How to study for exams - The Retrospective Revision Timetable

Summary

In this informative video, Ali, a junior doctor from Cambridge, shares his insights on effective study techniques, particularly focusing on the retrospective revision timetable method. He contrasts this approach with the traditional prospective revision timetable, highlighting its inefficiencies such as the need for future prediction and the tendency to focus on time rather than topics. Ali introduces the concept of a retrospective revision timetable, which involves reviewing topics based on their difficulty level and personal knowledge gaps, using active recall and spaced repetition. He demonstrates how to create this timetable using Google Sheets, emphasizing its simplicity and the ability to provide an overview of one's subjects without the need for advanced planning. Ali also credits his success in university to the aggressive use of efficient study techniques, including the retrospective revision timetable, which he believes is a more effective and efficient method for studying.

Takeaways

• 📅 The retrospective revision timetable is a more efficient study method compared to the traditional prospective method.
• 🔮 You don't need to predict the future with the retrospective method; it focuses on what you need to study now based on your past performance.
• 📝 Retrospective method involves listing topics and tracking your progress over time, encouraging study based on topics rather than time.
• 🟢🟠🔴 The use of color coding (green, yellow, red) in the retrospective method helps in identifying areas of strength and weakness for focused revision.
• 📈 Active recall and spaced repetition are key techniques used in conjunction with the retrospective revision timetable to enhance memory retention.
• 🚫 The prospective method can lead to inefficiencies such as studying less relevant topics early on or not focusing on areas of weakness.
• 📈 Spaced repetition ensures that topics are revisited with increasing intervals, which is beneficial for long-term memory.
• 🎯 The retrospective method allows for prioritization of topics based on urgency and difficulty, making study sessions more targeted and effective.
• 💡 Creating a retrospective revision timetable is straightforward and does not require significant upfront planning or effort.
• 🌟 Ali, the speaker, attributes his academic success to the aggressive use of efficient study techniques, including the retrospective revision timetable.
• 🌐 Squarespace is highlighted as a user-friendly platform for website creation, suitable for those with varying levels of web design experience.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is about revision timetables, specifically comparing the standard prospective revision timetable method to the retrospective revision timetable method.

What is the retrospective revision timetable method?

The retrospective revision timetable method is a study technique where instead of planning out revisions in advance, you look back on what you've studied and decide what to study next based on what you haven't covered or what you feel you need to review more.

What are the four main problems Ali had with the standard prospective revision timetable?

The four main problems were: 1) the need to predict future study needs, 2) the focus on time rather than topics, 3) the difficulty in getting an overview of subject knowledge, and 4) the effort required to create the timetable itself.

How does the retrospective revision timetable address the issue of predicting future study needs?

The retrospective revision timetable addresses this issue by focusing on what has been studied and what remains to be studied, rather than trying to predict future needs in advance.

What is the traffic light method mentioned in the video?

The traffic light method is a color-coding system used to indicate the level of understanding or confidence in a topic. It typically uses red for areas that need more work, yellow for areas that are moderately well understood, and green for areas that are well understood.

How does active recall fit into the retrospective revision timetable?

Active recall is a study technique where you attempt to remember information without looking at the material. In the retrospective revision timetable, it is used to test your knowledge of a topic before looking at your notes or resources, which helps to reinforce learning.

What is spaced repetition and how is it used in the retrospective revision timetable?

Spaced repetition is a learning technique where you review information at increasing intervals over time. In the retrospective revision timetable, it is used to revisit topics periodically to reinforce memory and understanding.

Why does Ali recommend using Google Sheets to create a retrospective revision timetable?

Ali recommends using Google Sheets because it allows for easy organization and tracking of study topics and dates. It also enables the use of color coding and can be accessed and edited from anywhere.

What is the benefit of focusing on topics rather than time in the retrospective revision timetable?

Focusing on topics rather than time allows for a more flexible and efficient study approach. It ensures that study time is dedicated to areas where understanding is weakest, rather than following a rigid schedule that may not align with actual learning needs.

How does the retrospective revision timetable help with the overall understanding of a subject?

The retrospective revision timetable helps with overall understanding by ensuring that each topic is revisited and reviewed based on its difficulty and importance. This targeted approach allows for a comprehensive grasp of the subject matter.

What is the advantage of starting the retrospective revision timetable with a list of all topics?

Starting with a list of all topics provides a clear overview of the subject and helps to break down what might seem like a daunting task into manageable parts. It also allows for better planning and repetition of topics.

Outlines

00:00

📅 Introduction to Retrospective Revision Timetable

Ali, a junior doctor, introduces the retrospective revision timetable method he has been using for the past six years, contrasting it with the standard prospective method. He explains the inefficiencies of the latter, such as the need to predict future study topics and the tendency to focus on time rather than topics. Ali also discusses the challenges of creating and adhering to a prospective timetable and promises to demonstrate how to create a more efficient revision plan using Google Sheets, incorporating active recall and spaced repetition.

