Don't panic! The ultimate guide to when to start your GCSE revision

The thought of starting your GCSE revision can feel overwhelming, like a huge mountain you have to climb. The trick is not to focus on the mountain, but to focus on each individual step one at a time. 

This guide will help you plan your revision journey, all the way from base camp to that snow capped peak of success.You will learn when to start your GCSE revision, how to make the most of your limited time, how to create an effective revision plan, and how to stay motivated when you hit your slump.

The ideal revision timeline

There are two types of revision: 

• Early preparation

• Focussed revision

Early preparation

Early preparation involves making notes, writing down questions about things you are unsure of to research later, collecting key words and equations, reading the texts for your GCSE English Literature exam and so on. It’s never too early to start this phase of the revision process. 

Focussed revision

Focussed revision is the more intense revision that you do to prepare yourself for the actual exam. There is a “sweet spot” for starting focussed revision. Early enough that you can cover all the content you need to cover, but late enough that you can maintain your motivation without “burning out”. 

For the majority of students, this “sweet spot” is around 6 months before the exam season starts. So if you’re taking your exams in May and June, you want to start your focussed revision in January.

The way to think about it is that you have a limited number of hours per week that you can dedicate to revision. The longer you leave it before starting your focussed revision, the less content you will be able to cover in that time. 

The benefits of giving yourself enough time for focussed revision are:

• Spaced repetition gives you better recall in your exam

• You have time to identify gaps in your knowledge and then take action to fill those gaps

• You can maintain a healthy balance between revision and things that you enjoy such as hobbies and sports

Adapting the timeline to your needs

The ideal revision timeline will differ from student to student. If, for example, you are part of a sports team or you have caring responsibilities, you may have fewer hours per week available for revision. In this case, you will want to start your focussed revision a little earlier. 

Likewise, if you are particularly struggling in one subject or another, you will want to build in some extra revision time for that subject, which may also involve starting earlier. 

Your learning style will also affect your revision timeline. Perhaps you learn best in short bursts with lots of breaks, or maybe you prefer extended focus on one subject at a time. Perhaps you are a visual learner who prefers to watch videos and construct diagrams, or maybe you prefer reading and making notes. Perhaps you are an auditory learner and you want to record your notes and listen back to them, or maybe you’re an active learner and prefer making flashcards and getting someone else to test you. All these methods are great, and a variety of techniques is beneficial, but they all require a slightly different amount of time to achieve. So if you find that you prefer a more time intensive method of revision, your timeline needs to accommodate that.

Your revision timeline has to fit your individual needs. It has to be realistic and it has to be sustainable. 

Making the most of the time before focussed revision

The early preparation phase of revision is very often overlooked. The more early preparation you do, the more smoothly your focussed revision will go. So, don’t wait until the last minute to start!

Things to do in the early preparation phase of revision:

• Develop good note taking habits throughout your courses

• Pay attention in class and ask clarifying questions to make sure you fully understand what you are learning

You can use your notes to create flashcards and quizzes, and as a starting point to condense the information down into diagrams and mind maps as part of your focussed revision.

Taking responsibility for your learning, and asking questions when you don’t fully understand something will drastically reduce the number of knowledge gaps you accumulate over time. Remember that a big part of your focussed revision will be filling in these gaps, so the best way to deal with them is to prevent them from forming in the first place.

Creating a winning revision plan

Step 1: Do a knowledge audit

In my experience of teaching and tutoring GCSE students, the best first step on your focussed revision journey is to do a knowledge audit for each subject.

• Make a list of the topics and sub-topics in each course for each subject

• Give them a traffic light rating for your level of confidence in that topic

  • Red = not confident all

  • Amber = not that confident

  • Green = pretty confident

Knowledge audits allow you to identify your high priority areas for focussed revision. You can find a list of topics and sub-topics for each subject by using the Save My Exams GCSE Revision Notes, using the specification document for your specific GCSE course, or from your textbook. 

Step 2: Create a revision timetable

Your revision plan will start with the red topics allowing the most time for these.Then you will move on to the amber topics, and then briefly cover the green topics as a refresh.

GCSE students typically dedicate 15 to 20 hours per week to revision in the focussed revision phase, but you should adjust this to suit your own timeline. 15 to 20 hours per week is 2 to 3 hours per day. You may want to have shorter sessions on weekdays and longer sessions on weekends depending on your schedule. 

20 hours per week, taking 10 GCSE subjects is only 2 hours of revision per week per subject. Over the 6 month timeline of 26 weeks, that is 52 hours of revision time per subject. 

You need to plan the best use of your 52 hours, using your subject audit to do this.

