It’s that time of year again… the days are longer, the sun has started to shine, and you have to start revising. It may seem quite frustrating, but this is the perfect time to start. It’s close enough to exams that the nerves have started kicking in, but early enough that you don’t have to panic. In this blog, I will give you three tips for effective A-Level revision.
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Try Science Tutoring1. Give yourself manageable, realistic goals
You’re hoping to be a medic, so nobody can blame you for being an ambitious person. However, when it comes to revision, you need to set yourself manageable, realistic goals.
This will lessen the chance of you becoming overly stressed, and give you a sense of achievement when you achieve your targets. Whenever I make a revision plan, I always consider it to be the “minimum” I should achieve – that way, if that’s all I can manage, then I’m not behind, and if I can do more, then I am ahead!
However, in order to do this, you need to be organised and well prepared, and that means starting your revision early. Split each subject into topics and work through them systematically.
Read how to create an effective revision timetable>>
2. Don’t compare yourself to others
Everyone works at a different pace, and comparing yourself to others will always have a bad effect. If you compare yourself to someone who does more work than you, then you will feel as if you have not done enough. If you compare yourself to someone who does less than you, you may find yourself annoyed that you have to work harder than them. There is just no winning when comparing!
As long as you have a sensible plan, and know that you are doing as much as you can, then you do not need to worry about what anyone else is doing.
If it helps you to work with somebody, then find a revision buddy with similar work ethic and goals to you. You can share tips and motivate each other, but make sure that when you work with them you are achieving more, not less, than you would on your own!
Struggling with Biology? Read our revision tips here>>
3. Think about your goals to motivate you
It’s easy to lose sight of the end-game when revising for A-Levels, but at this point, you are so close to starting your medicine studies! The end (of A-Levels) is in sight and the goal is within reaching distance!
Think about this to motivate you – otherwise it can be very difficult to keep yourself going through what feels like endless months of studying and revision. Think about being a doctor and achieving your ambitions; you could even put a sign up in your bedroom to remind you!
Don’t forget that the studying and revision will not end when you finish your A-Levels – medicine will definitely involve a lot of studying! However, it should hopefully be material that you enjoy, or at least, it will feel like a lot more relevant than your current exams do.
Revising for A-Levels also has the additional stress of uncertainty – so trust me, it will get better from here! You can do it!
Read how to balance A-Levels and applying for medicine>>
Words: Mariam Al-Attar
Want more tips? Try these:
- Read how to balance A-Levels and applying for medicine>>
- Read how to create an effective revision timetable>>
- Struggling with Biology? Read our revision tips here>>
