It’s that time of year and having my teenage son revising for exams reminded me of how I used to go about it.
I’d draw up a detailed structured plan of what I wanted to revise and when it would be done. I’d stick to it and the plan was to finish all the topics with time to spare so I had time to go over things again (I’ve the memory of a fish!)
If my plan got derailed, I’d be frustrated when I didn’t get my allocated task done as I needed to have completed the planned work before I’d let go and relax for the evening.
For some of you this may sound familiar, whilst others of you may be thinking it seems a very inflexible approach.
I remember friends of mine who seemed to just ‘go with the flow’, who had no real plan of revision (well, not written down anyway!). They would be able to happily ‘down tools’ at anytime during the day, even if they hadn’t achieved much, preferring to work late at night or even last minute as that’s when they did their best work.
At the end of the day there is no right or wrong way – it’s what feels comfortable for that person. How we prefer to approach a task is likely to be related to our personality type. The issue comes when people cannot appreciate these differences, that is when there can be challenges when people have to work together.
When I was a University I couldn’t understand the approach of others, now I can, and I try to help others appreciate that whilst they might ‘tick’, other people may ‘tock’, and that is OK!
So for all those revising, in whatever way feels right for them – good luck!
How did you approach your exam revision?.....