Advice & Resources

Get advice on revision & exams

Need some help with revision strategies and exam techniques? Meet an Effective Learning Adviser:

  • College of Arts
  • College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences
  • College of Science and Engineering
  • College of Social Sciences (including Law, Business and Education) 

For students from any college:

  • Maths and Stats Advisers
  • Writing advice for international students
Students relaxing in the James McCune Smith building

Peer support networks

Be Prepared! Top Tips from Students

Get organised

  • "Make an exam revision plan & set achievable goals."
  • "Plan in breaks. By having them on your study timetable, you don't feel guilty for taking time off, and so are more likely to go back to the work after.""Draw up weekly and daily revision tasks; this promotes focus and raises awareness of the nature of the area of study."
  • "Break your revision into manageable chunks and have at least one item to be ticked off every day - it gives you a sense of accomplishment that keeps you going!"
  • "Set manageable goals, that give you enough time to cover each topic prior to the exam."
  • "Start your revision well in advance by listing all of the topics covered in each module."
  • "Prioritise studying the things you don't know, rather than the things you find easy. You have limited time to study, and have to make the most of it."

Focus

  • "Eliminate distractions: don’t check your social media or email. Put your phone on “flight mode” or try distraction apps which block your favourite sites for a period of time set by you."
  • "Try and talk to yourself when you're revising/recalling information before an exam."
  • "No distractions! If you think of something you need to do, write it down and do it later. Then have a 5 to 10 min break. Do 4 rounds of 25 min and after that have a longer break - 30 or 40 min. You deserve it."

Study & learn

  • "Go to the Library early. Read books from your reading list and scan essential sections ahead of the exam prep rush!"
  • "Always revise your notes the following day. The process of memorisation requires repetition."
  • "Regroup your lectures and reading notes per topic and make synthetic notes of your notes."
  • "Refer to past papers. While no year's exams are exactly the same, you'll often get a sense of the tone and general areas of study you should be focusing most on."
  • "Use past papers throughout the year - not just at exam time. Answer questions on them as the topics are brought up in lectures."
  • "Always repeat all you have learned in classes. Focus on the content of course using literature which is given in course guides."
  • "If you're stuck, ask for somebody else's perspective on the problem. A new pair of eyes can be pivotal."
  • "Use student forums to share and gain knowledge."
  • "Meet other students to ask questions. Asking and explaining are two excellent ways of learning."

Get ready

  • "Ensure you have spare pens, rulers and other essential stationery. Buy your stationery well in advance, as before the exam diet shops often run out of stock!"
  • "In the days before your exams, find the rooms, sort out your pencil case and make sure that you have covered everything on your checklist, so that you don’t need to worry on the day of the exam."
  • "Speak to the staff! If you have any doubts, talk to your tutor and the support staff: they're there for you."
  • "Attend any drop in help sessions available for your course."

Resources & technical support

  • Glasgow Anywhere contains guidance on online exams
  • A practise Moodle assessment site enables you to experience the assessment download and upload process ahead of the exam diet.
  • The Blended Learning and Assessment Moodle guides you through the essential elements of learning, studying, and researching online. This page gives access to a variety of styles of assessment and submission.  
  • The Disability Service can help with access, study support and exam arrangements. 

If you have questions about the contents of your paper, or you require technical assistance, you will be able to contact our virtual invigilation team at the University of Glasgow Helpdesk . Technical support will be available 24 hours per day during the diet.

To ensure timely responses and that all students receive the same information, you will be asked not to contact academic staff directly but instead use the Helpdesk.    

Preparing your exam space at home

Timed exams

If you are sitting a timed exam, you should ensure you have a reliable way of keeping the time at hand.

Under normal circumstances, you would get a 15-minute notice from an invigilator before the end of your exam time. This experience could be easily replicated by use of an alarm clock or reminder on your phone or computer.

Limit distractions

Try to limit your preventable distractions during your exam. Sitting an exam at home means that you naturally have less limitations in your surroundings. This can be a detriment to your performance if you don’t switch off from other activities.

Make sure to turn off your phone or consider setting it on airplane mode to turn off notifications from social media, texts, and calls. Get everything you need for your exam in advance including necessary material, a bottle of water, and anything else that getting halfway through could be a distraction.