My observations on revision

System

I have had the good fortune to meet and discuss the June 2006 exam preparation with very many students over England for almost 6 weeks.

This year I have noticed one problem seems to be more widespread than in previous exam sittings.

That problem is over revision.

I am sure that there are more people in the teaching profession who would wish their students would revise more, but I think there are a substantial number of AAT students who could probably do better with less!!

All over England there are study groups who are slogging away every evening when they don't have college AND Saturday and Sunday.

I am sure this must be winding-up a lot of those concerned, and perhaps not necessarily being a good use of that time.

May I make a suggestion?

Please can you carefully plan your revision, and rather than fit the breaks into the plan, start your plan by putting the breaks in. Also, try to put in activities that demand your full attention just so that you can't drift off into a bit of revision sub-consciously.

In my experience, the breaks are very important as you then come back fresh.

Then when you look at the revision programme make the targets specific, for example flexible budgets in a marginal costing format.

I am bound to look at a PCR or PEV topic.

This way you can get to the end of the session and be proud of successfully mastering a topic, rather than thinking that you are only part way through a whole unit. This can help your brain to switch off as a good job has been done and you can reward yourself by doing another activity with the satisfaction of completing the topic behind you.

On the day of the exam you need to be fresh and on your toes. You must read the questions and make sure you answer the question the examiner has asked you. So if you are tired jadded and wound-up it won't work. Even if you know the text book inside out, back to front etc

On the PCR and PEV papers there are a few lines to set the scene of the question. You could miss them if you are tired, and that will almost certainly cost you marks as you need to link your knowledge to the circumstances of the question.

If you are alert because

you have had a good nights sleep confident that your

sharp, intensive short revision sessions and completed past questions have provided you with the facts, and

you had plenty of breaks and other activities to stop you becoming jadded

Then you must have an excellent chance of passing

System

Re:My observations on revision

I would agree with Sandy. I finished AAT in 2004.

At the college I attended we never finished any of the units until a couple of weeks before the exams leaving a week for revision in class. I never understand how people are able to revise 6 weeks before unless they are teaching themselves, are some colleges not using books and just making students learn how to pass papers because this does not help in the work place?

All I then did for revision then was to make key notes, work my way through the relevant Osborne workbook the one with no answers (always brought those)and then a copule of days before attempt the past papers over and over again.

This worked for me luckily no retakes!

Good luck all

System

Re:My observations on revision

Thanks for that, i'll give it a try because i'm starting to panic not being able to remember everything to even get through 1 past paper without loads of problems. I'll try and concentrate on my weaker areas first hopefully that will help.

Thanks again.