Studying, Revision and Exams: Are exams getting easier?

Ben Goldacre at The Guardian Newspaper (UK) points out that nobody can be sure if exams are actually getting any easier, because there is a lack of research into this area. This is an interesting article on a topical issue, that really brings to light that the 'exams are getting easier' debate is not actually based on research. Saying that exams are getting easier can be quite demoralising for students who are working hard to achieve their grades.

From the source: Pass rates are at 98%. A quarter of grades awarded were A or higher. This week every newspaper was filled with people asserting that exams are getting easier, and then 
other people asserting they are not. The question for me is always simple: how do you know?

Read More: Are Exams Getting Easier? Nobody Knows

Stress Management: Take a break - Jokes and Amusement

I found a website called Funny Exam and linked to in one of my previous Take a Break posts. 
I also found that quite a few people on forums were looking for exam blunders and mistakes related materials. The best bit: there are books packed and dedicated to the topic of exam mistakes and blunders with ''the best test paper blunders''. So take a look at F in Exams: The Best Test Paper Blunders, and other hilarious blooper books. 


F in Exams: The Best Test Paper Blunders, and more hilarious books - Amazon UK

Study and Revision Skills Tips and Techniques: Study or Revise Faster and Smarter

Copyright hvaldez1

If you get the right resources you will be able to ensure that you 1. do not work longer than necessary. 2. find suitable revision techniques. 3. find the latest learning techniques. I know because I have purchased several books like these. I would not have achieved top grades without them. In fact, I struggled before I got hold of any books. The techniques I found on the internet were hit and miss, and there was so much information I didn't know what to do with it. Basically, I was in need of expert guidance. I always used the internet to get study resources but they would only complement the study skills books I had bought. 
So how do you Study Smarter and Faster?


1. Do not rely on the internet alone. I thought I could sometimes, but I realised quickly that it was lacking. No-one is going to give you the best information for free. A lot of the key experts and educators write and publish study skills books.


2. Study Skills books by key experts and educators give you a massive advantage and boost in studying, revisions, and exams. These guides are like a companion book that you will use throughout your journey. 


You can get books on:

• essay writing, grammar and spelling to take your written work to the level that examiners want to see, and that would be a pleasure for them to mark.
• study skills handbooks that provide you with the A-Z of studying and give you a huge range of high quality suggestions all in one book. You can them all out and see which works best. Time management, essay planning, note-taking, organising notes, learning styles, the author's particular approach to learning that they advocate that you will not find anywhere else, such as Stella Cottrell's learning methods in The Study Skills Handbooks and Colin Rose's perspectives in Accelerated Learning.

If you are worried about this book being an extra cost then there are a few things to take into account: Online you will find discounted, low-cost books. Amazon is a great place to shop for your books. not just that but they have books that you will struggle to find in your usual bookstore. You can use your study skills guides year after year, you can sell them second hand to other students on ebay or Amazon marketplace or even a student bookshop, when you are finished with it, or you can pass your book onto a sibling. When it's put like that, and you consider the benefits of getting one, the cost itself feels negligible.

On the links below, you can see there are a wide range of books. I have picked a set of books: 1. Accelerated Learning, 2. Tony Buzan, 3. Palgrave books.
These are top quality books that are highly approved of not just by me, but by other students and customers.


You can also take this opportunity to get all the books you will need such as a study skills handbook, essay writing guide, a student diary planner and organiser and a Tony Buzan Memory skills book for exams. 





Accelerated Learning - Study Faster, Study Smarter, Be Study Wise and Get your copy of these top-selling books!


Accelerated learning guides you will notice sometimes aim towards teachers, but there is still a lot in these books for students, and in fact its the students who should know this information, not the teachers. If you get hold the top tips that these books can tell both students and teachers you will be able to implement techniques you never knew about into your studying. 


Some of the customer reviews say that these a few of these books may be a little out-dated, but I would say as a student, there is still a massive interest in these books because they still deliver the results you need and the information you want on: learning curves, how to review material for exams, how to implement relaxation into your studying in order to study better, how to enhance visual learning and much more.

Tony Buzan's Bestsellers, From Mind Maps to Memory Techniques, Find the Study Skills Book of your Dreams


Try Buzan's Memory Skills books and Mind Map books, there is also the Buzan Study Skills Handbook.


Palgrave Study Skills Books are great for University Students and other students. From How to Write Essays, to Complete Handbooks on Study Skills, Palgrave Books come with a Huge Seal of Approval Sticker from Other Students who use these Books


If you are not sure where to start with these books try: Dr Stella Cottrell's books first, I have really enjoyed using her books, and so have a lot of other students as the customer reviews show. And if you are looking for a particular topic such as essay writing, search for essay writing skills books, or essay grammar and referencing guides that will help you. 


