Your teenager knows that they should be ‘revising’, but do they know why or how? These tips will help them to make the most of their revision time.

Aim to master content, not pass a test

Encourage your teenager to have the long game in mind. Just memorising ‘stuff’ so they can pass a test (and then forgetting it all) is not the best use of their time and effort. Truly understanding and being able to apply knowledge makes much more sense, and can actually help them to do better on tests.

Study like a tortoise, not a hare

Studying in a measured and structured way means your teenager can gradually take in all the information they need to know, practise the skills they need to develop, and know how to apply them. Short, but frequent, revision sessions are much more effective than last-minute cramming.

Match revision techniques to the material

Different techniques suit different subjects and different types of material. Encourage your teenager to think first about what they need to master—facts, formulas, techniques or something else? Then choose a revision strategy to suit. Some options include:

• writing short bullet-point summary notes of the information in their textbooks
• reading their study notes out loud to increase comprehension
• quizzing themselves on the information they have studied
• reading past exam papers on the topics they are studying
• using online revision tools for subjects such as languages.

Use the crowd

Encourage your teenager to study with friends—it can make revision much more fun. They might also find they have areas of strength where they can coach their friends, which can be a great boost to their self-esteem.