SMART Revision Planning for Exams - 16 Tips





You have probably come across the SMARTER model as a way of organising a project. 

It works like this

S          Specific
            Significant, Stretching, Simple
M         Measurable
            Meaningful, Motivational, Manageable
A         Attainable
Appropriate, Achievable, Agreed, Assignable, Actionable, Ambitious, Aligned, Aspirational, Acceptable, Action-focused
R          Relevant          
Result-Based, Results-oriented, Resourced, Resonant, Realistic
T          Timely
Time-oriented, -framed, -based, -bound, -Specific, -tabled, -limited,
Trackable, Tangible
E          Evaluate, Ethical, Excitable, Enjoyable, Engaging, Ecological

R          Reevaluate, Rewarded, Reassess, Revisit, Recordable, Rewarding

In order to apply these practical strategies to your revision work for exams, I would also recommend:
  1. Short blocks of time for work
  2. A balanced workload between all subjects means variety 
  3. Days off work for leisure
  4. Writing down a list of reasons to be motivated
  5. Rewarding yourself for doing the hours planned
  6. Not starting to revise too late
  7. Summarising your notes
  8. Creating Mindmaps or other visualizations
  9.  Devising your own mnemonics or memory games
  10. Reading past exam papers
  11. Ensuring that you know what the examiners are looking for
  12. Doing timed answers and exercises
  13. Trying out model opening and closing paragraphs for essays
  14. Learning about 50 impressive words to use in discussions, arguments, or concepts
  15. Working with your teachers to explain what's not clear
  16.  Working with friends collaboratively in teams
  17. Good luck!
Further Information

Dr Ian McCormick is the author of The Art of Connection: the Social Life of Sentences
(2013) Also available on Kindle, or to download.

Also worth a look: The PhD Roadmap: A Guide to Successful Submission of your Dissertation / Thesis.

Dr Ian McCormick's other recent publications include chapters on Romanticism and Gothic Literature inThe English Literature Companion, edited by Julian Wolfreys  (London and New York: Palgrave Student Companions 2011).

His chapter on 'Teaching and Learning Strategies' was published as an Appendix to The Eighteenth-Century Literature Handbook, edited by Gary Day and Bridget Keegan (London and New York: Continuum, 2009). It is is available for free online (download the pdf) but you will need to complete a very straightforward and short registration.

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