Study guides
How to study, revise and prepare, step by step
Practical answers to the study questions students search for most, with the mistakes to avoid and a way to practise each one.
Exams and revision
- How to revise for examsThe most reliable way to revise is to test yourself on the material repeatedly, spread over days or weeks, and to finish with timed practice in the format of the real exam. Rereading and highlighting feel like work but mostly build familiarity, not recall.
- How to revise for an exam in one weekWith a week left, stop trying to cover everything evenly. Find the topics most likely to be examined that you know least, test yourself on them every day, and finish with at least one timed practice in the real format.
- How to use past papers to reviseUse past papers as practice under real exam conditions, mark them honestly, and then revise the specific things you got wrong before attempting another. A past paper is most valuable as a diagnosis, not just a score.
- How to answer multiple choice questionsRead the question and try to answer it before looking at the options, then eliminate the options you know are wrong and choose from what is left. Practise with explanations so you learn why each wrong option is wrong, not just which one is right.
- What is spaced repetition and how do you use it?Spaced repetition is reviewing material at increasing intervals over time, with more frequent reviews for the things you find hard and less frequent ones for the things you know. It makes memories last longer than reviewing the same amount in one block.
- What is active recall?Active recall is studying by retrieving information from memory, for example by answering questions with your notes closed, rather than by reading the information again. Each act of retrieval strengthens the memory and shows you what you have not learned yet.
- How to turn your notes into a quizTurn notes into a quiz by rewriting each key point as a question, mixing question types, and answering them later with your notes closed. Good questions test whether you can use an idea, not just whether you recognise it.
- How to answer case study questionsAnswer a case study question by identifying the central problem, choosing the theory or framework from your course that fits it, applying that framework to the specific details of the case, and ending with a justified recommendation or conclusion.
- What is the Feynman technique?The Feynman technique is a way of learning by explaining a topic in simple language, as if teaching it to someone new, noticing where your explanation breaks down, and going back to fill those gaps. It is named after the physicist Richard Feynman.
- How to run a study group that actually worksA study group works when it meets with a specific goal, spends the time testing and explaining to each other rather than reading together, and shares the preparation so everyone contributes.
Vivas and oral exams
- How to prepare for a vivaPrepare for a viva by practising answering questions out loud, under pressure, about the work you will be examined on, then fixing the gaps each practice round exposes. Rereading your thesis or notes feels productive but does not train the skill a viva tests.
- Common viva questions and how to answer themMost vivas return to the same handful of question types: summarise your work, justify your choices, explain a key concept, deal with a limitation, and say what you would do next. Preparing a clear way to answer each type works better than memorising answers to specific questions.
- How to prepare for an oral examPrepare for an oral exam by turning your syllabus into questions, practising spoken answers to them out loud, and rehearsing until you can give a short, structured answer without notes. The skill being tested is explaining on the spot, so that is the thing to practise.
- How to prepare for an OSCEPrepare for an OSCE by practising each station type in timed, realistic conditions with someone observing, and by rehearsing how you explain your reasoning out loud. Practical skills need hands-on practice; the talking and thinking parts can also be practised on your own.
Notes and reading
- How to make flashcards that actually helpMake each flashcard ask one clear question with one short answer, write it so you have to recall the answer rather than recognise it, and review the cards you get wrong more often than the ones you know.
- How to summarise lecture notesSummarise lecture notes by identifying what the lecture was trying to teach, keeping only the key ideas and how they connect, and ending with questions you can test yourself on. A good summary is much shorter than the notes and is something you can revise from.
- How to make revision notesMake revision notes that are short, organised by the questions you might be asked, and built so you can test yourself from them. Then spend most of your revision time using the notes, not making them.
- How to study from lecture slidesTreat lecture slides as headlines: for each slide, make sure you can explain what it means in your own words, fill in what the lecturer said around it, and test yourself on it. Reading slides alone rarely gives the full explanation.
- How to read a textbook effectivelyRead a textbook effectively by previewing the chapter first, reading one section at a time with a question in mind, and checking after each section that you can explain it without looking. You rarely need to read every word in order.
- How to use diagrams to reviseUse diagrams for material that has structure: processes, cycles, systems and relationships. Draw them from memory, label them, check against the source, and redraw the parts you got wrong. Drawing from memory is what makes a diagram a revision tool rather than decoration.
Essays and assignments
- How to answer a law problem questionAnswer a law problem question by identifying each legal issue in the facts, stating the relevant rule with authority, applying that rule to the specific facts, and reaching a conclusion on each issue. Many students know this as IRAC: issue, rule, application, conclusion.
- How to write a literature reviewWrite a literature review by searching systematically for research on your question, grouping what you find into themes or debates, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence, and showing what is still unknown. It should synthesise sources, not summarise them one at a time.
- How to structure an essayStructure an essay with an introduction that states your answer to the question, body paragraphs that each make one point supported by evidence and linked back to the question, and a conclusion that draws the points together. The argument, not the topic, should decide the order.
- How to find sources for an essayStart with your reading list and your library’s databases, search with specific terms, follow the references of the best sources you find, and check each source is credible and relevant before you use it.
- How to make a good presentation for universityBuild a university presentation around one clear message, use slides with few words that support what you say rather than repeat it, and rehearse out loud until you can deliver it in the time without reading.
- How to use AI to study without cheatingUse AI to help you learn, by explaining ideas, quizzing you and giving feedback on your understanding, and not to produce work you submit as your own. Always check your university’s and module’s rules, which differ between courses.
Practise with your own notes
Turn lecture notes into a tutor, quizzes, flashcards and a viva examiner. All study modes are free.