How Many Hours A Day Should You Revise For A-Levels? - Think Student (2023)

A-Levels are the next step after your GCSEs, and they show just how good you are as a student – there’s less support, and much more independence. Therefore, it’s important to get the best grades you can on them.

In this article I’ll be going over the best way to revise for your A-Levels, and what you should be doing in the days leading up to your exams. Read on for the best tips on how many hours of revision you should do per day for your A-Levels.

In theory, you should revise for about two hours every day in the month leading up to your exam. That should allow you enough time to perfect your exam technique in time to ace those exams. You can take breaks on the weekends if it works for you, but that means you should revise for a little bit longer each day.

How Many Hours Of Daily A-Level Revision Is Too Much?

How Many Hours A Day Should You Revise For A-Levels? - Think Student (1)You might be focused and ready to learn, but there is a point where A-Level revision can be too much. How can you work out that point to avoid overworking yourself?

Anything above 4 hours a day will seriously strain your mental capacity, and decrease your concentration. The longer you work for, the less productive you get.

That’s because you start to lose focus on what you’re revising. You won’t pay any attention to your revision, and so none of it will stick in your memory – which results in wasted time and efforts from you.

There’s no point revising for longer than four hours, as the content you revise won’t stay in your brain. You won’t be able to focus on your work, which means you won’t be able to remember it, and then you’ll miss out on marks in an exam.

You’ll also leave yourself overworked and worse off for any revision that might actually help. If you try to do more than you can handle, it’ll actually have a negative effect on the outcome of your GCSEs.

This revision should go alongside your independent study too. Don’t shirk off the responsibilities you already have at college – your independent revision should be separate from your exam revision.

How Can Revising For Too Long Even Be Bad?

How Many Hours A Day Should You Revise For A-Levels? - Think Student (2)We know that anything above 4 hours a day is really pushing the limit. What are the consequences of revising too much, though? Surely they can’t be that bad…

Wrong. Revising for this amount of time is inefficient, and can lead to some very bad outcomes for your exams. A-Level exams are tough, but that doesn’t mean you should work yourself to the point of exhaustion.

The longer your time spent revising, the less focused you’ll be. This means that the longer you revise for, the less efficient you’ll be and the less information will get stuck in your memory.

If you think you’ve revised something but can’t remember it, you’ll have gaps in your knowledge. This will leave you helpless in an exam, and precious marks will be lost.

Revising for over four hours a day will leave you exhausted, too. Studying for this extreme amount of time will make you tired, especially alongside your independent studies.

The better option for A-Level students is to take the right amount of time out each day to work on your revision. Managing your time well will lead to successful revision, and successful exams.

How Many Hours Of Daily A-Level Revision Is Too Little?

How Many Hours A Day Should You Revise For A-Levels? - Think Student (3)Probably a very common mistake students make is not doing enough revision. A question not many ask though, is how much is not enough?

Try to revise for any amount of time above an hour and a half in the weeks leading up to your exam. Anything under this will leave you underprepared to pick up those vital marks.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, but by now you should really have the whole revision thing sorted. A-Level students are the best of the best, and shouldn’t be found not to be doing revision.

Procrastination is the main culprit of not enough revision. Watch out, because procrastination will lead to huge gaps in your knowledge and a poor understanding of exam techniques.

Exam technique is almost as important as knowing your content in A-Level exams. Depending on what A-Levels you take, the right exam technique can make the difference between a pass and a fail.

Revision timetables are the perfect way to sort out your revision, so that you don’t revise for too long (or not long enough). Take a look at this helpful guide, if you’re not sure how to make one.

Does The Amount Of Revision You Need To Do Per Day Depend On The A-Level?

How Many Hours A Day Should You Revise For A-Levels? - Think Student (4)A revision timetable is good for working out the average amount of time you need to spend revising, but the A-Levels you take can affect the specifics of your timetable.

Harder A-Levels will take longer to revise for, and easier A-Levels won’t need as much. This is because some A-Levels are just a bit more difficult to understand than others, and will need more revision to secure the content for your exams.

You can usually tell how hard an A-Level is to revise for due to the amount of content in the course. The more content there is, the harder you’ll have to work to ace your exam.

The amount of revision you have to do can also depend on how good you are at the A-Level. If you’re really good at a specific subject, you’ll find it much easier and therefore won’t have to revise it as much.

However, if you tend to struggle more with a certain A-Level, you’ll want to revise more for it. It’s all about finding the balance between revising your bad subjects more and good subjects less.

