Exam revision techniques that actually work (and two that don't)

Highlighting and re-reading are the most popular revision methods and among the least effective — they feel familiar without building recall.

What works is active retrieval: close the book and try to write down what you know, then check. Spacing it out over days beats cramming, and mixing topics ('interleaving') helps more than blocking one subject at a time.

Past papers under timed conditions are the closest thing to the real exam — do them early, not the night before.