Studying CIMA is hard. But for many students, making revision effective is just as hard as the content itself.
Effective revision is about more than just finding time and good material.
When you study, you need to make the most of your time. To do that, you need to know how to study. Don’t just think you can always work harder, for longer. These are both important and a good way of getting started, but after a while you’ll be working as hard as you can, as much as you can.
Trying to push yourself beyond that leads to burnout and diminishing returns.
So – how do you make revision effective?
Here are three quick tips from my own experience.
#1: Be realistic about how much you can study
Don’t overestimate how much information you can absorb.
If you’re doing easier content, you might be able to fully learn 20 pages’ worth of theory in an hour. If you’re doing harder or denser, more complex content, it might be 10. It might be less.
Don’t just assume that if you have 60 pages to read, it’ll take you three hours. Pay attention to how long it’s taking you to get through content and adjust your revision schedule accordingly.
Don’t rush a chapter just to hit a deadline, or assume you’ll remember everything just because that’s your target reading pace.
#2: Be realistic about how long you can study
Everyone’s attention span is different. Some students can concentrate for 3-4 hours in a row. For most people, concentration drops off sooner.
Time yourself when you study, and note how long it takes for you to lose focus and get distracted. Taking a short break every now and again can extend this time, but it’s important to be honest with yourself.
Once you know how long you can study effectively for, plan around study sessions of this length. Spread your revision out over longer periods using this as a guide; don’t wait until you’re close to the exam and assume you can do 6 hours a day, every day.
#3: Stick to your revision schedule
It’s often tempting to take a day off. Especially during holidays, over weekends, or you’re really struggling with a topic, it can be hard to stay motivated.
Being disciplined is far more important than being motivated when it comes to revision. If you break your schedule once, it becomes easier to break it again, so unless it’s something that really is urgent – don’t cancel or abandon a study session.
Using the above tips to make sure your revision sessions aren’t too long or too dense, you’ll find they become much easier to manage. This is in turn will make sticking to them easier, and help you build a positive habit.
These are just 3 quick and easy ways to improve your revision, and are just some of the tips I’ve found most helpful over the years. Keep an eye out for more in the coming months.
Got a great tip of your own? Why not leave a comment below to let me know!
The CIMA Student 
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