Ultimately, you should try to prioritise your worst A-Levels and topics. The same can be said for individual topics within A-Levels, try to work on whatever you’re not good at.

What Days Should You Revise On?

How Many Hours A Day Should You Revise For A-Levels? - Think Student (5)You might think that revising every single day in the weeks leading up to your exams is a good idea, and you wouldn’t be wrong. However, there’s another option that might be better for you.

Revising every day of the week can be beneficial, but it also has some disadvantages. Revision every day in the weeks before your exam is good, because it keeps your brain constantly in that revision headspace.

It also means you don’t have to revise so intensively every day. The more days you revise on, the more you can spread out your revision so that you only have to revise in short periods, but often.

However, revising every day can tire you out. You never get a day off with this method, and that can lead to lower motivation and less productivity in your revision.

The other method you could try is revising on the weekdays and taking a break on the weekend. A number of students opt for this, as it means you get a chance to rest and recuperate.

However, it does mean that you have to bump up the revision you do on the weekdays. Instead of revising for just 2 hours a day, you should be revising for 3.

How Should You Split Up Your A-Level Revision Sessions?

How Many Hours A Day Should You Revise For A-Levels? - Think Student (6)Revising for A-Levels can be long and stressful, and realistically no one wants to do it. However, there are certain ways you can split it up to make it easier – what are those ways?

The most common and useful method of splitting up your revision is the pomodoro technique. The pomodoro technique is widely used among many students, as it really boosts your revision.

The pomodoro technique is a way of revising that makes it easier for you to revise, with loads of other benefits too. Traditionally, you work for 25 minute periods with 5 minute breaks in between.

This way of working maximises your efficiency and productivity, leading to more effective revision. By taking short breaks, you allow your brain a chance to rest, increasing your focus and motivation to continue revising.

This means that the content you revise is more likely to stay in your memory for your exam. Higher productivity and better focus means you’re more likely to pick up those crucial marks when it matters most.

It also means that you’ll get your revision done a lot faster, with less procrastination. Because of the short breaks, you’ll be more inclined to continue working and you won’t be demotivated by how much you need to do.

How Should You Revise For A-Levels?

How Many Hours A Day Should You Revise For A-Levels? - Think Student (7)There are many ways you can revise for your A-Levels, but only a few are actually worth trying. Here are a few of the best ways you can prepare for your A-Level exams.

Flashcards are one of the most useful ways to revise for any exams, even A-Levels. Flashcards are the staple revision tactic of any student, because of how easy they are to set up and use.

All you have to do is write a term on one side, and a definition on the other. Show yourself one side of the card, and try to remember the other side – simple!

The only thing you have to watch out for is recognition instead of revision. You could end up learning the cards instead of the actual content, and then you’ll be left with gaps in your knowledge.

Luckily, another great revision technique can be used to identify the gaps in your knowledge. Mind maps are a great method of revision, and can help you fix your weak subjects before your exam.

Mind maps are used to write down everything you know about a topic. You can then compare what you’ve written with your A-Level syllabus, and work on whatever you missed out.

There are helpful guides on how to make both mind maps and flashcards, so I’ll just leave them here.

  • How to make effective flashcards (that actually work)
  • How to use mind maps effectively while studying
When Should You Start Revising For A-Levels?

How Many Hours A Day Should You Revise For A-Levels? - Think Student (8)A-Levels are not easy to complete, and take a lot of revision. Organised right, that revision can be easy and also effective – where should you set your starting point?

The best time to start revising for your A-Levels is about 7 weeks prior to your first exam. This should hopefully give you enough time to perfect your exam knowledge and technique.

Anything less than this, and you’ll find that you’re underprepared for your exams. You won’t have had the right amount of time to revise, and so you won’t know all your content.

Anything more than this, and you’ll start to forget the earliest things you revised. That will leave you with gaps in your knowledge, and you’ll miss out on those important marks in your exam.

There are more details on the perfect time to start revision on the Think Student website. Take a look at this article for the best tips on when and how to start your A-Level revision.

FAQs

How Many Hours A Day Should You Revise For A-Levels? - Think Student? ›

In theory, you should revise for about two hours every day in the month leading up to your exam. That should allow you enough time to perfect your exam technique in time to ace those exams. You can take breaks on the weekends if it works for you, but that means you should revise for a little bit longer each day.

How many hours a day should you revise a level? ›

E.g. if they're studying 10 subjects this will be 15 hours per week. A Level students (years 12 and 13) = 4-6 hours per subject per week. E.g. if they're studying 3 subjects in year 12, this might be 12 hours per week. If they're doing 4 subjects in year 13 this might be 20 hours per week.

