Avoid having to revise or re-learn later on

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Subpage 4: AVOID HAVING TO REVISE OR RE-LEARN LATER ON:

If you’re anything like me, every year you don’t do much work and then frantically try and learn everything just before the exams. Sure, it worked at school, and you’re probably smart enough to get away with it, but if you believe you’re going to be able to memorise a year of university in one week, you’re probably screwed. Especially as you’ll be frantically trying to write your entire dissertation that week too!

It sounds too good to be true, but there IS a way to avoid revising without all the inevitable self-loathing and frustration that comes when you wish you had been able to buckle down:

Use the concept of spaced repetition to learn things forever the first time you come across them, and not have to revise them later on.

Spaced repetition is the idea of reviewing terms, definitions, or formulas regularly so you’ll remember them in the long term, not just for the next 24 hours. It’s pretty simple: If you understand the concept well, you’ll review it further in the future and if you don’t understand it, you’ll review it sooner.

There are a handful of browser add-ons and apps that can remind you to review things, when you need to, so they become part of your general knowledge:

a) You can create flashcards using Anki (free, web and app) or Brainscape (more info lower down). Helps you learn just about anything.

b) Highlight ideas from any website with Hibou (free, Chrome extension). Hibou sends you notifications when its time to reread what you’ve highlighted.

c) For learning new languages, use Readlang (free or $5 per month, Chrome extension and web). Read your favourite webpages, translate the words you don’t know, and they’ll generate flashcards to help you remember.

d) You can even find subject-specific apps like Firecracker for medical students or Brainscape, which offers a variety of pre-packaged subjects for a price per month (web, mobile).