“When should I start revising for GCSEs?” If you’re asking that question, the short answer is “now.”
In general, about 6 months before the exams start is a good guideline. So, if you’re sitting your GCSEs in 2023 – it’s time to get started!
Use a revision timetable to make the most of the time you have and remember that how you revise should change as the exams get closer. Let’s have a look at the different stages you should ideally have in your revision:
Choosing What to Revise
This is possibly the most important part – whether you start revision 6 months or 12 months before your exams, your time is limited. You need to find weak areas in your knowledge. So the question, “when should I start revising for GCSEs?” is less important than the question, “what should I start revising for GCSEs?”
Looking at your mock papers is a great way to approach this – but it’s not foolproof. Not every topic will have come up! You should also use your instincts – have a look at the topic lists and rate the subjects yourself. You will remember what you struggled with in class, and what you found easy.
Have a look at our revision quizzes too – they will help you identify areas you need to work on.
Tackling Weak Spots
When you’ve found your weak spots, the next job is to work on them. Use revision guides, YouTube videos, or blogs to find out any information you need to know and then use a revision technique to help remember them. Blurting and Cornell Notes are two excellent methods, but you can find a whole list of them right here.
Practise, Practise, Practise
Now it’s time to check whether what you’ve learnt has stuck!
Use revision guides or sheets to find practice questions and do as many as you can get your hands on. Depending on the subject, you might want to change how you use the questions. For Maths, you can answer every question fully, but for English you may want to just plan some of the essay questions.
Micro mocks are a great resource for this – they focus on one small area so you can really target the topics you want to practise.
Have a go at Past Papers!
In fact, get your hands on as many as you can. We have sets of English Past Papers and Maths Past Papers on this blog to make it easy for you to find.
Rinse and Repeat!
These tips on when and what to revise for your GCSE exams are wonderfully useful, but they can’t assist you with actual revision. Beyond Revision is the team to help you reach peak performance in the lead-up to exams and you’ll find a ton of helpful blogs here! You can also subscribe to Beyond for access to thousands of secondary teaching resources. You can sign up for a free account here and take a look around at our free resources before you subscribe too.