WITH exam season looming just around the corner, students are being given advice on how to best prepare so they are in the best frame of mind for when the open their exam paper.

Dr Lisette Johnston is providing tips to get the most out of revision ahead of GCSEs and A-Levels.

“The most ineffective way to revise is to read notes,” Dr Johnston said.

“Not much goes in, minds wander and too much time is spent ‘working’ for very little learning.”

She advises making fact or note cards, draw mind maps and make lists to narrow the topic down to what you need to know to make the most of revision.

She also recommends highlighting key parts of notes to make it easier to remember, writing essay plans to break them down into chunks, and do past papers to get a feel for the exam and to practise timings and how to answer.

She said: “Don’t work for hours without a break - memory and recall become less and less effective.

“Plan your revision in sessions of up to one hour and take a short break between sessions.

“Change topics each session – this can be hard to begin with, but it’s a very effective strategy.”

Dr Johnston also recommends finding a quiet place and switching your phone off to avoid being distracted.