Ready Set Revise

One of the most commonly used revision techniques are flashcards. 

In a study done in 2017, 43.8% of students surveyed reported using flashcards within the semester/academic term (Senzaki et al, 2017). 

However, and whenever, you choose to use them, flashcards can be a brilliant revision resource. So, here’s some top tips for creating some brilliant flashcards. 

1. Always make your flashcards yourself. Whether these are paper, or digital, making the flashcards yourself can act as a form of revision, helping the content stick. 

1. Write the smallest amount of information onto each flash card as possible. 

All too often, students write reams and reams and reams of information onto each flashcard. This isn’t wrong, but it certainly isn’t effective. 

Example A: Bad Flashcard

Text taken directly from Wikipedia (no date).

Flashcards were designed for, and are best used for, quick recall of facts, figures and short sentences. 

Example B: Good Flashcard

Sometimes, the more flashcards the better! 

1. Make sure your questions and answers reflect the textbook and/or exam questions. 

Textbook writers are clever, and often make the textbooks follow the style of questions in an exam. Make good use of this, and prepare yourself for exam style questions ahead of time. 

1. Don’t be afraid to use diagrams. 

Everyone learns in a different way, some people may love flashcards based on writing, others may learn more from a visual/diagram taste. 

1. Highlight, highlight, highlight! 

Highlight, underlines, circle. You name it, you use it. Make key words (ones which examiners LOVE) bold and standing out, to allow for a trigger for your brain. 

References

Senzaki, S., Hackathorn, J., Appleby, D.C., and Gurung, R.A.R (2017) ‘Reinventing Flashcards to Increase Student Learning’ Psychology Learning & Teaching, 16(3), [no pagination]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/1475725717719771 (Accessed: 24th March 2025)

Wikipedia (no date) Causes of World War II. Available at: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_World_War_II (Accessed: 24th March 2025)