• Home
  • Courses by Subject
      • Accounting
      • Bookkeeping
      • Compliance & Risk
      • Finance
      • Financial Planning
      • MYOB
      • Payroll
      • Xero
      • Animal Care
      • Animal Science
      • Pet Grooming
      • Veterinary Nursing
      • Arts
      • Dance
      • Graphic Design
      • Interior Design
      • Photography
      • User Experience Design
      • UX/UI
      • Web Design
      • Building & Construction
      • Electrical
      • Plumbing
      • Real Estate
      • Business
      • Business Administration
      • Business Development
      • Business Operations
      • Change Management
      • Customer Engagement
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Human Resources
      • Leadership & Management
      • Logistics
      • Management
      • PMBOK
      • PRINCE2
      • Project Management
      • Quality Management
      • Supply Chain Operations
      • Aged Care
      • Alcohol & Other Drugs
      • Community Services
      • Disability
      • Individual Support
      • Youth Work
      • Child Care
      • Education
      • Education Support
      • Training & Assessment
      • Engineering
      • Manufacturing
      • Conservation & Land Management
      • Health Sciences
      • Horticulture
      • Science
      • Sustainability
      • Beauty Therapy
      • Hairdressing
      • Makeup
      • Nail Technology
      • Allied Health
      • Counselling
      • Dental Assisting
      • Health
      • Health Admin
      • Health Services Assistance
      • Herbal Medicines
      • Life Coaching
      • Massage Therapy
      • Mental Health
      • Natural Therapies
      • Naturopathy
      • Nursing
      • Nutrition
      • Nutritional Medicine
      • Pharmacy
      • Practice Management
      • Psychology
      • Sports & Fitness
      • Celebrancy
      • Culinary Arts
      • Event Management
      • Hospitality
      • Travel & Tourism
      • Agile
      • Cloud Computing
      • Coding
      • Cyber Security
      • Data Science & Analytics
      • IT
      • Microsoft
      • Networking
      • Programming
      • Software
      • Systems Administration
      • Web Development
      • Government
      • Legal
      • Work Health & Safety
      • Advertising
      • Digital Marketing
      • Digital Media
      • Marketing
      • Retail
      • Social Media Marketing
    • Blended
    • In-class
    • Online
    • Virtual
    • ACT
    • New South Wales
    • Northern Territory
    • South Australia
    • Tasmania
    • Victoria
    • Western Australia
    • Queensland
    • Certificate
    • Certificate I
    • Certificate II
    • Certificate III
    • Certificate IV
    • Short
    • Diploma
    • Advanced Diploma
    • Associate Degree
    • Undergraduate Certificate
    • Bachelor
    • Graduate Certificate
    • Graduate Diploma
    • Masters
    • Postgraduate Certificate
    • Postgraduate Diploma
  • Resources
  • Workforce Training
  • Contact us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Affiliates
  • About us
Homepage 
ResourcesCareers in AustraliaEducation in AustraliaHow to StudyStudy in AustraliaTAFE in Australia
  1. Home
  2. Resources
  3. Study Tips
  4. 7 Study Tips and Revision Hacks You Need to Succeed
Published 17 Jul 2017

7 Study Tips and Revision Hacks You Need to Succeed

by Claudia Reiners

Depending on where you’re studying, exams might be sneaking up on you every day, or they may still be a distant dot on the horizon. No matter when they are, it’s never too early to perfect your revision techniques. It’s not too outlandish to suggest that knowing how to study or revise is just as important, if not more so, than knowing what to study. We’ve scoured the web for the handiest study tips, and added a few of our own ideas for good measure to help you out when that dreaded time comes!

Before You Start

The most difficult part of any process, particularly one as terrifying as exam season, is sitting down and actually beginning. Speaking from a position of experience, don’t sit down with a jumbled series of notes the day before the big exam and expect it all to come flooding back! There’s plenty of study apps and planning and organising guides that can help you have all your notes prepared and organised, so when the time does come to knuckle down and get revising; you’ll be ready. 

If you’re new to the game or returning to study as a mature aged student and need to refresh your study skills, this guide will help you with any assignment, report or group project you might face. 

