However, the answer very much depends on the student concerned. In this article I'm going to give you:. The first step in knowing how long to revise for is knowing actually what revision is, as opposed to studying and homework.
Homework — Tasks set by teachers to do independently. This will often be a revision task, particularly in the second half of an exam year such as year 11 or year Revision — Any work that is about securing the memory or understanding of content already studied, or practising using that content in an exam situation.
I always advise students and families to prioritise homework. This is because:. Without doing this work, revision will be harder when you get to it. If you prioritise homework you'll be keeping up to speed with the programme of learning the teacher has set. I meet a lot of families who get very distressed, particularly in the early parts of year 11, because students can't keep up with the revision expectations they have set for themselves, as well as the quantity of homework.
If you're in this situation, always prioritise the homework, for the reasons set out above. If all you can do consistently is five minutes of revision per day , that's OK, so long as you're keeping up with your homework. So, taking all that into account, how long should a student study for in term time? I like to give this as a weekly number, rather than a daily number, as it gives students more flexibility about how they fit it into their own lives.
However, the headline numbers are:. If they're doing 4 subjects in year 13 this might be 20 hours per week. However, if you have mock exams in November or December, October half-term is a crucial time for revision, and if you have mock exams in January, the Christmas holidays are a crucial time for revision. You can read more about the rhythms of the school year and what to expect when here. So, before you start setting revision targets for the holidays, make sure the holiday in question is a target revision time for you.
If not, take a break as exam years are a long old slog and you need to save your energy for the important times! As I said before, this is a number that comes with many caveats and mitigating circumstances. However, the number I'd give if you have a very able and ambitious student aiming for the top grades in all subjects is If you've got a student who is less ambitious, maybe aiming for a mixture of grades 6 and 7, six hours per day would be a good target.
Again, this number won't apply for all students. Motivation is a key factor for many students. When parents ask me how long their de-motivated child who'd rather spend all day on their Xbox should be revising for, I always hesitate. This is because I don't want to turn the child off revision altogether by giving a sky-high number.
It's better that they do some revision, which in their minds is a reasonable target, than give them a number which they believe to be unrealistic and unobtainable. So, when I am talking to one of these families I always take into account the people in front of me. I also always start by asking the student what they think is reasonable and realistic, and then we go from there.
If that number is three hours, fine. If they consistently and reliably do three hours of revision through the holidays without complaining that's much better than making them feel like a failure because they're not doing 8. One day when I was revising for some end of year exams at university, I got up at 7 am, started work at 8 am and had done five hours of revision by 1 pm.
I carried on revising in the afternoon. I was so chuffed with myself and so happy about how much I was going to get done if I worked like this up until the exams.
Follow our seven steps to success! GCSE revision should ideally start around January. GCSE results are usually released in the 3rd week of August. The Results Day is the 22nd August. Top Tip: Always look at the marking criteria. Usually you can find these online or ask your teacher for the grading specifications. They will tell you exactly what the exam board is looking for and what you have to include to achieve specific grades. Arming yourself with this information can be very useful and make you aware of things such as the importance of linking your answers directly back to the question.
For more information about the learning styles, check out our helpful blog post. Perhaps the most important step when it comes to GCSE revision - building a solid revision timetable. Having a detailed plan will not only add structure to your studying but allows you to organise your time in the way that best suits you and your schedule.
With higher grade boundaries coming into play, and revision expectations causing increased stress, students can easily start to feel overwhelmed and avoid getting started. Procrastination is something we all have to deal with at some point.
When you have the whole world at your fingertips, sitting down and focusing on one topic can be a struggle. Our blog post all about how to handle revision procrastination has some really helpful tips, which is sure to help kick start your revision. If you have access to past papers, try and do them under timed exam conditions as often as possible. We guarantee it will build your confidence and test your knowledge at the same time. You might be worried the most about your last exam, but should you then start revising for that one first?
There are many theories out there that range from half an hour to over seven hours per day. But let us walk you through the different theories and give you the different views on this important question. The Student Room interviewed a few students that came with some solid advice.
One student recommends starting to revise around 2 months in advance of the exams. He then went on saying that he puts in 15 or more hours a week for his A-level studies during those months. Another student recommends gradually building the number of hours up as you get closer to the exams. She averages around hours per subject each week, whereas a different student stated that he does 2 hours per exam per week. Barnaby Lenon, a former headteacher of Harrow, the prestigious independent boarding school that educated the likes of Winston Churchill and Benedict Cumberbatch recommends that GCSE and A-Level students revise around seven hours a day throughout the Easter holidays.
That might sound like an insanely high amount of hours to you.
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