What is 2 3 5 7 revision method? ›

Revise a topic, then revisit it the next day, after three days, and after seven days. This is thought to be the perfect amount of time to help your brain remember information.

How many hours should you study a day for exams? ›

Most people recommend studying for 3 to 4 hours every day on a set schedule that allows your brain to work at its full capacity. You should avoid studying for more than five or six hours as this can lead to burnout and cause you to lose the information that you have learned.

How long should a revision session be? ›

Revise in short manageable chunks and take regular breaks. Each revision session should last about 40 minutes, with 10-minute breaks between each session. 3. Try not to revise more than two subjects a day and don't attempt to do all of a subject in one go.

Is 3 months enough for a level? ›

Yes it is possible, if you put in enough effort and study effectively. Three hours should be enough time to revise the entire syllabus and start doing past papers.

Is a week enough to study for an exam? ›

Contrary to popular belief, cramming doesn't work. In fact, it can cause more harm than help. It's better to plan everything ahead of time and spread out your study periods for at least one week before the exam. In this way, you will have enough time to develop a deeper understanding of the subject.

What is the 1247 rule of studying? ›

What is 1247 Technique? Its a memory technique wherein you should revise whatever you have studied thrice after the 1st study. So effectively, you will study 4 times in 1-2-4-7 order.

What is the 80 20 rule in studying? ›

How Does The 80/20 Rule Apply To Our Studies? When we are looking at this principle in relation to our education, the primary factor we should consider is that 20% of the time you spend studying will be leading to 80% of the results you see.

What is the 1 3 7 revision rule? ›

1-3-7-21 Revision technique: After first read, revise whatever you read the very next day, then 3 days after; then again 7 days after and then after 21 days. And voila, you'll never forget this for the rest of your life.

How many hours can a human brain study? ›

BRAIN FOCUS & CONCENTRATION FACTS & STATISTICS

The human brain is able to focus up to two hours, after which it needs a 20-30 minute break. The average American spends about 9 hours a day at work. According to the NeuroLeadership Institute, work focus equals about 6 hours a week.

Is studying 2 hours a day good enough? ›

The general rule of thumb regarding college studying is, that for each class, students should spend approximately 2-3 hours of study time for each hour that they spend in class.

Is 20 hours a week a lot for a student? ›

According to research studies, the ideal number of hours a student should work each week is 13 – 20. Although 13 hours may not seem like a lot, it maintains a delicate balance between your varying course load and your life circumstances. Anything more than 20, and your grades take a hit.

Can you overdo revision? ›

Attempting to take in a lot of information all at once is really hard on your brain and helps contribute to a lack of concentration, boredom and that constant nagging desire to check your phone! In short, seven hours a day is too much revision.

Is half an hour of revision a day enough? ›

You should aim to revise for one to two hours a day, but it doesn't have to be all in one go. In fact, taking breaks whilst revising is much more beneficial than just doing it all in one go. You give your brain a chance to rest, which is crucial to the success of your revision – and eventually exams.

Is 4 weeks enough to revise for A levels? ›

This shouldn't be too early, as you'll have already have gone over the content in class (and your independent study). It's all about finding the balance between starting too early and starting too late. Students from WhatUni say that the minimum time you should set yourself to revise for an exam is four to five weeks.

How hard is it to get an A in A-level? ›

How hard is Further Maths A-Level? According to A-Level Outcomes in England 2022, 39.7% received an A*, while 27.5% received an A.

Is 2 months enough to revise for a-level? ›

Hi- two months, personally, is more than enough. It all depends on your speed when it comes to learning and how much you can retain within those 2 months in time for the exam.

How many hours a week is best to study? ›

How much time should you be studying per week? Research suggests that students should spend approximately 2-3 hours, per credit hour, studying in order to be successful in their courses. STEM classes often require 3-4 hours, per credit hour, of studying to be successful.

How many hours a week should I study for the day? ›

Give yourself at least three to four months to study for the DAT. Many sources recommend 200–250 hours. Plan on three hours per day, five days per week, for three months.

Can you study for an exam in 7 days? ›

In general, plan to start about 7-10 days in advance to make sure you maximize your study time. Remember, it is better to space your studying out over a period of days rather than clustering your studying just before the exam. Ten hours of studying over 5 days is better than 10 hours of studying over 2 days!

What is the golden rule for studying? ›

Use recall.

After you read a page, look away and recall the main ideas. Highlight very little, and never highlight anything you haven't put in your mind first by recalling. Try recalling main ideas when you are walking to class or in a different room from where you originally learned it.