If you are in the US, use the search box on the left hand sidebar to find these books on the Amazon US site, that I have placed there for your convenience.




The Study Skills Handbook (Palgrave Study Skills)
Margo Learmouth of Robert Gordon University, Dr Murray Simpson, University of Dundee, Jenny Fisher at Manchester Metropolitan University, Dr Keith Pond at Loughborough University, to name but a few have high praise, for this Study Skills Handbook that, as a student, you really can't do without.



For those elsewhere, International Shipping is available at Amazon, some of these books are hard to find in UK bookstores, let alone in bookstores overseas, so it is well worth looking into international shipping, find more information on the Amazon website. Or you could choose to download the ebook or try the video course that I suggested on the link above. 


I have provided visitors with a range of choices, as I would like to meet all of your needs. If there is something in particular that you would like to see here as you are from overseas, by all means send me a message either on the comments section or contact me, and I'll get back to you asap. 


I want to help you, so if there is a type of resource you want to see, then please let me know and I'll see what I can do. I can only do so much, but if I can help, I will! 

Revision and Note-taking Tips and Techniques: Use Colour to Remember and Organise Notes

A key factor of revision and note-taking that students can sometimes overlook is the importance of colour in notes. There is a lot of information you have to synthesise and to do this effectively, you need to try to make certain information stand out from other information.


Here's an example: You have to learn about Ancient History, the areas within this topic are: 'religion and belief in Ancient Egypt', 'Political systems throughout Ancient Egypt', and 'Magic and superstition'

Copyright msegura

You need to find a way to colour-code effectively to make various part of each topic stand out. How will you colour-code for each topic? Assign a colour to each area under one of the main topics, such as area 'Gods in Ancient Egypt' under the topic 'Religion and Belief in Ancient Egypt'. You could assign this yellow and everything about gods can be found in yellow. Do the same for other topics so each main idea within the sub-topic stands out and has its own colour. In the example, if you come across information about gods in 'Magic and superstition' you can continue using the colour you have already assigned for gods. Colour-coding means you can instantly take one look at your notes and see which topics appear. In the exam, you will be able to recall the colour in order to remember the information.


To colour-code you need to invest in some resources, and it is easier to get a set of good quality pens, pencils, highlighters and notebooks all of these in one go. Colour-coding is much easier when you have more colours to choose from. So you need to have enough tools that provide you with a wide range of colours from which to choose. If you only have a few colours and tools you will limit your colour-coding efforts, and the use of colour will feel ineffective. Give yourself more colours and you will find your efforts well spent, as you can assign more colours to different topics and ensure you can differentiate between topics. Buying from Amazon is a good choice, there's probably already a book or something else you need to purchase from Amazon's large scale store, so you can get a nice bundle together. Links below.


To summarise: 

• Colour-code areas within larger topics.
• Be consistent with the colours you use.
• Use a wide variety of tools - coloured pens, coloured pencils, coloured paper, and highlighters - to get a wide range of colours, so your colour-coding efforts will be effective, and your efforts will be fruitful. 

Coloured Pens Range


Excellent Quality Notebooks


If you want to create elaborate mind-maps, it is good to invest in colouring pencils (they're not just for kids!). I advise colouring pencils here because you can get greater detail and a wider range of colours and shades, for examples of what I mean please refer to the Mind Maps post.


Coloured Pencils for Mind Maps, Diagrams and more.


For those of you who want something chunky - try coloured marker pens.


Get a Greater Range of Coloured Highlighters to have more colours to choose from for your Colour-coding.


Coloured Paper

Revision and Memory Tips and Techniques: Use Rhyme and Rhythm to Improve Your Memory.

A study tip that is often told to students is to use rhyme and rhythm as a revision technique. This article provides more information on this sometimes under-used method.

1. The use of rhythm comes naturally to people, and it is considered a natural and intuitive way to learn. You can test this out for yourself, you are more likely able to remember a song’s lyrics or a rhythmic poem than you would a list of points or keywords.

2. You can also use a song you like (a good chance to get out your MP3 player or ipod) and alter the lyrics to help your remember keywords or phrases that are essential for your exam. This memory technique allows you to be particularly creative and inventive.

3. Five Memory Techniques

This resource provides you with an example of how to put the rhyming revision/memory technique into practice.

4. Rhyme and Rhythm as a memory or revision technique can be especially useful when learning a new language, and teachers often provide students with songs and resources to introduce new topics to their students. Rhyme can also be a good way to remember a set of 
formulae or complicated equations.

