Don’t we all think that if we study every day, it is enough to crack any exam—university level or competitive level? But that’s not always the case. For some people, memory retention is super easy. On the other hand, we have people like me who can easily forget what they learned yesterday, or even forget whether they learned anything at all. So what’s the solution to this? Is it sleepless nights, midnight cramming, or stressing yourself out? The answer is no. You don’t have to stress yourself out just to feel like you’re solving the problem. You simply need to take the right steps in the right order.
What are those steps? I don’t have a universal answer, but I do know one thing that always helps—revision. We have all heard people say that revision is key, and yes, reading the same text again can feel boring. But that does not negate the fact that it actually works. If you keep finding excuses to avoid revision, that probably means you need it even more. And revision doesn’t always mean pulling out a fat textbook and rereading the same lines. You can revise using quizzes, flashcards, or even by explaining the topic to a friend to see how well you understood it.
However, revision should be planned properly. It should not sabotage the new things you are trying to learn. Imagine a guy named John. John studies every day, but forgets information very fast. He decides to revise the next day whatever he studied today. But because of time constraints, he cannot manage both daily studying and daily revision. If he focuses only on revision, his regular study routine gets disturbed, which is also harmful.
So what’s the solution then? Spaced repetition. Instead of revising every single day, keep revision sessions at fixed intervals, like every weekend. This way you revise the whole week together and still move forward without disturbing your study flow.
Keep trying different methods, because revision is what helps the brain engrave information for a longer time. Everyone learns differently, so finding your own strategy matters the most.
Though I’m curious, what is your favourite revision strategy?
MBH/PS