STUDY TIPS

As TMAs & exams are popping up without respite we thought it would be a good idea to give you some
study tips from other students who have posted on the OU Space Science Club Forum:

• Break down your revision module into small parts allowing you to really focus on a small bit
each day instead of trying to deal with and work though a lot in one go.

• Past Papers - Get as many as you can from here [13]. Structure your revision around them
and do them all. Passive reading of your notes is ok, but nowhere near as good as active
practice of problems. I read a chapter summary for the overall revision and then work through
problems to actually apply it.

• Formula Sheets - If your exam has an equation sheet, focus on understanding what every single
one of them does and the formulas likely application. Understand the variables and what a
change in each element means. If you're stuck on the exam itself, the first thing you should
always do is note what variables or values you have and look for an equation that matches!

• Exam Format - Understand the structure of the exam, how to break it down over the time period
and how it's set out. If you know Q 1 - 4 are on topic 1 and the first five equations on your
formula sheet are from topic 1 for example, you've already narrowed down your options.

• Read the TMA first to get an idea of the main areas that you should focus on.

• Spend a few days reading through the course information to understand what the author is
telling me & what is relevant.

• Go through the online practice and read the information again and again but with more of a
focus on the areas that I am struggling with.

• Begin your TMA alongside your study of the module so that when the information is fresh in
your mind you can note down the key points that you can expand upon later

• Study by using the Pomodoro Technique. This technique is where you split your revision
time into 25 minute chunks with five minute breaks. These intervals are referred to as
pomodoros. After about four pomodoros, you take a longer break of about 15 to 20 minutes.

• Use the best revision method for you whether that is something like a brain storm or writing key
bullet points down, find the method that is the best for you and the topic and use it.

I hope that these study tips come in useful for you and remember, you can do it!