Organise yourself: Starting your revision is often the hardest part. In order to be able to revise effectively you first have to be organised. When can you fit the revision into your hectic lifestyle? Take a good look at how you spend your time when you get home from school. What time do you eat in the evening? Are you an Eastenders addict? If so, fine. It's important not to deny yourself life's little pleasures - as long as this doesn't involve you being glued to the box all night. You should be able to find at least three hours worth of revision time before ten o'clock. Then you can wind down before going to bed. It's also important to look at where you revise. If you share a bedroom with brothers then it would be best to find a place where you won't be disturbed. Also don't listen to people who say they can revise with the TV on - you can't! Some relaxing music at a low volume can help, but your ability to concentrate is still compromised.

Make a revision timetable: It's a lot easier to motivate yourself to revise if you know in advance what you're going to be covering. Get a diary and plan which subject(s) you will work on each night. Take into account when your exams are and plan around this. Try to limit the number of subjects per night - 1 or 2 is best, any more makes it difficult to develop any coherence to your revision. Obviously you might have to alter your timetable slightly from time to time.

Have a break: This is vital. Numerous studies have shown that your concentration span decreases dramatically the longer you spend on a task. Although it varies from individual to individual, a general rule is a 5 minute break for every 30 - 45 revising. Try not to make the breaks longer than the revision!

Make notes:  Just reading through your work is not enough. You are not processing any of the information in front of you which makes it very difficult to both understand and learn it. Condense your work by noting the major points/concepts and ignoring the waffle. Aim to get a complete topic on a postcard. Make lists of key words/sentences and then try to link them together. This gives you a better overall knowledge of a subject. Draw concept maps using keywords (this is the same as a spidergram but doesn't sound so 'primary school'). For those of you who learn best by hearing things record your notes onto tape and get your walkman out.

Target your weak areas:  It's pointless going over work you already know time and time again - you can't learn it twice! Look through past test papers and the work in your book to identify topics that you haven't got to grips with. Then focus on getting these to the same level as the others. Obviously don't ignore the work you're confident with - it's vital to regularly review all subject areas.

Test yourself regularly: Not only does this help to identify your weak areas, it also helps to build your confidence. The best way is to use examination questions, so get hold of some past papers. It also helps if you have a copy of the mark schemes. That way you get to know exactly what the examiner is looking for.