Summarising notes is more than just rereading and rewriting. You want to condense the notes you have taken into useful sections. Using colour and underlining can help you highlight key information. These summaries can also help you identify what information you might use in other techniques, such as flash cards or practice questions.
Flash cards are a two-sided memory aid. On one side is one piece of information (e.g., a unit concept or equation) and on the other is some kind of explanation or definition. You flip through the cards, and from reading the information on one side, you check your understanding by mentally or verbally noting what you think the answer is on the other side. You then check to see if you are correct.
Similar to flash cards, matching cards are about associating related pieces of information. Instead of having two-sided cards, you create two sets of cards; one with the first piece of information and one with the other. Shuffle each set, and then lay these out on a table, and then find the matching cards.
It is important that you also keep an answer list, so you can check if you are correct after matching the cards.
Mnemonics are memory aids that can assist in recalling large pieces of information. They involve connecting information to something we find more accessible. You can use acronyms, for example, BODMAS (Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction) is used to remember the order of operations in maths equations, and acrostics, for example, never eat soggy weetbix (north, east, south, west) helps you remember the order of the directions on a compass. You can also write a song, or change lyrics in songs to include the information you are trying to learn.
Varying how you summarise information can help you retain it. Record yourself summarising different content from your unit. You can do this two ways:
- You script your summaries, record them, and then listen to them as a revision tool to help you remember content.
- You can also use this as a technique to check your understanding. Record a summary, and then listen back to it with your notes present. Have you summarised everything you needed to?
There are many ways to visualise unit content, and make connections across, and within, your unit content. Using mind maps, brainstorms and infographics, is an effective strategy to summarise information and demonstrate these connections. Just like with recording summaries, you can use these techniques to help identify what you know about a topic, compare this to your notes, and then determine what you need to spend more time revising. You can also develop these with the support of your notes as another summary of your content.
This is a great way to start to apply the information you are learning. You can write your own practice questions, based on unit objectives and any details you know about what your assessments will focus on, as well as use any existing questions your unit has provided. If there are questions that you are struggling to answer, note these questions, so you can review this material and improve your understanding.
Importantly, as you get closer to the deadline, you want to try and match the types of questions you will see in your assessment. Though multiple-choice questions might be a good way to learn definitions, for example, if your exam is only short answer questions, these are the types of questions you should be using closer to the task.
Even if you do not have test-based assessments in your studies, you can still use this technique. Use the unit objectives to write questions that are similar to what your final assessment task might ask, and use these to practise.
Some assessments will ask you to apply the knowledge and skills you have developed during the unit to a case study. Try to find some case studies, or use examples from the unit or text book to practise with.
Generative artificial intelligence software is an emerging study tool you can use to support your learning. You can ask it to write practice questions for you and use these to study with. You can also use the generator to create a summary of a topic for you. Then, critically analyse this text (look at its claims and reasoning) to see if it is correct, or if there are any errors. Generative artificial intelligence does not provide you with factual information, but rather gives you text in a style you ask for. Because of this, you can use this to look for inaccuracies and to check your own understanding of a topic. When you are using generative artificial intelligence in your studies, make sure you are using it ethically.
You can use study groups to talk about unit content, check your understanding and quiz each other. These can also be a useful way to identify misunderstandings, or questions you may have about the unit content, and you can check these with your tutor or unit coordinator.
Your unit may also have a PASS program running. Commencing in week 2 of semester, these sessions review unit content, as well as help you develop good study skills. Check your unit’s Moodle page to see if PASS is offered, and sign up.
Your unit may run exam revisions sessions. Remember to attend these, take notes, and ask questions to clarify unit content and any questions about your final assessment.

Planning your study

Now you know what you are studying, it is time to think about when and where you will revise. Research has highlighted the importance of undertaking revision throughout the semester, and avoiding cramming (Marsh & Butler, 2013). Whilst it might help in the short term, cramming does not help you remember information in the long term. University studies are about equipping you with the knowledge and skills to be successful in your chosen career, not just your exams. Creating, and using, a study plan will help you manage your course load. This plan can also be updated once you know your exam timetable. When creating your plan, you want to think about when and where you will study, as well as give yourself breaks.

When to study
How to study
Where to study

You want to study at the time of day when you are most alert. For most people, this will be in the morning. If you work better in the evenings or early mornings, do not study all night, or get up so early that you are losing sleep. Be mindful of keeping a regular sleep schedule, and one that supports you getting a full night of restful sleep. Rest is an important part of studying, and maintaining good sleeping habits is important both before and after learning (Walker, 2009).

If you are preparing for an exam, or similar timed assessment, as you get closer to the date, you want to transition when you study to align with the time of the assessment. You want to be training your body to be alert and active when the exam will take place.

You are more likely to retain information if you use shorter study sessions more frequently, than in one long session each week (Walck-Shannon et al., 2021; Walker, 2009). Try to keep study sessions no longer than a couple of hours.

Taking regular breaks is also important, as it gives your brain time to absorb the information. Using the Pomodoro technique is a good option here as it helps you keep track of time. This involves studying for 25 minutes, before taking a five minute rest break, and repeating. You can set a timer on your phone or laptop, or there are pomodoro apps and web-based timers.

Where you study is also important. You want to study in a space that will enable you to concentrate, and is free from distractions.

When working out where to study, ask yourself:

How much noise is there in the space? Is this too much?
Is this a space where I will not be interrupted?
Will I have access to everything I need? (e.g., internet, power, table space)
Is this a space where I can remove distractions?

Finally, just like altering your study schedule to match the time of the exam as you get closer, you also want to get used to the conditions of the exam room. If you usually prefer background noise, or music, when you study, start to spend more time in quiet locations (such as libraries) and listen to less music. This will help you feel more comfortable in the exam room, as you are used to working in quiet spaces.

Check your understanding View

Basri, F. (2023). Factors influencing learner autonomy and autonomy support in a faculty of education. Teaching in Higher Education, 28(2), 270–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1798921
Marsh, E. J., & Butler, A. C. (2013). Memory in educational settings. In D. Reisberg (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Psychology (pp. 299–317). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195376746.013.0020
Walck-Shannon, E. M., Rowell, S. F., & Frey, R. F. (2021). To what extent do study habits relate to performance? CBE Life Sciences Education, 20(1), ar6. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.20-05-0091
Walker, M. P. (2009). The role of slow wave sleep in memory processing. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 5(2), S20–S26.

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Student Academic Success

Student Academic Success

Strategies

Planning your study

Check your understanding View

Taking it further

Understand your assessment

Master the art of note making

Prepare for timed assessments

Managing your time

Create your own learning network

Study better

Your feedback matters