Exam tutor and education expert reveal the ultimate study hacks to help secure top marks

With GCSE and A Level exams looming, many British teenagers will be spending their evenings surrounded by flashcards and past papers.

But it can be difficult to know exactly how to prepare for the exams while under pressure - from how long to revise to the best learning techniques.

FEMAIL spoke with education experts and tutors to round up their study hacks and best pieces of advice for securing those top marks.

Robbie Bryant, an education expert at Open Study College, and Ishali Ruparelia, a tutor and medical student at the University of Nottingham with over 900 hours of tutoring at MyTutor under her belt, each shared their most valuable nuggets of wisdom.

Read on for six revision tips, tricks, and methods you need to know before heading to the library.

MailOnline spoke with education experts and tutors to round up their study hacks and best pieces of advice for securing those top marks (stock image)

1. Create memory aids 

The first revision hack is from Robbie Bryant, an Education Expert at Open Study College.

He explains that creating memory aids is one of the best ways to effectively revise and also add a 'personal touch to your learning'. 

Robbie said: 'Mnemonics are memory aids that use associations or patterns to help you remember information. 

'These techniques can help you remember information more easily and creatively. They can also make studying more enjoyable and engaging.'

Here are some examples of mnemonics that the expert recommends utilising: 

• Acronyms: creating a word or phrase from the first letter of each item you want to remember
• Rhymes: creating a rhyme or jingle that incorporates the information you were trying to remember, such as 'i before e, except after c'
• Visualisation: creating mental images or stories that connect the information you want to remember, such as imagining a giant tree with branches that represent different topics
• Chunking: grouping related items into smaller, more manageable chunks, such as memorising a phone number in three sets of digits

Robbie Bryant, an education expert at Open Study College, shared his top revision hacks

2. Surround yourself with the information

Secondly, the education expert advises surrounding yourself with the information so you're unable to forget it.

He said: 'Invest in some post-it notes and write down key information or facts that you need to remember for your exams. 

'Place the post-it notes in areas around the home that you visit the most, whether that's the kettle, fridge door or bathroom mirror. 

'This is also known as active recall. This hack allows you to move information from your short-term memory into your long-term memory, making it particularly useful for exam revision.'

3. Teach the subject

The third piece of advice from Robbie is that one of the most successful ways to learn something is to teach it. 

He suggests: 'Giving your friends or family a lesson on the topic will give you a deeper understanding of the subject. 

'It will also highlight any areas that you're 100% clear on and make your next revision session more effective.'

This is also known as the Feynman Technique, a study approach that tutor Ishali describes as 'super effective,' allowing you to 'quickly consolidate knowledge and help you see which bits you don’t understand'.

Simply choose a concept to learn, teach it to someone else, return to the source material if you get stuck then simplify your explanations and create analogies. 

Ishali Ruparelia is a tutor and medical student at the University of Nottingham with over 900 hours of tutoring under her belt

4. The Pomodoro Technique  

The final hack from the education expert is to use the Pomodoro Technique - a time-management method that can help you break down your study sessions into manageable intervals. 

He explains: 'Choose a task that you want to focus on, such as revising a specific topic or writing an essay. Set a timer for 25 minutes. 

'Work on the task without any distractions until the timer goes off. Take a 5-minute break.

'Repeat the cycle four times, and then take a longer break of 20-30 minutes. This technique can help you stay motivated and avoid burnout by giving you frequent opportunities to rest and recharge.

'It can also help you build momentum and tackle more complex tasks more efficiently.'

5. Use examiners reports

Meanwhile, experienced tutor Ishali Ruparelia's number one tip that she thinks most students forget about, is to use examiners reports.

She revealed: 'This is such an undervalued tool that almost no students seem to know about. 

'Examiners reports are published with every past paper and can be found on the exam board’s websites. They essentially are a roundup of all the common pitfalls students make in exams. 

'They also often contain example answers for essay questions that have written feedback from an examiner, so you can use these reports to gain insight into how examiners think. 

'Reading these alongside doing past papers is the best way to improve your exam technique.'

READ MORE: Want better GCSE results? Stop using your smartphone in class! Pupils with strict device bans are more likely to get top grades than those who scroll, study finds
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6. Be intentional with your time and potentially get a tutor

The final piece of advice from Ishali is to be intentional with your time and try to work out what time of day your mind is 'most fresh'.

She instructs: 'Make it a routine to revise intensely during those hours, rather than doing long sessions of unfocused work during the day. 

Likewise, during the hours of the day when you feel a little sluggish - this was always right after lunch or after just coming home from school for me -  intentionally keep that time as breaks to do what you enjoy.

Whether that’s going to the gym, seeing your friends or just winding down with some Netflix.'

Being a tutor herself, the medical student also stresses how much tutoring can help students.

She added: 'Tutors are all university students or recent graduates, so we are all super friendly and knowledgeable on how to do well on exams since we did them recently ourselves! 

'Getting a tutor can be massively helpful even if it’s just a few weeks before your exam as they can personalise your lesson, helping you fill in the gaps with content, boost your exam technique, and tell you the common mistakes students make with questions. 

'Most people are surprised with how much difference having a tutor can make - all of these factors can easily bump you up a grade or two.'

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