What is the 15 minute rule for studying? ›

Follow the “15-minute rule”

This is where the 15-minute rule comes in: Take 15 minutes to solve the problem any way you can. If you don't have an answer after 15 minutes, you must ask someone.

What is the 45 study rule? ›

One way is to study smarter! According to an article in the Huffington Post, it is recommended that students take mental breaks approximately every 45 minutes. This is due to the fact that the brain is only able to maintain true focus for around 45 minutes before it begins to lose steam.

What is the 64 4 rule? ›

Thus, 64% of revenue comes from 4% of customers, 64% of accidents are caused by 4% of hazards, 64% of software errors can be traced to 4% of bugs, and so on. In guiding innovation investments, the 64/4 rule is highly useful because of how much leverage it produces.

How can I study and remember everything fast? ›

Simple memory tips and tricks
  1. Try to understand the information first. Information that is organized and makes sense to you is easier to memorize. ...
  2. Link it. ...
  3. Sleep on it. ...
  4. Self-test. ...
  5. Use distributed practice. ...
  6. Write it out. ...
  7. Create meaningful groups. ...
  8. Use mnemonics.

What is the 80-20 rule in dating? ›

The 80/20 relationship theory states that you can only get about 80% of your wants and needs from a healthy relationship, while the remaining 20% you need to provide for yourself.

What are the three R's of revision? ›

The 3 R's of Revision: Review, Reread, React/Reshape.

What is the best revision strategy? ›

Revision tips
  • Start early. Starting your revision early means you can spread it out and avoid last-minute panic. ...
  • Find out the exam format. ...
  • Find a revision method that works for you. ...
  • Test yourself. ...
  • Teach someone else. ...
  • Space out your revision and take breaks. ...
  • Look after yourself.

How to do revision with ADHD? ›

Avoid distractions

Alternatively, try the pomodoro technique. The pomodoro method helps to break your revision session down into manageable chunks. For example, if you have 2 hours to revise, break this into four 25-minute sessions with 5-minute breaks between each session.

How many hours do geniuses study? ›

The Best in the World Put in 10,000 Hours If you study the most successful people in the world, you will also realize that their genius only came after more than 10,000 hours of focus and hard work.

How long can your brain focus while studying? ›

Whilst everyone's attention span does differ slightly, research has revealed that the average adult human is only able to concentrate on a task for around 15 to 20 minutes, suggesting most of us are struggling to maintain focus for long periods of time.

How long can the brain memorize for? ›

Key Memory Statistics: What Is The Memory Capacity Of A Human Brain?
StatisticData
Human Brain's Memory CapacityTrillions Of Bytes Of Information
How Many Years Of Memory Can The Brain Store?450 years
Peak Age For Memory20s
Number Of Thoughts We Have Per Day70,000
2 more rows
Nov 24, 2022

How many hours do top students sleep? ›

Conclusion. You want to do well academically, but you also want to lead a balanced life — and part of that definitely means getting eight hours of sleep every night!

Why am I not able to remember what I study? ›

Major memory changes don't always signal Alzheimer's disease. They can be caused by strokes, head injuries, lack of vitamins in your diet, or sleep trouble. They might even be a side effect of one of the drugs you're taking. When in doubt, see a doctor to sort it out.

Is studying 20 minutes a day good? ›

Children who read 20 minutes a day are exposed to 1.8 million words in one school year. They are also more likely to score in the 90th percentile on standardized testing.

How many hours do college students study per day? ›

According to one survey conducted by the National Survey of Student Engagement, most college students spend an average of 10–13 hours/week studying, or less than 2 hours/day and less than half of what is expected. Only about 11% of students spend more than 25 hours/week on schoolwork.

How many hours do college students sleep? ›

On average, most college students get 6 - 6.9 hours of sleep per night, and the college years are notoriously sleep-deprived due to an overload of activities. Recent research on college students and sleep indicates that insufficient sleep impacts our health, our moods, our GPA and our safety.

What percentage of college students work while in school? ›

The US Department of Education reported that, in 2017, 43 percent of all full-time undergraduate students and 81 percent of part-time students were employed while enrolled (see table).

What is poor revision? ›

A poor revision style might include simply rereading a page or rewriting (word for word) answers to an essay question. ‍ Active revision strategies require students to do a lot of thinking. Learning anything new is hard work and students will need to be in the right frame of mind.