1. Start Early in the Day

Morning exams are the bane of many a student’s life, but many studies have shown that it’s the most efficient time of day to get moving and have that brain tick over. Not only is it considered the best time for committing information to memory; but it’s also a great way to wake up and get your mind switched on, helping you throughout the day with concentration and energy levels. Apply this to your revision, and voila, you’ll be well ahead of schedule by 3pm and feel much more awake to actually enjoy the rest of your day. 

2. Know How To Study, and When to Stop

While there’s a variety of guidelines on the exact timings you should follow, the key idea is that controlled procrastination is essential to keeping your brain functioning at full capacity. According to Dr Marty Lobdell, the best way to study smart is to study less. Instead of dedicating hours and hours of relentless study without any breaks, he suggests following these rules:

7 Study Tips and Revision Hacks You Need to Succeed

3. Create a Clear Reward System

No matter what it’s for, we’re always more likely to perform better when we have a reward waiting for us at the end. Having something to strive towards and motivate us is the key to working hard. Whether it’s a well-deserved break, watching your favourite show or a chocolate bar just waiting for you in the pantry; rewarding yourself is worth it. In the long run, it’s also considered the best way to stop procrastination, improve retention and keep other distractions at bay.

4. Get Others Involved

There’s a reason people tell everybody their New Year’s resolutions, even if they rarely follow them through. Having others to support, motivate and encourage you through your study is a great way to keep focused and have others stop you from getting drawn in by temptations such as procrastinating, giving up or cheating your study schedule. If you’ve told your friends you’re studying for an upcoming exam and then ask them to go out for dinner; they’ll be more inclined to ask you whether you have time. Even getting you to question how your study’s going can get you to really consider whether you’ve done enough.

Having a study buddy is also a great way of using your time and can definitely be an effective way of studying. It’s important, however, to choose your study buddy wisely as the wrong one can upset your study efforts even more. There’s also been a number of studies that support learning and revising with others, as we typically don’t see socialising as a bad thing, so this tends to make us more inclined to be motivated to work harder. 

So once you’ve got your revision schedule sorted, post it up in your kitchen, under the noses of your family or housemates. Their insistent questioning of your progress will motivate (and annoy) you much more than your own mind.

Study Group

5. Teach Somebody Else

The difference in technique between teaching and studying is gigantic, yet there’s no better way to prove your understanding of the material than by walking a complete newcomer through it. Somebody without any prior knowledge will be excellent at identifying the gaps in your knowledge and ask the right questions to help you identify where to go from here.

Seneca, a Greek philosopher once said, ‘What We Teach, We Learn’, and this is scarily true. In what’s been dubbed the ‘Protegée effect’, students who spend time tutoring others, have been found to have much higher scores and test results than those who don’t. So why not test it out? Force a younger sibling, housemate or anyone really to listen to your lecture-style revision sessions, get them to ask questions about the topics and then use the knowledge you have to answer them in as much detail. This can also greatly improve your ability to answer questions on a test or exam. 

Don’t have anybody to teach? Try your dog. He won’t ask any questions, but his look of general bafflement will inspire you to greater heights of understanding.

6. Listen to the Right Music

The silence of your bedroom or the library (only punctuated by ‘quiet’ whispering and coughing) isn’t actually too effective to revision. Some people love it, some people hate it. If silence drives you crazy, then this isn’t going to help you focus. Music that fades into the background, however, fills the gap and will help you through. Stay away from Rihanna and death metal (though, everyone’s different).

Instrument -based music, preferably anything without lyrics, is the best for study. Classical music has been proved to be the most successful music genre to listen to, with some studies showing that it can lead to higher scores on assessments and help with concentration, memory and even creativity. Check out YouTube playlists around ‘classical music to study to’ or have a look at this Top 10 Classical Pieces to help with study.

Listen to Classical Music When Studying

7. Relax

Most importantly, don’t get too stressed! Whether you chill out by socialising, hanging out with your cats or throwing yourself into Ashtanga yoga, staying relaxed and calm is the best method for staying focussed and thinking positive. Make sure you spend time properly relaxing too, not stressing about everything you need to remember and study for when you get home again. the best method is to work hard, then relax even harder. Let your brain work on cementing all that knowledge in the background. 

Claudia Reiners
Claudia Reiners

Navigator Illustration

You've Read All About it... Now Time for Action?

