Three Study Techniques for Exam Revision
Following a worked solution is often the first step towards understanding it. An exam adds another demand. You have to recognise what the question requires and choose a method without the example in front of you. How you organise your revision determines which of those decisions you get to practise.
A review of 53 classroom studies found average benefits from active recall, spaced practice and interleaving. Each changes a different part of revision. Active recall asks you to produce an answer from memory. Spaced practice brings you back to the same topic after a delay. Interleaving alternates related question types so you have to decide which method fits. The gains varied with the material and the way learning was assessed.
For secondary students in Jordan, a practical starting point is to build revision around the decisions their own exam requires. If you are preparing for Tawjihi, for example, choose questions from your syllabus and compare your answers with the format of a practice paper. The study examined supervised classroom practice. The examples and one-week plan below show how its findings can inform independent revision.
Match active recall to the exam task
Retrieval practice, often called active recall, means bringing what you have learned to mind before consulting your notes. The review found clearer benefits for remembering factual material, especially when the practice and assessment formats matched. Evidence on applying knowledge to unfamiliar problems was more limited.
Let the task guide the prompt. A flashcard can help you recall a formula. A problem with no formula named asks you to decide which one applies. If the exam expects an explanation, write one before opening your notes. If it expects working, show your steps and compare your reasoning with the worked solution. That comparison helps you pinpoint whether you forgot a fact or chose the wrong method.
For example, solve 3(x − 2) = 12. Dividing both sides by 3 gives x − 2 = 4. Adding 2 gives x = 6. If you reached x = 2, record the error as "I subtracted 2 instead of adding it.” At your next session, solve 4(x − 3) = 20 and check your answer by substitution. When you can do that unaided, try expressing a short word problem as an equation before solving it.
Use spaced practice to check what you retain
The clearest benefit appeared when students spread practice across several sessions instead of completing it in one sitting. Comparisons between already spaced schedules were less conclusive. Start by making time to return to the same topic, then use your next attempt to decide how soon to revisit it again.
If you have an hour for a topic, divide it into four 15-minute sessions. Start with a linear equation on Monday and use a fresh one on Wednesday. If you can still explain your steps, return to the topic later in a mixed set. If you need a worked example to get started, review it and schedule the next attempt sooner.
The aim is to see what you can produce after some time has passed. Record whether you needed a full example, a first-step hint or no help. That record tells you more about what to revisit than how familiar the chapter felt while reading it.
Use interleaving to practise choosing a method
The review found an average benefit from interleaving, with much of the evidence coming from procedural maths. The finding that delayed feedback might help was based on limited evidence. For revision, try comparing your approach across a short set before checking the answers, and use a worked example when you need help learning a procedure.
Once you understand each method, remove the headings from a short practice set. A worksheet headed "Linear equations” tells you how to begin. In a mixed set, deciding how to begin is part of the exercise. Try the questions below and write your first step before you calculate.
Question 1. Find x if 2x + 5 = 13.
Question 2. Find all values of x for which −2x > 6.
Question 3. Find the gradient of the line through (1, 2) and (3, 8).
Check your reasoning after the set. For the equation, subtract 5 and divide by 2 to get x = 4. For the inequality, divide by −2 and reverse the sign to get x < −3. For the gradient, divide the change in y by the change in x to get (8 − 2) ÷ (3 − 1) = 3. Compare your first steps as well as your final answers. If you treated the inequality like an equation, review what happens to the inequality sign when you divide by a negative number.
A one-week exam revision plan
Choose two or three topics you have studied and set aside 15 to 20 minutes per session. For maths, you could use equations, inequalities and gradients. Save a fresh set for the final session.
Day 1 · Establish a starting point. Try one question from each topic with your notes closed. Mark the first point where you needed help. Review that step and attempt a similar question before ending the session.
Day 3 · Revisit your weakest step. Begin with a fresh question on the topic you found hardest. If you can now select the right method but still make a sign error, make that specific step the focus of your next attempt. Keep the original and corrected workings side by side.
Day 5 · Build a mixed set. Combine several questions in an order that gives no clue about the method. Before solving each one, write a short reason for your choice. When you mark the set, distinguish an incorrect choice of method from a calculation error.
Day 7 · Practise in the exam format. Use a practice paper to match the exam format. Record the errors you want to revisit. If you study an international curriculum, see how GCSE, IB and AP are assessed before choosing your practice questions.
Apply the same approach in another subject
In biology, define diffusion from memory, then draw a diagram and use it to explain the direction of net movement. Revisit the topic later with two diagrams and explain which shows the steeper concentration gradient.
For English, try recalling key vocabulary, then use it in a short spoken response. For more on the role of speaking and listening, read Ostathi’s article on English language education in Jordan.
Use each attempt to plan the next one
By the end of the week, your attempts should show what you can recall, which methods you can choose independently and where you still need help. If a difficulty persists, bring two attempts to your teacher or explore tutoring with Ostathi Jordan. A specific question, such as when to reverse an inequality sign, gives the next session a clear starting point.
Research Credit
This article adapts findings from the original research by Sterre K. Ruitenburg, Mieke Goos, Guus Lambert, Paul A. Kirschner, Halszka Jarodzka and Gino Camp, A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness and Boundary Conditions of Retrieval Practice, Distributed Practice, and Interleaved Practice in Authentic School Classrooms, published on 29 October 2026 in Educational Psychology Review, volume 38, article 137.
