How to Make a Revision Timetable

Co-authored by Josh Jones

Last Updated: August 13, 2024 Approved

A revision timetable will help you focus and make the most of the time you have available to study for your exams. You can make a paper revisions timetable using letter or legal size paper and a pen, or you could make your revisions timetable on Google calendar or in your weekly planner. There are also mobile applications that can help with your revisions timetable. Whatever media you use, be sure to prioritize your subjects, make time for study breaks and get plenty of rest.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Reviewing Your Calendar

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Write the dates of your exams in your calendar. You might want to put a star beside them to indicate their importance. Then, figure out how many days you have left before your exams. Divide the number of days left before exams by the number of subjects you need to prepare for. Now you know how many days you have available to prepare for each subject.^{[2]
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Use your textbook and learning materials to determine the specific topic areas within each subject. English Literature, for example, may be broken down into the different books you are studying and then further into chapters, themes, or quotes. Highlight or circle the topics using different colours. Figure out how many topics or sub categories you have for each subject. Then, divide up the time you have for the subject into study blocks for each topic.^{[3]
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Look at your work calendar. If you are currently employed, you should review your work schedule for the upcoming weeks. Figure out where you can schedule study-time between your shifts.^{[4]
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- If you have a lot of upcoming shifts, consider working less so that you have more time for revisions.
You need to figure out when your studying may be interrupted by social events or holidays, so that you can plan accordingly. If it looks like there will be a weekend when you are unable to study due to a social obligation, try to put in your revision time beforehand.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Filling in the Timetable

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1
Chart your weekly revision timetable on a piece of paper. You can make a paper revision timetable and put it up behind your desk. Get some paper and some different coloured pens. A ruler might help, too, if you want to make a table. Make a column for each day of the week. For each day, jot down the subjects you will focus on and the specific topics you plan to study.
- You can also download revision timetables and then insert your own subjects and times.
2
Try a timetable application. There are a variety of mobile applications that can be used to schedule your revisions timetable. These applications work on a variety of platforms. For instance, you may find one of the following applications helpful:^{[6]
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- If you use an Android device, you may find Timetable helpful. It will mute your phone during your study sessions and allow you to block your time effectively.
- You can make a personalized study plan with the SQA My Study Plan application.
- You can store your timetable on the cloud and access it across a range of devices with the My Study Life application.
At the end of each week leading up to exams, reflect on what worked and what didn’t work in your revision timetable. Consider how you could spend your time more effectively, and then make the revision timetable for your upcoming week. For instance, if your study week starts on a Monday, you might want to start your weekly timetable on the Sunday night or Monday morning.
You should think strategically about the subjects on your list. You should make more time for the relatively more difficult subjects or the ones you have a hard time with. You should also make more time for subjects that you need to achieve a particular grade on, in order to proceed with your professional or life goals.^{[7]
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Do big projects first. Do the big projects first, since they will require the most effort and concentration. By studying the big projects or subjects first, you will avoid the situation of not having sufficient time down the road.
- Remember to integrate some flexibility in your schedule. You may need to go back to the big subjects later in your revision timetable, depending on how it goes the first time around.
6
Decide which tasks you should only spend short bursts of time on. If there are subjects or topics that are relatively easy or take less time, you could allocate smaller blocks of time for them. You may need to allocate relatively more, smaller blocks of time to certain subjects.
- If you are memorizing new words for an upcoming Spanish language test, you might want to allocate more frequent, smaller blocks of time.
Instead of only scheduling blocks of time for studying, you should insert specific study breaks and rewards. You could schedule a study break to go for coffee with a friend. Another option is to schedule quick workout sessions at your local or school gym between study periods. Regardless of what you do with your breaks, it is important to make time for them.^{[8]
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Although it is tempting to be ambitious at the scheduling stage, you don’t want to jot down huge blocks of time that you won’t realistically be able to complete. Instead of blocking off fifteen hours a day for a hard subject and getting disappointed with yourself when it becomes unmanageable, consider blocking off realistic chunks of time that allow for things like a social life and family obligations.^{[9]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Optimizing Your Time

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This will give you more motivation for the rest of the day. Make sure the next slot is something heavier so you don't put off your worst subjects until the end.
Some people study best in the morning, whereas other people like to burn the midnight oil. If you know when you can concentrate best, you can use that time of the day to focus on your revisions.^{[10]
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3
Set goals for a particular study session. At the start of your study session, consider the specific goals you would like to achieve. Take two minutes to write down a specific goal you hope to achieve, such as completing the reading up to a specific page number in the textbook.
- If you are memorizing dates or events for a history exam, write down a goal to memorize a particular number of facts for the exam.
4
Use subject specific study methods. Consider whether you are using the most appropriate study methods for specific subjects, such as flash cards for a history exam or rhymes for an oral French language exam. It is important to tailor your study methods for the type of exam material.^{[11]
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- If you need to identify parts of the human body, you may want to use biological illustrations or pictures.
- If you need to perform in an algebra exam, you should practice doing equations.
Instead of studying for hours and losing concentration, it is best to study for thirty or forty minutes at a time. If you still feel fresh after forty minutes, you can always get back to work.^{[12]
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If you are going to study for the day, it is important to give yourself breaks between periods of studying. Go for a short walk or grab a cup of coffee and then come back to your revisions later.^{[13]
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At the end of a study session, you should quickly review what you have accomplished during the session. Give yourself a pat on the back if you have accomplished any of your study session goals, such as finishing preparation for a particular topic or subject. If you haven’t yet achieved your goal, write down what you need to accomplish in order to get closer to the goal during your next study session.^{[14]
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It will feel great when you can tick off a subject from your study list. You will have one subject less to worry about. That said, it is important to come back to the subjects you studied first towards the end of your revisions period.^{[15]
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As you move further into your revisions schedule, you may need to remind yourself about particular subjects or topic areas that you covered weeks or months ago. So, it is wise to periodically revisit the subjects that you covered earlier in your revisions timetable.^{[16]
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10
Make sure you get lots of sleep before the exam day. Sleep is important for cognition, which is necessary for exam performance. To ensure a good performance, getting a solid rest is really important.^{[17]
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- For instance, you should try to get between eight and ten hours of sleep per night.^{[18]
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- Unfortunately, not getting sufficient sleep will limit your concentration and learning. If you are prioritizing study time over getting adequate sleep (i.e., 8-10 hours), it could negatively impact your ability to concentrate and learn during your study sessions.^{[19]
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What is the best time to study?

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That is largely up to you. Think about when you have free time in your schedule, and try to pick a time when you'll be awake, alert, and free of distractions.

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How do I maintain a positive outlook?

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Make a "to do" list and have a planner so that you know what you need to be doing. When a person is organised, he/she will automatically be more positive. Congratulate yourself on your accomplishments and if there's something you can't get done, don't be hard on yourself.

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How can I divide my time between working and studying?

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Wake up in the morning fairly early and work on your big tasks, then break for about an hour. Remember, a break doesn't have to be sitting on your phone. It could just be a walk around the local park.

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Tips

Be realistic about what you can achieve but remember it is all about trial and error. Even if it goes wrong, you can always adjust your timetable.

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Studying with a friend can be productive and fun. You can revise subjects you both do and test each other on things you've learned. If you don't do the same subjects, you can motivate one another to work and stick to your revision plans.

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Make yourself a detailed ‘to do list’ the night before. For instance, your weekend ‘to do list’ might look like the following: 9:30-1030am, shower and eat breakfast; 10:30am, revise for Russian history exam; 11:30am, revise for algebra exam; 1230pm, eat lunch. You'll be surprised at how much more likely you are to get work done if you have everything planned out exactly.

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