Bored of revising? 5 tips to make revision fun

Let’s be honest - revision isn’t exactly something most people are excited about doing. It can sometimes feel repetitive, boring, and like something you must force yourself to do.

But not to worry, it doesn’t have to be like that! The good news is that small changes can completely change how revision feels, and that’s where we’re here to help!

Here are 5 simple, realistic ways to make your revision sessions more enjoyable and a lot more effective.

1.    Study with your friends

Revising with friends is the perfect way to bring some fun into revision, but of course, only if you do it properly. If it turns into a 4-hour long chatting session, it’s not going to do much help.

The best way to do it is to set clear tasks for the session. For example, you could test each other or explain topics to one another. This keeps things interactive and helps you stay accountable. 

Revising with friends can also make studying feel less lonely and isolating. Sometimes just having someone else there working towards the same goal makes it easier to stay motivated. Just make sure you’re choosing the right people - ones who actually want to get work done.

2.    Use incentives and rewards

One of the biggest reasons revision can sometimes feel draining is because there’s no immediate reward - exams might be months away. 

That’s why adding your own rewards can make a huge difference. It doesn’t even have to be anything big. It could be something so small and simple as watching an episode of a show you enjoy, having a snack, or going on your phone after you finish a task.

The key is to link the reward to completing something specific, like finishing a set of flashcards or a past paper question.

3.    Use colour and diagrams in your revision notes

While this tip isn’t a way to make revision more ‘fun’, adding colour, diagrams or mind maps can certainly make revision feel more engaging and easier to remember.

A good idea could be to use different colours for definitions of key terms, or turn a topic into a visual diagram instead of writing it all out in one chunk.

This not only makes revision more interesting, but will also help with memory by making information stand out.

4.    Teach someone else what you’ve learned

One of the best ways to make revision more interesting (and actually stick) is to teach what you’ve learned, whether it's to a friend, a family member or you could even pretend you're presenting to a class. 

We know it might sound a bit odd at first, but it works because it forces you to properly understand the topic, not just highlight your notes.

A lot of the time, you’ll feel like you “know” something because it looks familiar in your notes. But when you try to explain it out loud, you quickly realise what you actually understand and what you don’t. 

5.    Turn revision into a bit of a game

You could quiz yourself using flashcards, use apps like Quizlet, or even make it competitive by timing yourself.

For example, how many definitions can you get right in 2 minutes? Can you beat your score from yesterday? That small sense of challenge makes revision feel less like a chore and more like something you actively want to improve at.

For more revision tips, check out our student support blogs including '9 top tips to help you get revising', 'wellbeing: fuel your mind' and '5 reasons why you should use past papers in your revision'.