Use the CALM study tools to upgrade your revision

If you constantly put revision off, consider it may be because the methods you are using are not right for you. Fortunately, there are lots of different strategies you can use that you may not have come across yet.

Let’s explore four tools that you can use to transform revision from a chore to something that you might look forward to. To make them easier to remember, the four elements we will look at form the acronym CALM (which, by the time you finish reading about them, is hopefully the way you feel about studying!).

C – Colours

Colours can breathe life into your revision. Using a different coloured sheet for each topic not only aids in organisation but also stimulates your brain to remember information more effectively.

While at university, I bought a pack of coloured sheets at Poundland. I was tired of writing my notes on lined white sheets and thought I would try something different. I wrote the name of the topic I was revising in the centre of the page and layered my revision notes around it. I broke the notes up into sections to make them easier to digest, as shown in the featured image.

Though this sounds simple, the results exceeded my expectations for several reasons:

• Assigning a colour for each topic, e.g. green for photosynthesis, helped me to better visualise the material in my mind’s eye in the exam.
• The notes were more appealing to look at, which helped motivate me to revise more often.
• The arrows I added between related concepts created literal links between ideas in my brain.

A – Active recall

If you’re like most people, simply copying notes from a textbook and re-reading them repeatedly does not help you retain them – instead, it may even leave you frustrated and de-motivated.

You need to engage your brain and provide it with a little bit of challenge to help solidify your learning.  Active recall is perfect for this. It involves using recall exercises as you study to boost your retention of facts. Here are three simple ways to start using this technique right now, as recommended by the productivity expert Ali Abdaal:

Closed book notes: instead of copying notes from a textbook, take a blank sheet of paper and write down any words and facts you remember about the topic you are revising. Do this for at least 2 minutes before you turn to your textbook to fill in the gaps. It doesn’t matter how much you remember, but the simple act of forcing your brain to make an effort to remember what you already know helps strengthen connections between nerve cells in your brain. This will mean that the next time you come back to this topic, you will tend to remember even more.

Question lists: rather than writing down a list of facts about a topic, challenge yourself to come up with a list of questions. Your brain is programmed to work harder when it sees questions as it immediately tries to answer them. You will additionally have created a handy revision tool – you can use this question list to test your knowledge of this topic after, say a week or a month.

Flashcards: These help to break down learning into manageable chunks and make it easier to keep assessing your progress. You can write a question on one side of each flashcard and the answer on the back. An alternative includes using flashcard apps and tools like Anky – this one is very popular with medical students, who have to remember lots of complicated terms!

L – Learning with others

They say the best way to learn is to teach. When revising with a friend you can teach them topics you find easier, while they coach you in areas that are particularly tricky for you. Revising with a friend also helps you stay accountable and revise for longer, not to mention, breaks are a lot more fun!

Be wary of whom you choose to spend your precious revision sessions with. You need friends who help you make progress instead of distracting you. If you are looking fellow students who are motivated to make the most of their study time, Justin Craig offers fantastic revision courses and summer schools where you will get to meet them. At these courses, you will also have access to the attention and expertise of a skilled teacher who will help to resolve your doubts and clarify misconceptions. They will also be able to support you as you tackle higher-level questions that get you the most marks.

M – Music

When used strategically, music can be a really helpful revision aid. If you think music is distracting, I hear you! I’m not going to try to persuade you otherwise – I greatly valued the silent study at my university library.

Consider that music can help you revise at times when studying in silence simply doesn’t appeal. Also, experiment with different types of music. Several YouTube videos with instrumental music can help you get into flow. If you want to take things up a notch, you can even try a paid app like Focus@Will which offers several different music ‘channels’.

Explore CALM – Colours, Active Recall, Learning with Others, and Music – to elevate your revision experience.

By incorporating these strategies into your study routine, you can boost retention, focus, and collaboration leading to deeper enjoyment of your learning. You may choose to visualize concepts more effectively with colour-coded notes or challenge your memory with active recall exercises. You might decide to leverage group study sessions to improve shared understanding or use music to set the tone for focused revision.

These tools can empower you to take charge of your learning journey and achieve the results you want. As you integrate these alternative approaches into your revision regimen, remember that flexibility and experimentation are key to finding what works best for you.