Revision Mind Maps: Your Key to Exam Success

Have you ever tried creating a mind map? It’s actually pretty simple and the benefits are huge! 

In this article, I will walk you through what mind maps are, why you should be making them, and how to use them in the most effective ways to boost your exam success. 

Understanding mind maps: what are they, and why are they helpful for revision?

What is a mind map?

Mind maps are a visual way of organising information. They generally have a central idea or theme with branches to related ideas. 

They can be super simple or contain lots of information, but the best thing about mind maps is that they show links between individual pieces of information. 

The challenge is to find a logical way to present these relationships. You have to decide where to position items depending on what they relate to and link the items together using a branch (or a line).

What are the key benefits of using mind maps for revision?

The most effective revision practices are active rather than passive. Active practices involve making your brain do work with the information. So reading and listening are passive activities, whereas answering questions and organising information in new ways are active activities. 

Because building a mind map involves making lots of decisions about how to structure the information, your brain is analysing that information in lots of new ways. This not only helps you remember the information, it helps you to understand it better. 

The very process of creating a mind map improves your problem solving abilities (a super useful skill to hone before your exams!) and you will find that your ability to make decisions quickly and confidently improves as well. 

How to create effective revision mind maps

Steps to create a successful revision mind map

1. Choose the topic for your mind map and position it in the centre of the page

   • For example, Newton’s Laws of Motion

2. Branch out from the central topic to the subtopics 

   • For example, Newton’s first law, Newton’s second law, Newton’s third law

3. Branch out from each subtopic to key information about the subtopic. You can use key words, phrases, facts, equations, and images, but the idea is to keep it concise!

4. Keep branching as far as you need to

5. Link any information that relates to another piece of information

Tips for organising information in your mind map

• The centre of the page is for the big ideas, and the further out you go, the more detailed your information becomes

• Keep it concise! Set a limit of no more than 5 or 10 words per item

• Colour code your information — experiment with this and find your favourite method

• Use diagrams and images to cut down on words

• Make links between any items that are related and write notes to remind yourself of less obvious associations

Colour coding your mind map is so much fun and gives you a chance to be creative. You can use colour to show the hierarchy of the information (like I did in the Start Here! Mind map), where your topic is one colour, then your subtopics are another colour, and then the key information about the subtopics is another color, and so on. Or you could use colour to differentiate the different subtopics (like I did in the Newton’s Laws of Motion mind map). 

If you have never created a mind map before, it’s a great idea to use mind mapping software because you can move things around so nothing is permanent. When you get used to the process, you can try creating them on paper. There are some awesome ideas for creating activities using your completed mind maps in How Students Can Use Mind Maps for GCSE Biology Revision.

Using revision mind maps effectively

How to effectively use your mind map during revision

Mind maps are a great way to take concise notes from one of our Revision Notes or from a section of a textbook. You have to decide which parts are the important information, and then find a way to arrange them that is meaningful to you.

Brain splurges or brain dumps are a great way to test your recall of a topic by writing down everything you can remember, and mind maps are the perfect way to do that. Set yourself a time limit, like 5 minutes, and write down everything you can remember in that time. Then, take another colour and fill in any gaps from your notes, textbook, or our Revision Notes. The bits you didn’t remember are the bits you need to revise!

Use sticky notes to cover items (you can also do this in the software!). Come back to it the next day and try to remember the covered items. Then cover different items, leave it a day or two, and test yourself again. The links you made should help to jog your memory, and practicing your recall strengthens the associations between separate pieces of information. 

Elaborative interrogation just means asking yourself questions. Choose two unlinked items on your mind map. Ask yourself questions about them. Does A affect B? What causes A? Why does B happen? Why is A important? What is the impact of A without B? This will really help your brain do work on that information and discover new links and associations.

Making links is super important. Just think of all the separate pieces of information that your brain needs to have ready for you for your exams. If you can get to the point where A reminds you about B, and B reminds you of C and D, and D reminds you of E, F and G, then you only really need to remember A! This drastically reduces the number of separate pieces of information that your brain needs to store.

Using technology to enhance your revision mind maps

I must admit that I prefer using software to create mind maps because I like to make them look pretty, and I’m always changing my mind about where to put things as I’m going through the process. Software lets you change the colours and position of your items so you are free to change your mind as your process evolves. 

There is lots of free software out there specifically designed for creating mind maps. But you can also use Gdocs, Gslides, Word, Notes or whatever app you have on your device. All you need is the ability to write text, draw shapes and make lines. Try a few and see what works best for you.

One of the best things about using software is that multiple people can edit the document, so you can create a mind map with a friend, or as part of an online study group. You can share them easily, store them in the cloud so you can access them on multiple devices, and print them out if you so wish.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Writing in full sentences

• Copying whole sections from a Revision Note or textbook

• Making links between everything

• Overthinking it

Alternative approaches

• Set a word limit per item box and challenge yourself to relay the maximum amount of information in the fewest possible words — images are a great way to do this!

• Pick out the key words and phrases that will best jog your memory to remember the more detailed information

• Interrogate each link that you draw, making sure you can explain the association if asked

• Just get stuck in! It is the process that matters rather than the end result 

Maximising the benefits of revision mind maps

Mind maps are a great tool for all styles of learning because they challenge you to think about the information in new ways. 

But, as awesome as mind maps are, you should always combine multiple revision techniques for maximum benefit. Mind maps should form one part of your revision strategy, along with Flashcards, Topic Questions, and practising Past Papers under exam conditions. You can find more information about revision strategies in Best Revision Techniques For GCSE and A Level Exams. 

There are so many ways to customise your mind maps! Play around and find a style that works for you. 

Here are some ways to increase the challenge as you get more comfortable with the process:

• Lower the word count per item (even try one with just diagrams!)

• Make the theme or topic broader - instead of Newton’s Laws, try Forces, then Forces and Energy

• Write yourself exam style questions based on new links you discover

• Cover more and more information with post it notes to really test your association recall

Try mind mapping to brush up ahead of exams

Mind mapping is a great tool to use at all stages of the revision process. 

Mind maps are awesome for note taking and summarising the notes you have made in the early preparation phase of your studies. They are also great to test how much you remember when preparing for a topic test. 

But mind mapping is especially useful once you have learned all the content and begin the focused revision phase of preparing for your actual exams. You can read more about creating a successful revision strategy in Don’t panic! The ultimate guide to when to start your GCSE revision.

The main benefits of mind mapping are in the process of creation. So stop procrastinating, grab a pen and paper or try out some free software and jump right in. Set yourself a timer for 20 minutes and see what you can create. 

We’d love to see your creations on our social media channels! (@savemyexams on TikTok, Instagram and X!)

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