• Question: What do you think is the best method of revising Chemistry?

    Asked by to Sam, Loren, Toby on 25 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by kira1998.
    • Photo: Sam Lear

      Sam Lear answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      I always got the best results with revision by actually doing problems. I don’t think just reading over notes is effective. When you actually use knowledge to do questions, you really remember it/how to solve similar problems in future.

      It’s the same now – lectures and seminars are pretty inefficient ways of absorbing knowledge in my opinion. It’s only when you’re actually doing the research that you really know the science.

      I would say get your teachers to give you lots of practise questions and problems to solve!

    • Photo: Tobias Warnecke

      Tobias Warnecke answered on 26 Jun 2014:

      Hi ruthscience5,

      I think different things work for different people. I have to write down things to remember them well. And I can’t cope with just looking at text. I often make little drawings right next to the text and I think my visual memory has an easier time retrieving the drawings during an exam than pages and pages of text that all look the same.

    • Photo: Loren Macdonald

      Loren Macdonald answered on 26 Jun 2014:

      Hello ruthscience5,

      Personally, I found drawing out the equations etc a lot helps, especially when you’ve got big reactions to try and remember. If you can draw them out from memory, then that helps a lot. It’s active and the muscle memory as such helps.

      When I was revising during my degree, my friends and I would all write out questions and we would ask each other them and learn through doing the questions, you learn the answers to your own and to other people’s. You learn through writing, reading and speaking- so you’re covering all the bases really.

      Past question papers also helps- if you can get the marking sheet or if your teacher will go through them with you or mark them for you. The more you get used to the types of questions, especially at GCSE or A level stage, the easier it is to answer them.

      I also used to draw out pictures and write facts etc on the little revision cards you get from places like WHSmith. You can then read through them- but writing them also helps you revise it.

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