There's about a week left of the exam period so I thought I would share a few of my revision tips for anyone who is desperately in need of it.

Take breaks!
I know that as the exams are drawing to an end everyone is really stressed and that usually results in packing in hours of revision all in one go but this really isn't healthy. You need to take regular breaks to stop yourself getting frustrated and your brain overheating. Working in 30 minute slots with a little break in between is really effective and hopefully it will prevent that feeling of "nothing is going in!" Also when you are having your break, get up from wherever you are working and move about. Even if it's only taking a walk to the kitchen to get a drink. You need a change of environment.

Flash! Ahhh!
Flash cards are a great revision tool. They force you to cut down your knowledge into a couple of short and sweet key points that you will remember. They are also handy to fit in your bag for a quick test. I also find that because they cut the information down into short points, you don't get overwhelmed by looking at a huge page of text.

Make your work colourful!
Making your work colourful will make it more pleasing to the eye so you will be more likely to remember it. Also if you are like me, the fact that your notes are pretty may even encourage you to revise more. I find that using colour not only improves the appeareance of my notes but the clarity of them too. Just by doing something simple like having all your headings in a different colour to your text underneath will separate out the work and make it easier to read.

Study Buddy.
Go and revise with a friend. Some people need to revise alone because that is how they work best and that is fine. But others work better in the company of others. I enjoy a mixture of both. Somedays I want to be on my own and other days I will go and sit with my friends or my boyfriend and we will go through our notes together. This way you have somebody to test and to test you and you can also discuss points and go over anything you perhaps don't understand. Even if you don't do any of this and carry on with your work in silence. I find that I always work better when there is somebody else sat there with me.

Give yourself rewards, you deserve them!
After every so many hours or something, give yourself a little break and a reward. This could be absolutely anything you enjoy. It could be time watching your favourite programme or a cupcake or going out with your friends, anything! What I do is for every hour of revision that I do I put a coin into a jar. Then, when I have finished all of my exams I can crack open the jar and treat myself to something nice. I think this is a nice little incentive because I enjoy going to the jar and putting the coin in and thinking of nice things that I am going to treat myself to in the summer. Just find something that works for you.

I am by no means a revision expert or anything of that kind. I am just simply sharing with you what I feel works for me. Hopefully some of this may be helpful to you.

Good luck!

Ciara x