Find Your Perfect Revision Routine for GCSEs

Key Takeaways

• Aim for no more than 1–2 hours per day during term time, 4 hours during holidays, and 8 hours during study leave (varies depending on exam schedule)

• Revise in short 30-45 min bursts with good quality breaks in between

• It’s never too early to start revising. Don’t leave everything until the end of year 11!

• Find a routine that works for you and stick to it 

How Many Hours Should I Revise For My GCSEs Per Day? 

The number of hours you need to revise a day varies depending on the time of year. 

I’d recommend to start revising for GCSEs in year 10 by fitting in your revision around your existing homework schedule. For example, if you normally spend an hour doing homework for two subjects per evening, if you finish your homework early or don’t have any on a particular day then you should use that time for revision instead. Don’t just wait until end of topic tests to do all your revision. Make some flashcards for the content of the last few lessons, or put together a mind map. This will set you up really well for year 11. 

In year 11 you should try to build in revision time on top of your homework schedule. This should be around 1–2 hours, depending on the quantity of homework you usually get. If your homework normally takes a long time, then reduce your revision time to ensure you get enough time to rest in the evenings. Make a schedule to make sure you are getting good coverage across all your subjects. 

During the holidays, make sure you are taking time to rest and relax. If you want to spend time revising, do not spend more than 4 hours per day. Try to remember this during the Easter holidays just before your year 11 exams. It can be tempting to use this time to cram, but you’re about to go through one of the most intense work periods in your life, and you need to make sure you are feeling rested and energised before taking on this challenge. 

During study leave, you should increase the number of hours revising to reflect the time you would have spent working during the school day. There is lots of advice about how to structure your revision schedule during this time. Try not to spend more than 8 hours revising in total during the day in order to have time for appropriate rest. If you have exams during the day, make sure to spend around two hours resting afterwards if you can, including eating a good healthy meal and getting some fresh air, before starting again. Adjust your revision schedule to allow for that. 

Factors Influencing Optimal Revision Hours

Individual Learning Styles and Capabilities 

It is important to remember that every learner is different, and so a revision schedule that works for one person may not work for another. It is important to test out some different revision strategies and timings and discover what works well for you. For example, if you struggle to sit in front of your computer for hours, try mixing things up by getting a friend/family member to test you with flashcards, or listen to a revision podcast or voice recording of your notes while you are out on a walk. By mixing up your strategies, it may allow you to increase your revision hours in a way that feels manageable. 

Subject Difficulty and Student Proficiency 

Different people have different subject preferences. This means that it might be necessary to adjust your revision plan to allow for different times for different subjects. It can be tempting to spend more time doing the subjects you enjoy the most, however, it is more important to focus more time on subjects you find most difficult. For example, if you find maths to be particularly difficult, then you should prioritise time on that subject. 

Tailoring Revision Hours to Personal Goals

Setting Realistic and Achievable Goals

Make sure to align your revision hours with your academic goals. For example, you should keep in mind your grades from your mock exams and think about future goals for your final grades, and then use this knowledge to determine which subjects may need more of your attention. Also focus on subjects that require a specific grade in order to allow you to pursue a chosen course after your GCSEs. 

Balancing Revision with Daily Activities

Make sure you balance your revision hours with your normal daily routine, for example if you have clubs or sports you may not have extra time for revision so you might want to do a bit more revision on your quiet days. Try and make it so you don’t have to revise at the weekends to allow you time to relax and participate in activities that you enjoy. 

If a rigid schedule doesn’t work for you because of your busy life, then plan for flexibility in advance and prepare for what to do in different scenarios. This will increase your chance of finding time for revision even when you have a lot on. 

Practical Tips for Maximising Revision Efficiency

Techniques for Focused and Productive Revision

Try different revision strategies and settle on a few that work well for you and your style of learning. Switch between strategies and don’t spend too long doing the same thing. 

The Pomodoro Technique recommends spending 25 minutes revising, taking a five-minute break, and then repeating the process. This technique can help you maintain motivation, overcome fatigue, and also help with focus if you have ADHD. 

Try to include some physical activity during your breaks, and change your surroundings for a brief period to help you stay alert and focused. If you can get some fresh air then that is a good option. 

Use Revision Tools and Resources

There are many different revision tools and apps that you can use to make the most of your study hours. You can also use past papers and practice tests to check your past learning has been effective, to identify gaps in knowledge, and to practise exam skills. 

How Save My Exams Can Help

• Save My Exams provides resources to help to create your own revision plans

• We provide high-quality, affordable revision materials available for GCSE, IGCSE, A Level, and IB students

• The team at Save My Exams is full of teachers and tutors with years of combined experience. They use this to write high quality, course specific resources for each subject at all levels

• Save My Exams supports over 1.5 million students each month, making it a trusted companion for exam preparation.

• Access GCSE and IGCSE resources such as revision notes, tutorial videos, exam-style questions and flashcards covering a broad range of subjects and exam boards.

Here at Save My Exams, we develop high-quality, affordable revision resources; consider signing up for a Save my Exams subscription to help you get the most out of your revision. We support over 1.5 million students each month in preparing for their exams and achieving successful results, we’d love to help you too.