Use the NaviGator to discover a personalised list of courses for you. Commitment free.

Try the Navigator

Latest Articles


Should I Study a Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance?

The healthcare sector is experiencing rapid growth in employment opportunities, prompting many peopl...

Avatar photo
Kristen Michaelides
Nov 28, 2023
Read More

Best Allied Health Courses for Every Passion

Suggested course: Certificate IV in Mental Health Suggested course: Diploma of Counselling With so m...

Avatar photo
Kristen Michaelides
Nov 28, 2023
Read More

Most Popular Allied Health Assistant Jobs

Numerous opportunities exist for allied health assistant roles, encompassing a wide spectrum of prof...

Guy Clennett
Nov 27, 2023
Read More

Want to Read More?


Study Counselling in Perth

TafeCourses.com.au offers a range of counselling courses in Perth, Australia. Contact us for online...

Avatar photo
Candlefox
Aug 5, 2013
Read More

The Advantages of Studying at an RTO — Your Questions Answered

Today’s work environment can be more competitive, fast-moving and quickly evolving than ever b...

Avatar photo
Candlefox
May 10, 2022
Read More

How to Be a Stay at Home Mum and Study at the Same Time

For stay at home parents, it can seem impossible to even think about juggling study with parenting....

Avatar photo
Rebecca Fox
Sep 28, 2023
Read More

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get expert advice, insights, and explainers on tricky topics — designed to help you navigate your learning journey with confidence.

By submitting this enquiry I accept the "Privacy Policy" and "Terms of Use"
  • chevron-left
  • Popular Subjects
  • Study Locations
  • Qualification Type
  • Popular Blogs
  • chevron-right
  • Accounting
  • Allied Health
  • Bookkeeping
  • Business Admin
  • Community Services
  • Counselling
  • Dental Assisting
  • Education
  • Fitness
  • Healthcare
  • Mental Health
  • Nutrition
  • Small Business Management
  • View More
  • New South Wales
  • Queensland
  • South Australia
  • Victoria
  • Western Australia
  • View More
  • Advanced Diploma
  • Bachelor
  • Certificate
  • Certificate II
  • Certificate III
  • Certificate IV
  • Diploma
  • Masters
  • Short
  • Graduate Certificate
  • Graduate Diploma
  • Undergraduate Certificate
  • Undergraduate Degree
  • View More
  • 5 Low-Stress Jobs: Create Your Perfect Work-Life Balance — No Degree Needed
  • 10 Highest Paying Jobs in Australia Without a Degree: Earn Big Bucks Without Big Debt
  • 12 Best Side Hustles in Australia: Passion Projects & Money Makers (+80 Great Side Hustle Ideas)
  • 12 of the Most Fun Jobs: What Are The Most Enjoyable Careers?
  • 22 Best Jobs That Don't Require Experience: Learn While You Earn
  • TAFE, VET and AQF – Acronyms in Australian Learning
  • Changing Careers Over 50: The Best Decision You’ll Ever Make
  • Government Funded Courses and Subsidised Training
  • Never Too Late: Studying at TAFE as a Mature Age Student
  • Study at TAFE | Guide to TAFE Courses in Australia
  • 35 Profitable (and Fun) Home Business Ideas You Can Start Today
  • The Top Careers Where You Can Earn Over $100K Without a Degree
  • Top 10 High Income Skills of 2023 (Based on Real Data)
  • What is TAFE (Technical and Further Education) and How Can It Benefit You?
  • View More

Newsletter sign up

We'll email you updates on job trends, career advice, study tips, news and more.
Courses
  • All subjects
  • Online courses
About Us
  • About tafecourses.com.au
Contact us
  • Contact
  • Advertise your course
  • Become an affiliate
Resources
  • Our blog
  • Workforce training
Privacy Policy Terms of Use
Tafecourses Facebook Tafecourses Instagram
Australian Aboriginal flag Torres Strait Islander flag
In the spirit of reconciliation, tafecourses.com.au acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
Copyright © 2023 Tafecourses.com.au
All Rights Reserved.

Newsletter Sign Up

We’ll email you updates on job trends, career advice, study tips, news and more.

By downloading this template I accept the "Privacy Policy" and "Terms of Use"
Back to Top