Ace
Short answer: list every topic for every exam, rate how well you know each one, and give each topic several short slots spread days apart rather than one big block. Mix subjects within a day, start each slot with practice questions, put the weakest topics in first, and leave one buffer day a week. Count backwards from the exam so the last week is review, not new material.
What's the most common revision timetable mistake?
Going through the syllabus once, in order: chapter 1 on Monday, chapter 2 on Tuesday, and so on. It feels thorough, but every topic gets studied once and then left for weeks. By the exam, the early chapters have faded.
Research on spacing is some of the most consistent in psychology. Cepeda and colleagues (2006) reviewed hundreds of experiments and found that spreading study of the same material across separate sessions beats massing it together, and the best gap grows with how far away the test is. In Kornell's (2009) flashcard experiments, spacing beat cramming for 90% of participants, even though most of them believed cramming had worked better.
So a good timetable isn't a list of chapters. It's a schedule of returns.
How do you make a revision timetable, step by step?
- List every topic. Use the syllabus or your lecture list, not memory. One line per topic, grouped by exam.
- Rate each one red, amber or green by how well you could answer questions on it today. Test yourself if you're unsure; most students rate themselves too green.
- Count your slots. From today to the exam, how many 30–45 minute sessions can you realistically do per day? Be honest: two to four is normal alongside lectures.
- Give every topic at least three slots, a few days apart: one to learn or relearn it, one to test it a few days later, one to test it again a week or so after that. Red topics get more. Our spaced repetition schedule gives exact gaps.
- Mix subjects within each day. Biology in the morning, chemistry after lunch, rather than a whole day of one. Mixing related topics is called interleaving and tends to help you tell similar problems apart. See the interleaving study technique.
- Leave buffer days. One lighter day a week for missed sessions, and keep the final week for review and past papers, not new topics.
What does a good revision week look like?
Here's one week, five weeks before a set of exams, with three slots a day:
- Monday: Cell biology (learn) · Organic chemistry (test) · Statistics (test)
- Tuesday: Genetics (learn) · Cell biology (quick test) · Thermodynamics (learn)
- Wednesday: Organic chemistry (learn) · Statistics (past-paper questions) · Genetics (test)
- Thursday: Thermodynamics (test) · Cell biology (test) · Ecology (learn)
- Friday: Ecology (test) · Genetics (test) · Organic chemistry (test)
- Saturday: buffer: catch up anything missed
- Sunday: rest, or one light session on a red topic
Notice that most slots are "test", not "learn". Practice testing and spaced practice were the two techniques rated highest by Dunlosky and colleagues (2013); rereading and highlighting were rated low.
How do you actually stick to a revision timetable?
- Tie slots to daily cues ("after breakfast", "after my last lecture"), not just clock times. See our study routine for exams.
- Make each slot concrete. "Genetics questions, then read only the ones I missed" is easier to start than "revise genetics".
- Update the colours weekly. Re-rate topics after testing; move slots from green to red topics.
- Don't restart when you slip. Push missed slots into the buffer day and carry on.
The "test" slots are the ones students skip, because writing questions takes time. Ace turns your own slides, PDFs or YouTube lectures into practice questions, lets you pick the chapters for each slot, and has a study calendar for planning sessions, solo or with a friend.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should I make a revision timetable?
Four to eight weeks before exams gives room for each topic to come back several times. With less time, keep the same shape and shorten the gaps.
How many hours a day should a revision timetable have?
As many focused sessions as you can repeat every day without losing sleep: often two to four sessions of 30 to 45 minutes alongside lectures, more in study leave.
Should I revise one subject a day or mix them?
Mix them. Spreading each subject across the week spaces it out, and switching between related topics helps you learn to tell them apart.
Sources
- Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T. & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354–380. PubMed
- Kornell, N. (2009). Optimising learning using flashcards: Spacing is more effective than cramming. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23(9), 1297–1317. Record
- Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J. & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4–58. APS summary