Learn faster:

Exams in full swing, lack of time to revise and study, find out about Accelerated Learning from super-cool Amazon and save yourself time and effort for this year's exams, or for a pre-term warm-up (so you are ready for the new academic year, some may think it's nerdy but it will help you out!) Or find out more about the Learn More, Study Less: The Video Course.

Learn Faster With Accelerated Learning

Revision Help and Tips: Dream Teachers YouTube - Study Questions Answered

Over at YouTube there is a Channel called 'Dream Teachers', that provides answers to questions on an array of subjects. It follows on from the 'Dream School' series on Channel 4 by Jamie Oliver.


From the FAQ: "The Britain's Dream Teachers channel is here for teachers to share their video explanations of the toughest topics at GCSE and Standard Grade."


I thought this may be helpful readers of this blog, as it may answer any important questions you have about your particular subject. It's also in video format which might provide a welcome change from textbooks and notes. Examples of topics covered are: 


Maths: Vectors, Pythagoras's theorem. 


English: Shakespearean language, Analysing Poetry - how do I analyse a poem I have never seen before?


Geography: Emerging Economies, Coastal erosion


History: Political and Economic history, Historical Change


Chemistry, Biology and Physics are also covered. 


Check out the Dream Teachers Channel to see if your subject and question is covered.


Good Luck!

Revision Guides: GCSEs and AS Levels in a Week

Scenario: You only have a few weeks or less before your first exam. You feel that you have not revised enough and desperately want to do more. You need a quick and easy to digest revision guide that delivers all the main point for your subject.


Then: Check out GCSEs and AS Levels in a Week. Even if you're not in this scenario they are revision guides that are well worth looking into.  GCSEs and AS Levels in a Week are based on revision courses delivered in UK colleges. Links below.

Amazon has amazingly low prices on these revision guides. Amazon's prices beat the Letts and Lonsdale website’s half price deal on these books. AND Amazon’s books have Free Super Saver Delivery with no minimum purchase necessary,so even if you are buying only one book you still qualify for Free Super Saver Delivery. Be sure to check delivery estimates to make sure you get your book when you want it, as there are other delivery options available.

GCSE in a Week


AS Level in a Week


Good Luck!

Memory and Revision Techniques for Exams: Improve Your Memory

How should I revise for exams? This is a question asked by many students, and the answer depends on your own preferences. My advice is to try several revision techniques, see which works best and then try more if you want to. Basically, you need to get experimenting. Use these techniques to improve your memory for exams! Before you do this, you need some resources which will give you the memory and revision techniques you need. Find them below, I hope they help you in your studying endeavors. Contact me via the contact page on the link on the right-hand sidebar to let me know how you got on! Good Luck and Happy Studying!

Some quick points before we get onto the resources:

• Make your notes visual by: adding color to your notes and color-code your topics, highlighting keywords, draw pictures and diagrams.
• Keep your notes tidy: Use files and organisers, use headings, and number or bullet points your work.
• If you are tired of revision: Try revising with a friend, take a break, do something else - come back to your revision once you are ready.

Resources to Help You Ace that Exam!

1. Online Memory Improvement Course

Mnemonics (another word for a memory learning technique), lots of different methods to try out such as Association or Basic Mental Filing. Try and see what works for you.

2. Memory Strategies to help you Revise for Exams.

A set of techniques to get started on. A brief description of each technique, from Charts and tables to Chunking to Rhymes and chants to Diagrams, and some examples to help you put these memory techniques into practice.

3. Revision Techniques that tackle the What, Who, When, How and Where of Revision and Exams.

4. Memory Principles, How to use these Principles to Ensure you are revising better.

The above website presents a set of principles for memory and learning, each principle has a link. These links provide a brief set of points on how to put the memory principles into practice.

5.  Seventeen Memory Techniques to help you Remember the Information you need to know

Memory Games and Exercises

6. Try some Free Fun Fames and Exercises to help Boost your Memory!

You can try these types of exercises daily to help boost your memory to make sure it is always ready for that big test.

7. Take Some Time Out and try these Free Fun Memory Games and Exercises

A whole range of fun games for you to test your memory, Memory Matrix, Familiar Faces, Memory Match and much more. Highly Recommended. 

In future posts, I will be providing resources for specific memory, revision and note-taking techniques such as mind maps. 


Colour makes your notes much more visually effective, and improves memory - find out how.

Improve your memory with Acronyms - find out how.

Use Revision Cards/Flash Cards to Improve Memory and speed up your revision.

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