Study skills

In an ideal world, you should plan your revision well in advance, starting from two weeks to two months before your exams. The amount of time you spend revising will depend on the number of subjects to revise, the number of exams, and your own abilities. But before you begin, it's a good idea to spend a little time analysing your own approach to learning. Try to identify the method that works best for you - seeing, hearing, or doing - so you can adopt appropriate activities.

'I believe in maximisation,' says Suni Ahonsi, course director at LVMT Business School, which teaches accounting to students from more than 75 countries from its offices in Cameroon, China, Czech Republic, Mauritius, Myanmar, Pakistan, the UK, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates. 'If you are truly focused, the world around you ceases to exist,' he asserts, adding: 'I learnt my published accounts format on a half-hour bus journey'.

How you go about making the best use of your time depends on which approach works best for you. If you relate to pictures and diagrams you may be best working with Mind Maps, flip charts, spider diagrams, and so on. Use colours and highlighting, or different coloured paper to make your notes distinctive. If you learn most effectively through sound, try listening to tapes - you can record your own notes and listen to them whenever the opportunity presents itself. If you're a hands-on sort of person, you may find you achieve most by working interactively with a study partner, or as part of a larger group.

It can be very useful to discuss revision topics with fellow students. Explaining concepts to others, and checking their understanding, helps to reinforce knowledge in your own mind. Some educational establishments provide 24-hour study rooms for this purpose. 'I would recommend groups of two to five students,' suggests Ahonsi, 'any more and it's too distracting.'

Review and retain
Once you have identified your preferred approach to study, you need to make a list of goals and objectives, and apply priorities. 'If you have time, it's a good idea to go back over your course notes sooner rather than later,' suggests Ahonsi. 'This gives you the opportunity to identify and fill any gaps, and improve your chances of retaining the material.'

Seventy per cent of what you learn today will be forgotten in 24 hours, according to research. But you can improve your retention level by continuously reviewing and revising. Apparently, if you briefly review your work a day later, a week later, and again a month before your exams, you can improve your recollection by up to 400 per cent.

But as the exams draw near you need to take a more structured approach. 'Create a revision timetable,' says Ahonsi, and use it to plan ahead, in detail, for each day (see 'Be prepared'). 'Try to keep your intensive study periods short,' he adds, 'but make sure they're productive.' You can get better results from a series of ten-minute sessions than you can from longer study periods. 'Quick sessions also work better if you've been putting off a difficult subject, or if you're having trouble getting into the work,' advises Ahonsi.

When Karl George was studying for his ACCA exams, he approached his revision like a military campaign. 'I'd studied martial arts as a teenager, so I knew how important preparation was.' Rather than give all of the syllabus equal importance, he concentrated on certain parts. 'I didn't study everything - I went for the more difficult areas, such as consolidated accounts,' recalls George. 'I knew the odds were good that there'd be a question on it, because I'd spent a lot of time looking at past exam papers.'

Be strict with yourself
'I was very disciplined,' says George, 'and I made myself sit mock exams under strict exam conditions.' This is important, as Ahonsi confirms. 'You need to work in a simulated examination environment,' he says, 'if you want to get an accurate idea of how well prepared you are.' Revision is not just studying the syllabus, it is about passing your exams as well, so you also need to make a point of finding out what the examiners want. 'Students find it very useful to read the examiners' comments,' advises Ahonsi. 'These show what examiners are looking for, and they also draw attention to why students have failed in the past.' Along with past papers, they can be a powerful combination.

Past student Mandy Bryon has a word of caution: 'I think you need to be wary of past papers, particularly recent ones,' she suggests. 'They're often the basis of the mock exams, and you can't get a good idea of your level of learning if the questions are too familiar.' She is, however, a big fan of the official study texts. 'They were brilliant,' she recalls, 'and particularly useful when it came to sitting my finals.' Ahonsi agrees: 'Go through the pre-prepared questions and answers, and take note of the key points,' he suggests. You can gain a lot from them without spending hours on the process. 'Read the questions then audit the answers,' he adds. Identifying the central issues at the heart of the subject makes it easier for you to decide what you need to revise.

Get in the zone
Of course, all your preparation will count for nothing if you aren't adequately mentally prepared. 'You need to be positive,' says Ahonsi, adding: 'Motivation is a critical factor. You will not learn unless you really want to.'

Be clear in your own mind about your goals and why you are pursuing them. Then do so with confidence, determination and self-discipline. You do not need to be a genius to pass your exams, but you must want to succeed.

Lesley Meall is a writer on business and technology issues

Be prepared

• Make sure you know what exams you have - how many, when, where, what time, what subject, and so on.
• Create a revision timetable. Plan each day in detail, covering the topics to be revised, the techniques to be used (note taking, reading, group study etc), the time allocated to each topic area - and include a box to tick on completion.
• Revise in small chunks. Never work for more than an hour without a break - it's counterproductive.
• Try to make sure your main revision environment is calm, quiet, and free from distractions.
• Avoid cramming during the 24 hours before the exam.