Revision Skills Development

Revision requires development of specific skills which help clearly understand the subjects and exam questions.

The perfect module for revision skills development would be bites of short works done after each topic learnt. These short module revisions should be planned and fixed in your weekly or monthly study planner and, therefore they require good study time management skills. Here tutor’s or teacher’s assistance would be very useful: you may discuss which topics/questions should be learnt more seriously and which ones are optional and not needed for revision. Revision planning also demands good organizational skills as you should organize your revised subjects assessment and problem questions management. However the most important skill for successful revision is your notes made while studying the material. Notes are vital and inevitable part of revision work as it is the basis for the rest three modules of study time management, teacher’s discussions and planning.

Without notes it is impossible to clearly understand what should be revised, discussed and how much time it will take. Thus, making notes are necessary while you are studying new topic and note skills should be primarily developed. Clear and good records could bring many benefits such as your knowledge testing, complete revision, clear understanding of new phenomena and vision of your future problems in study. There are also two more advantages which could stand out of the rest ones due to their importance; they are development of communication skills and making good basis for your future term papers writing.

While making notes you are preparing for future presentation of your own ideas and comments, both oral and written. Making notes skill has some vital rules which should be learnt. First, determine your style of notes. There are two styles of making notes and they are based on the person’s preference of one of perception types. People who used to perceive new thing logically by thinking and analyzing should use highlighting, underlining, figuring and scheming methods for making notes. Those who prefer using images, symbols, colors to understand some phenomena would prefer making notes with writing some comments added in margins and between lines of the text.

Once you have determined your preference practice the style you have chosen before start making notes at the lecture. Take some book, written article in magazine or newspaper and choose the abstract to be noted. The abstract should be no more than two-four paragraphs and is somehow related to your study. Practice by leaving your own comments while reading the abstract aloud. This will help you develop effective and quick noting of what your teacher is saying. Besides, this will clear up your weaknesses in making notes which should be eliminated in future.

Now you can start your notes practice at lecture! It would be much better if you could manage to find some time after lectures to write out all your notes in a separate file; by the end of the study year you will have invaluable source for effective revision and quick preparation for your exams. Be ready to be asked for your notes by other students who would be glad to pay you for them!