22d • General discussion
THE WHOLE SYSTEM TO ACE YOUR EXAMS IN ONE POST!
Got a message saying Revision OS is amazing but there's so much it's hard to know where to start. Love that — and completely get it!
So here's the whole system in one post. Save this. Come back to it.
The core principle: volume
The more exam questions you do, the higher your mark. Not notes. Not videos. Not re-reading. Questions.
Everything else in this system exists to help you do as much volume as possible, as effectively as possible.
Step 1 — Write your goals
Every subject. The grade you want. Your exam dates. Where you are right now out of 10. That's your destination. Without it the system has nowhere to point.
Step 2 — Set up ReviNotion
Duplicate the template from Templates & Resources — GCSE or A-Level version. It has your paper tracker, topic tracker, mistakes log and daily checklist already built. Takes 10 minutes to set up. Use it every single session.
Step 3 — Build your paper plan
2-3 months out. (or whenever you see this!) List every past paper available for every subject across every exam board. Assign specific papers to specific days. Your goal: finish every paper available before exam day. This is your macro plan. Everything else builds around it.
Step 4 — Run the loop after every paper
This is the engine. Do it every single time:
Paper timed, no notes → mark it immediately → write every weak topic on the front cover in red → go to PMT (physicsandmathstutor.com) and drill questions on those specific topics only → log every mistake with exactly what the mark scheme wanted → make a flashcard from every single error
The paper is just the diagnostic. The feedback is where the learning actually happens. Most students skip steps 3-6. That's why scores don't move.
Step 5 — Flashcards every morning
15-20 minutes before anything else. Use RemNote or Anki — both free. The algorithm decides when you review each card so you don't have to.
What goes on a flashcard:
- Formulas and definitions
- Key processes and sequences
- Dates, facts, vocab, key quotes
- Every single past paper mistake
One fact per card. Short. Do a sustainable amount you can sustain. Do it daily — the algorithm only works with consistency.
Step 6 — Cornell notes for blank topics only
If you genuinely can't attempt a question because the content isn't there yet — close the book, write down everything you remember about that topic first, then check. Notes with the book open is just copying. Notes with the book closed is actual recall. Don't make notes otherwise — it's the biggest time waster in revision.
Step 7 — Hard subject first. Always.
Every session starts with the subject you've been avoiding. Your cognitive energy is highest at the start. Everything else feels manageable by comparison. The subject you keep deferring doesn't get easier the longer you leave it.
On hours
2-3 hours on weekdays. 4-5 max on weekends and holidays. Sustainable beats heroic every time. Consistent 2 hours every day destroys 8 hours once a week.
When you fall behind
Don't go back and try to catch up. Keep doing what was planned for today. Use the next holiday, buffer or weekend to cover what you missed. Forward motion always. Revision is a system, not a streak.
The gold mines
- PMT (physicsandmathstutor.com) — topic question packs for every subject, every exam board. Free.
- AQA past papers — aqa.org.uk/find-past-papers-and-mark-schemes
- Brain.FM — engineered for focus, not just lo-fi. Used it throughout A-Levels instead of music if you listen. ideally don't listen whilst studying!
- RemNote / Anki — spaced repetition algorithm handles your flashcard scheduling automatically.
The full system at a glance
Goals written → ReviNotion set up → paper plan built → paper done → feedback loop run → weak topics drilled → flashcards made → repeat until exam day.
That's it. The classrooms go deep on each part. But if you do nothing else — run the loop after every paper and do your flashcards every morning. That alone will move your scores.
Any questions — this feed is open. Nothing is too simple.
— Ismail :)
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THE WHOLE SYSTEM TO ACE YOUR EXAMS IN ONE POST!
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