Exam essentials: Managing your time

This article was first published on 10 May 2019.

Getting to grips with time management

Time management is not just an essential skill to use during revision and exams, it's a great life skill as well!

Not sure where to start? Here are our top three tips to improve your time management during revision:

• Identify your goals

• Create a study plan

• Expect distractions (and then know how to deal with them!)

Let's recap

There are three steps to successful time management:

Identifying your goals

Setting achievable targets can help you to avoid feeling overwhelmed. To get started, ask yourself:

• What do I need to revise for this subject?

• How many topics do I have to cover?

• How long will it take me to revise them all?

• Can I group certain topics together in one revision session?

• How long will each revision session be? (Remember, shorter sessions are more effective.)

Do this for each subject you need to revise and you will end up with a set of achievable goals to start working towards.

Creating a revision plan

A revision plan will help you to organise your time effectively so that you are more likely to achieve your goals. Try these steps to help you create your perfect revision plan:

• Work out how much time you have by working backwards from the date of the exam

• Decide how long you want each revision session to be

• Refer to your goals for each subject

• Make sure your plan is realistic and includes breaks

Revisit your plan regularly. If it needs adjusting, make changes. You want a plan you can stick to.

Dealing with distractions

It’s normal to get distracted sometimes, but the key is to recognise when you are getting distracted and to do something about it.

Here are three things you can do to keep yourself focused:

• If you know there is something you are likely to get distracted by, for example your mobile phone, put it on flight mode or remove it from your study zone altogether

• Work with a clear desk. Get out only what you need and nothing else

• Find a quiet space to work where you won’t be distracted. Make sure friends and family know that you are revising and ask them not to distract you too!

Remember, if you do get distracted, don't give up. Think about why it happened, adjust your plan and make sure it doesn’t happen next time.

Good luck!