Revision - try testing yourself

Revision 

It's getting near that time of year again and exams are approaching. What is the best way to retain information? One study suggests there are 2 methods that are really effective:

1. Testing yourself
2. Spreading out your revision over time (this is the best method).

So it's not a good idea to leave it to the last minute and it's a good idea to come up with some ways of testing yourself.

Testing Yourself

Your lecturer may have access to past papers but these aren't always easy to get hold of so how else can you test yourself?

Flashcards

• Create physical flashcards - the BBC website shows you how to do this  here. 
• Create online flashcards using free online tools like Adobe Spark, Quizlet or StudyStack. You can also create them in Google Slides.
• Use existing flashcards on these websites - BUT remember you don't know who has created them so check that the answers are right first.
• When using the flashcards to test yourself, remember to keep those you don't get right to one side. This is a good way of showing you what you need to read through again. Then go back to these and  keep using them to test yourself until you get them all right.

Use existing quizzes from our Electronic Resources

Some of our online resources have quizzes and case studies built in so you don't have to create them yourself.

Primal has quizzes and case studies on anatomy and physiology. Just choose the relevant module e.g. cell biology or the skin.

Hairdressing Training has quizzes and activities in it. Choose quizzes from the home page, refine by which level you are on by using the menu on the left and then choose what you want to revise. Remember to do the quizzes several times until you get them all right.

The Health and Social Care resource has a risk assessment quiz, but the others are for reflective practice rather than for revision.