What not to do when revising? ›

In general, while revising: ● Don't wait until the end. Revising should happen throughout the writing process. Don't mistake revising for proofreading; revising is much bigger​. Don't focus on small picture concerns, such as grammar, spelling, or sentence level mistakes.

What are bad examples of revision? ›

  • Reading notes over and over.
  • Writing notes over and over.
  • Highlighting and underlining.
  • Not checking for understanding.
  • Last minute revision.
  • Revising until exhaustion.
  • No revision timetable.
  • Poor study environment.

What is the best revision app for A levels? ›

Contents
  • Khan Academy: Best A-Level revision app for videos.
  • MindMeister: Best A-Level revision app for mind maps.
  • Remente: Best A-Level revision app for mental health.
  • Seneca: Best A-Level revision app for testing yourself.
  • WolframAlpha: Best A-Level revision app for STEM subjects.
Mar 14, 2022

What is the 2 3 5 7 revision rule? ›

Revise a topic, then revisit it the next day, after three days, and after seven days. This is thought to be the perfect amount of time to help your brain remember information.

How long should you rest when revising? ›

If you've been revising for less than 20 minutes your break should be 2 minutes or less. 20-30 minutes – 5 minutes break. 30-60 minutes – 5-10 minutes. If you've done a total of 3 or more hours of revision in one day you can award yourself a 45-60 minute break.

Does revision make you tired? ›

Revision is a bit of a “bums on seats” situation, isn't it? You sit there till it's done. But too much inactivity promotes drowsiness. You should always schedule breaks into your revision timetable, and it's useful to do something energetic during those breaks.

How many times should you revise for long term memory? ›

Science tells us the ideal time to revise what you've learned is just before you're about to forget it. And because memories get stronger the more you retrieve them, you should wait exponentially longer each time – after a few minutes, then a few hours, then a day, then a few days.

How many hours should I study a day in high school? ›

Aside from doing homework, set aside a dedicated 50 to 75 minutes to study each day and then stick to your schedule. You'll find the study rhythm that works best for you, but do know that you don't necessarily have to sit down and eek out those minutes all at once.

What is the best time for revision? ›

Being able to focus and revise whenever you feel like it is a great skill, but setting a time and a regular schedule prepares your brain for activity. For example, if you revise around 7pm every day, your brain is geared to revise at that time because it gets used to it.

What is the 1247 technique of revision? ›

What is 1247 Technique? Its a memory technique wherein you should revise whatever you have studied thrice after the 1st study. So effectively, you will study 4 times in 1-2-4-7 order.

What is the 7 5 3 2 1 study method? ›

What is the 7–3–2–1 method? It simply means 7 days, 3 days, 2 days, and today. Let's say you learned something you want to remember in the long-run. Now, what you should do is read it today (1), tomorrow (2), the day after tomorrow (3), and then on the 7th day from your first reading (7).

How many hours can the brain study? ›

The human brain is able to focus up to two hours, after which it needs a 20-30 minute break. The average American spends about 9 hours a day at work. According to the NeuroLeadership Institute, work focus equals about 6 hours a week.

Is a 3 hour class too long? ›

A 3 hour lecture is way too long. “It varies by course and level. I have some classes that lend themselves to a 50-minute class period and others that really need 75 minutes,” Drais-Parrillo said.

What time of day is your brain the sharpest? ›

For example, you can have a better visual memory in the morning, but your critical thinking ability peaks in the afternoon.

What not to do during revision? ›

  • Reading notes over and over.
  • Writing notes over and over.
  • Highlighting and underlining.
  • Not checking for understanding.
  • Last minute revision.
  • Revising until exhaustion.
  • No revision timetable.
  • Poor study environment.

Is it better to revise the night before or morning? ›

It's a good idea to have a routine with your revision where you aim to start and finish at roughly the same time each day. Try and revise in the morning as this is when your brain is fresher. Not starting until the afternoon means you're likely to wake up later and try to revise while tired.

How do you stick with revision? ›

How to stick to your revision timetable
  1. Make your revision timetable one week at a time.
  2. Stick to your #revision timetable by turning distractions into incentives.
  3. Meet your target grades by flexing your willpower muscle.
  4. Everyone learns differently. Make sure you're using revision techniques that work for you.
Apr 5, 2016

How do you revise effectively? ›

Revision tips
  1. Start early. Starting your revision early means you can spread it out and avoid last-minute panic. ...
  2. Find out the exam format. ...
  3. Find a revision method that works for you. ...
  4. Test yourself. ...
  5. Teach someone else. ...
  6. Space out your revision and take breaks. ...
  7. Look after yourself.

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