Degree study and revision

**Nasar** · 19-09-2006, 05:13 AM

Im going to be starting my degree, and just wanted out of intrest to know how people went about studying or revising for the degree.

For me i usually read up on the lecture the night before then right after the lecture if time permits i review the material straight after the lecture. I also read extra stuff in regards to the degree e.g journals and stuff.

i go about revising by answering question if find from here there and everywhere and going over the same material.

**jackson0100** · 19-09-2006, 10:37 AM

you seem to work alot harder than me, extra reading is essential if you want to gain a first/2:1 but dont just keep to the lecture or the reading list they provided most lecturers love reading extra material( imagine marking millions of paper and see something that they have never seen before).You may also want to focus on some topic more provided that you can answer enough questions in the exam well. I hope this help

**jackson0100** · 19-09-2006, 10:38 AM

one other thing i found extremly helpful is to get the lecturers to mark your mock questions so you know what essential stuff they look for .

**K41** · 19-09-2006, 11:32 AM

With lecture material, I sometimes read through the lecture that night, usually only if it was a hard topic, or there was something I didn't understand. I then make notes to help me understand and highlight bits. That's all I've done in my first 2 years really! Its seems to work for me though as I am on a 1st.

For exams, I try to memorise everything more or less word for word from my lectures. We have MCQ and essay based exams, so details are very important. I didn't do much if any extra reading in 1st and 2nd year. I think I will HAVE to in 3rd year though!

**Zach2k** · 19-09-2006, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by K41

With lecture material, I sometimes read through the lecture that night, usually only if it was a hard topic, or there was something I didn't understand. I then make notes to help me understand and highlight bits. That's all I've done in my first 2 years really! Its seems to work for me though as I am on a 1st.

For exams, I try to memorise everything more or less word for word from my lectures. We have MCQ and essay based exams, so details are very important. I didn't do much if any extra reading in 1st and 2nd year. I think I will HAVE to in 3rd year though!

ditto. Although almost every course guidelines/lecturers will say 'dont memorise, understand!' to be brutally honest bio degrees are for the most part about memorising and retaining information and to a lesser extent reproducing it in an organised format in the exam.

Different people have different memories, just try different approaches and see what suits you best. I had to memorise nearly 2000 pages this year gone by (very detailed mcqs then 3hr essays) and first went through a frustrating cycle of trying to remember everything I read whilst trying to learn new stuff.

I eventually came to the method of reading/learning material thoroughly then letting myself forget it whilst I tackle new material. When I came back to the old material I'd find it'd take half the time to relearn. You want to get to the point where you've been through the material so many times you can relearn pretty much everything the day before the exam. Unless you're like some lucky gits on my course who can (apparently) remember stuff they read weeks before.

**K41** · 19-09-2006, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by Zach2k

ditto. Although almost every course guidelines/lecturers will say 'dont memorise, understand!' to be brutally honest bio degrees are for the most part about memorising and retaining information and to a lesser extent reproducing it in an organised format in the exam.

Different people have different memories, just try different approaches and see what suits you best. I had to memorise nearly 2000 pages this year gone by (very detailed mcqs then 3hr essays) and first went through a frustrating cycle of trying to remember everything I read whilst trying to learn new stuff.

I eventually came to the method of reading/learning material thoroughly then letting myself forget it whilst I tackle new material. When I came back to the old material I'd find it'd take half the time to relearn. You want to get to the point where you've been through the material so many times you can relearn pretty much everything the day before the exam. Unless you're like some lucky gits on my course who can (apparently) remember stuff they read weeks before.

Totally agree with everything you've said! I find it also helps if you're actually interested in what you're trying to revise. It was hard in 1st year when I was doing boring compulsory modules that I hated, but in 2nd year it was mainly modules that I had chosen and wanted to do, which makes things a bit easier!

**jackson0100** · 19-09-2006, 09:21 PM

i guess i was abit like you i have my pet subjects etc etc I usually read the extra reading while i am sitting on my gluteal area waiting for results. Best of luck to whatever you choose to do