Your focussed revision should include time for:

• Filling in those knowledge gaps from your red and amber topics

• Practising recall using flashcards, mindmaps, quizzes, and Save My Exams GCSE Topic Questions

• Practising GCSE Past Papers under exam conditions

• Lots of little “brain breaks”

Use whatever format works best for you to create your revision timetable. You may prefer to use the calendar app on your phone or computer, or you may prefer to get a study planner that you can actually write in. 

Your revision timetable should be tailored to your individual needs. If you are super confident in GCSE Geography, but you really struggle with GCSE Maths, then you can divert some of your 52 Geography hours to Maths instead.

If you have piano practice on a Thursday evening, then you might schedule that block of revision on a Sunday afternoon.

If you learn best by focussing solidly for an hour on one subject, then split your revision time into 1 hour chunks. If you know you start to lose focus after 20 minutes, then you might split your time into 45 minute chunks with a 5 minute break in the middle.

Step 3: Get started!

You have your subject audits, you have your revision timetable, you are super prepared and organised, the only thing left to do is get started! 

Try all the different revision techniques and find out what works best for you. You may find it more helpful to revise with friends, or to study on your own. Just be mindful that you are making the best possible use of your time. The time you spend revising is an investment in yourself. You are giving yourself the best possible chance to ace your exams. And, remember, you have that extra long summer holiday to look forward to!

You can find more information about revision techniques in how to revise for GCSE.

Maintaining motivation throughout revision

Any athlete will tell you that training for a big event is tough. There are times when your motivation dwindles and you need to be prepared for that. You need to have some tricks up your sleeve to keep yourself moving forward.

Here are some of my tried and tested top tips:

• Schedule regular breaks into your revision sessions 

  • Your brain can only take in so much information at any one time!

• Give yourself rewards for reaching milestones particularly when your motivation is low

  • When you’ve completed your Sunday evening GCSE Physics revision session, you can play that computer game you’ve been itching to play all day.

• Sleep!

  • Getting good quality sleep is how your brain processes and files all that information you’ve been pouring into it. Sleep is super important!

• Exercise!

  • Play your favourite sport, go for a walk, anything to get you moving. Your whole body, including your brain, functions better when you are active!

• Find a quiet place to study

  • If you share a bedroom or your house is really noisy, maybe you can go to the local library for some of your study sessions. Perhaps wearing headphones with some peaceful background music helps you concentrate. Whatever works for you.

• Treat yourself to some stationary

  • The fresh crisp pages of a new notebook, and some pastel highlighters work wonders for some students. At the very least, you need a way of storing all your notes so you don’t lose all your hard work.

Some advice from me

How late is too late to start revising for GCSE exams?

It definitely pays to be organised with your revision. Starting early is the single best piece of advice I can give to my students. But if you are reading this in a panic because you haven’t started revising yet, don’t worry. It’s never too late to start. Follow the steps I have given you, and do the very best with the time you do have. 

Revision pitfalls to avoid

In my experience of teaching and tutoring GCSE students, there are a few common pitfalls that you should try to avoid. 

1. Last minute cramming. This will only overload your brain!

2. Leaving the revision for paper 2 until after the paper 1 exam

3. Getting super stressed because time is running out. Stress actually hinders brain function, making the problem worse

Protecting your mental health

The best way to avoid feeling the pressure is to be organised. There will never be enough time to go over everything, so you need to accept that fact, and prioritise. 

Many students do feel overwhelmed as the exams get closer. Make sure that you continue doing the things that you enjoy throughout your revision journey, and don’t feel guilty about it. The key is balance. 

Talk to your friends and family if you are feeling anxious or depressed, it really helps to share how you are feeling, and the people who love you will want to help. You can also find support from Young Minds, Mind, Childline, and Kooth.

How do I prepare on the night before the exam?

It’s the night before the exam. You have learned all you are going to learn at this point. Cramming will only tire out your brain. What you need to do is relax. Do something fun to take your mind off it, try to keep the nerves at bay. Get a good night’s sleep. That way your brain will be functioning optimally for the task at hand. Do a bit of gentle exercise on the morning of the exam to get the blood (and therefore the oxygen) flowing to the brain. Look yourself in the mirror and say “I’m ready for this, I can do it” and then walk into that exam room head held high and give it your very best shot. At the end of the day, that’s all anyone can ask of you. You are ready for this. You can do it. 

Conclusion

Planning and preparation are the keys to successful revision. Your timeline and your revision plan should be tailored to your individual needs. Continue doing the things you love throughout your revision journey, find a balance that works for you. There is no right or wrong way to revise, do what works best for you. Talk to those around you if you are struggling, and look after yourself mentally and physically throughout your revision journey. Success can be achieved through strategic planning and consistent effort. Be proud of your achievements and reward yourself as you go. On the day, give it everything you’ve got. You can do this!

For expert support with your revision journey, sign up and become a member of Save My Exams today. We offer a range of revision notes and topic questions written by teachers and examiners, plus we have all the past papers you need to successfully complete your revision.