So many students over the years have told me that they revise by reading. I would say that 90% of all students that I have ever met have told me this. However, I question its effectiveness. If this was to be an effective learning technique then surely teachers would use this as a major teaching method.

Modern examinations do not just test knowledge they also test understanding. You can learn a definition, but the question is do you really understand its significance and can you apply its meaning to a different situation? Although reading can allow you to simply learn a fact, it is unlikely that on its own it will build understanding.

After I finished my A levels I am entirely self taught as I went through the Open University. I had to use a wide range of revision and learning techniques to build the understanding. I found that the most effective way was to use a range of different methods. Some of the methods that I used I have listed below:

Making notes

Writing questions and then answering them

Answering questions from a book

Filling in worksheets

Getting someone else to test me on a topic

Reading

Highlighting key phrases in a book

I also found that the longer I did a task for, the greater the chance that I would get tired and feel sleepy. Therefore I worked for about 20 minutes and then had a 10 minute break before continuing onwards.