By Madeleine Wilkes

Revision can be a daunting task.

When is the best time to revise? How often should you revise? How do you revise?

Let’s look at what the research says.

Firstly: when should I revise? 

It is common to ‘cram’ right before exams and rely on short term memory to get through, and students often perceive cramming as an effective method of revision. But, more than one study has looked at spaced learning vs cramming and they have found that learning over a long period of time leads to better recall and higher achievement. This research has come from a wide range of subjects; from art studies to advanced statistics and so is applicable to all sorts of revision.

Psychologically, spaced learning works by building a solid knowledge base that can then be built upon with new, more advanced knowledge. Cramming however does not allow the time for this base to be created which leaves all the information unorganised and difficult to recall.

In short: give yourself a long time to revise.

Secondly: what format to use to revise?

One study compared two of their university classes from different years; one class did an 8-question quiz every lesson - based on the topics from previous lessons - that gave immediate feedback on how well they had done (Group A) and the other class had four 45-minute exams spread out over the course (Group B).

The students in Group A performed half a letter grade better in end of year exams than those in Group B. This shows us that regular quizzes as a revision method can improve students' academic performance.

In fact, not only did they perform better within the class, they actually continued to outperform their classmates in their other classes for the rest of the school year too compared to those who had not been in Group A. This could be because the regular quizzes gave the students a structured revision schedule to stick to that they then utilised in their other classes.

What’s more, students’ socio-economic status (SES) was a greater impacting factor on grades in Group B compared to Group A. This effect also spread to grades in classes beyond the original testing class. Suggesting that regular quizzing for everyone can reduce the impact of individual factors on grades and helps to ensure that results are based on knowledge alone.

However, students in Group A did rate their workload as heavier than those in Group B so adding regular quizzes into a revision schedule should be based on the existing workload and stress levels.

Furthermore, this method of regular quizzing is founded in neuro-psychological research. Frequent quizzes force the brain to regularly, actively search for information to remember it. Each time a piece of information is remembered, the path to the information is made stronger, which makes it a lot easier to remember it when it’s needed - like in a final exam. Accordingly, this adds to the success of spaced learning; the more time you have to practise recalling information, the more times you will be able to do it which makes the path to the information stronger.

Thirdly: What questions to ask?

In the ongoing debate between multiple choice questions (MCQs) and short answer questions (SAQs), the research doesn’t have a clear black and white answer. Traditionally, experts have believed that SAQs have been the way to go. However, more recently, support for MCQs as a revision method has emerged. One study compared MCQs to SAQs and a mixture of both. They found little or no advantages of answering SAQs or a mixture when compared to MCQs. Another study compared two groups of students: one regularly quizzed with MCQs and the other with SAQs. Both groups had similar results on their final exams. Notably, this study also compared students who were regularly quizzed to those that weren’t; students that were regularly quizzed did outperform those who were not in final exams. What’s more, the method of testing during term time did not have to match the method used during the final exam for the benefits of regular testing to show.

It should be noted that a key element for this method to be successful is feedback of mistakes and successes during the regular quizzes, for student learning and retention. A concern that is often held with MCQs is that students will accidentally learn the wrong information from being presented with incorrect answers with the correct answer. Providing feedback on the correct answer can decrease the chances of this happening.

However, if MCQs are really not something you enjoy or support, but you think that learning the answers to SAQs is too long; Very Short Answer Questions (VSAQs) may be for you. These quizzes require answers with only 1 and 5 words - rather than a sentence or two - have been shown to be a reliable and valid method of testing students. What’s more is that they highlight the areas that students may be struggling with more than an MCQ can reveal. 

To summarise: a couple questions each week over a longer period of time is the best way to train your brain to remember important information.