With exams just around the corner, it’s officially everyone’s least favourite time of the year. We’ve collated some great bits of advice for making the most of your revision time whilst staying happy and healthy.

Highlighters at the ready? Time to get stuck in!

Photo – Moyan Brenn via Flickr

#1 Make a realistic plan and stick to it!

A cliché piece of advice, but an important one! Work around your exam timetable in a sensible manner and become the master of multi-tasking. If you’re unfortunate enough to have multiple exams on the same or consecutive days, split your time evenly.

Top tip: don’t be tempted to spend three days swatting for your first exam and then cram your next subject into three hours. Allow for generous breaks and evenings off where possible.

Warning: excessive colour-coding of your revision timetable is usually a procrastination technique, and should be avoided at all costs.

I found making a plan and breaking down my tasks made revision much less daunting. Once you break what you have to do down into chunks, the task is far more manageable. There’s a sense of satisfaction in completing a section, which was a really useful way of staying positive during the exam period.
Minash Bablani, recent graduate.

#2 Create a revision hidey-hole

Be sure to revise in a place where you feel most comfortable and most productive. Staying in your room may mean you’re prone to flatmate interruptions, Netflix temptation or a ‘quick’ nap, so try working in one of the numerous spaces available across campus.

Some people learn best when they lock themselves away in their rooms. But I find being around others who are revising is key to staying motivated. I pick a few locations around campus to work in, and switch between them so I’m not always getting distracted around the same group of people.
Max Cartwright, finalist

#3 Use the resources available to you

For most modules and subjects, you’ll find lecture slides and notes on LEARN, as well as copies of past papers. Working through these papers and asking your tutors or peers to provide some informal feedback could be a useful sign of how well prepared you are for the day.

Top tip: If maths is a key area of your revision, be sure to check out the help on offer at the University’s Mathematics Learning Support Centres.

#4 Stay healthy

Taking a walk, hitting the gym or having a kick about with friends is a perfect way to clear your mind after a day’s revision. If you’re in self-catered halls, consider planning the week’s meals in advance so you have a quick, home-cooked healthy dinner to look forward to, and stop yourself turning to the takeaway menu. Getting enough sleep is key to remembering those facts, figures and formulae, so avoid staying up all night cramming. If you’re feeling under the weather, or need to talk, don’t forget that there is personal support available to you throughout the exam period.

Stepping away from the books and getting a change of scenery can be really helpful. Taking a walk and getting some fresh air in between my revision sessions often did wonders for my state of mind; if I was feeling anxious or overwhelmed, or felt like nothing was going in, a 15 minute walk or a quick gym session helped me organise my thoughts and I’d come back to my revision with a fresh perspective.
Claudia Green, recent graduate

#5 Know the rules

Become well versed with the examination rules at Loughborough; they may be different to exams you’ve taken before. Don’t trip up at the last-minute by taking your phone in with you or forgetting to scrub off that sharpie note on your hand. Remind yourself of the main points here.

Got any revision hacks you think we’ve missed? Share them in the comments below.

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