Exam Preparation: Finding your ideal revision spot on campus

The time has come to prepare for those summer examinations. In this blog, James shares his ideal study locations on campus and his revision methods to help you prepare.

It is now time to prepare for those summer examinations! In all honesty, exams are only as bad as you make them. Revision methods, as you will find, vary greatly from student to student and so what works for you may not work for your favourite study buddy. However, I have some tips for you in these trying times.

Personally, I have found that revising by using lecture capture is invaluable. Warwick Business School usually record their lectures for you listen to when you are revising at a later date.  Not only does this allow you to go over points you may not have understood before at your own pace, but you also get to listen to them on the go whenever you need them. It is like having a lecturer in your pocket! The next thing that I believe is invaluable to your revision pack are your seminar questions. The questions provided to you are a great way to practice what you have been taught in the week, and the answers sheets provided afterwards are a good way to gauge how far you have progressed. This is the same for past papers provided online.

If the first two do not work for you or if you learn better by working with others, then group work will become your best friend(s). It is important to find a group of two or more people who you work well with and can count on to contribute in your group discussions. This method can be very effective if everyone is active in the conversation.

Now that I have listed a couple of ways that you can revise, let us look at where to revise. Warwick has a wide variety of spaces where students can quietly study. The first on the list for students would be the University of Warwick Library. The building hosts several spaces for group and quiet study. I recommend the library highly because it is designed for uninterrupted study when you need it and there are certain locations that provide privacy in a conducive environment. I would advise getting to the library early though to get yourself a good study spot as it does get busy during the exam period.

If you cannot find an ideal place in the library, then do not worry, there are plenty more places to study on campus! The next place I have come to find fun to study in is the Oculus building. The sofas are curved for an inclusive group work session, and if you want to study alone, there are seats along the edges that let you work comfortably.

My second favourite spot to study in is my room. There is nothing that beats the privacy of your own study space. You can move from studying advanced economics to singing along to your favourite songs with no care in the world. It is great for non-pressurised studying. However, with great power comes great procrastination. Unless you can strictly schedule your study plans, you will often get distracted by the comfort of your bed and switch to streaming hours of Netflix. If you are one of those people then I’d recommend leaving your comforts of home and heading to the library.

My next spot is the Rootes Learning Grid. Everyone and I mean everyone has studied at least once in the learning grid. It is conveniently placed next to food and coffee shops such as Costa Coffee and the Bread Oven if you ever need a mid-study snack. It is based on central campus and so naturally is flocked to by many students. It is also well suited for group work but may at times be too noisy for private study if you need pin-drop silence.

The final place that I would recommend is the WBS Learning Grid. This study space is only for Warwick Business School students. It is the perfect mix of group work and private study. It is also ideally located next to the WBS café when you really need that coffee break. It is a very popular location and many people go there in-between classes. It also has a kitchen, which is useful if you want to bring your own food in as a mid-revision snack.

I must note that these are not the only places on campus that you can study, as there are many locations across the campus that you may find to suit your needs. If the weather is nice, you could always revise outside and if you want to study away from campus there is the Leamington Learning Grid.

Now that you have read my top tips, you can be rest assured that if you remain consistent over the term revising or if you have a good study plan, then you are well on track to achieving that grade you have always dreamed of achieving. Best of luck in your studies and ‘may the odds be ever be in your favour’.