05:03

🔍 Active Recall and Spaced Repetition in Studying

Ali explains how he uses active recall and spaced repetition techniques within his retrospective revision timetable. He describes the process of studying topics by writing questions for himself and revisiting them at different intervals. He uses a traffic light color-coding system to mark his understanding of topics, which helps him prioritize and focus on areas that need more attention. Ali emphasizes the importance of focusing on the topics you are weakest at each day, rather than following a rigid schedule, which allows for more efficient studying.

10:03

🌟 Success with Retrospective Revision Timetable

Ali shares his personal experience using the retrospective revision timetable during his third year of university, which led to him winning a prize for best performance. He details how he used Google Sheets to organize his study topics and track his progress, highlighting the benefits of this method, such as not needing to predict the future, having an overview of all topics, focusing on topics rather than time, and the ease of creating the timetable. Ali also mentions other study techniques he used, such as spider diagrams and flashcards, and thanks Squarespace for sponsoring the video.

Keywords

💡Retrospective Revision Timetable

A retrospective revision timetable is a study planning method where one reviews and plans their study sessions by looking back at what has been studied rather than predicting what will be studied in advance. In the video, Ali uses this method by noting down the topics he has studied on specific dates and then deciding what to study next based on what he has not reviewed recently. This method helps him focus on areas he is weakest in, thus making his study sessions more efficient.

💡Active Recall

Active recall is a learning technique where a student actively tries to remember information from memory without looking at the material. It is a powerful method for reinforcing memory and understanding. In the video, Ali uses active recall by testing himself on topics he has previously studied, such as the kidneys, by answering questions he had set for himself, which helps him gauge his understanding and retention of the material.

💡Spaced Repetition

Spaced repetition is a learning technique that involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time, which helps to move the information from short-term to long-term memory. Ali applies this technique by revisiting topics at varying intervals, ensuring that he reinforces his memory effectively. He uses color coding to indicate the timing and frequency of his reviews, which is a visual aid to help him manage his study sessions.

💡Prospective Revision Timetable

A prospective revision timetable is a traditional study planning method where a student plans their study sessions in advance, typically by scheduling specific topics to be studied on certain dates. Ali contrasts this method with the retrospective approach, pointing out that it can be inflexible and inefficient because it requires predicting future study needs and does not always account for the varying difficulty of topics or spontaneous changes in a student's schedule.

💡Efficiency in Studying

Efficiency in studying refers to the ability to learn and retain information effectively and within a reasonable amount of time. Ali emphasizes the importance of efficient studying by advocating for the retrospective revision timetable, which he believes allows for more focused and targeted study sessions. His method aims to maximize the effectiveness of each study session by concentrating on the topics that need the most attention.

💡Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a cloud-based spreadsheet program that allows for the creation and manipulation of data tables. In the video, Ali uses Google Sheets to create his retrospective revision timetable, taking advantage of its flexibility and ease of use. He organizes his study topics in a spreadsheet, noting down the dates he studied each topic and using color coding to indicate his level of understanding and readiness for each topic.

💡Color Coding

Color coding is a method of using colors to categorize or prioritize information. Ali uses a traffic light color coding system in his Google Sheets timetable to indicate his proficiency level with each study topic. Green signifies a topic he is comfortable with, yellow indicates a topic that needs more review, and red points to a topic that is a weak area and requires immediate attention.

💡Spaced Repetition Software

While not explicitly mentioned in the script, the concept of spaced repetition is closely related to the use of software or apps designed to optimize learning through timed intervals of review. Ali's method of using Google Sheets for his revision timetable could be seen as a form of spaced repetition software, where he manually manages the intervals between reviews of different topics.

💡Spider Diagrams

Spider diagrams, also known as radiate diagrams or starburst diagrams, are visual tools used to represent information in a structured, web-like format. Ali mentions using spider diagrams as part of his study technique, particularly for essay-based topics. He would redraw them repeatedly, employing active recall, until he could do so from memory, which helped solidify his understanding and recall of the material.

💡Flashcards

Flashcards are a study tool that typically consists of a question or fact on one side and the answer or additional information on the other. Ali mentions using flashcards among other study techniques to enhance his learning. They are particularly useful for active recall, as they require the student to attempt to recall the information without immediate access to the answer.

💡Controversial Topics

Controversial topics refer to subjects that are widely debated and may have opposing viewpoints. In the context of the video, Ali mentions studying controversial topics within psychology, such as sex and race differences in IQ. These topics are sensitive and can provoke strong reactions, which is why they are considered controversial. Ali's approach to studying them is part of a broader discussion on how to handle complex and contentious subjects in an academic context.

Highlights

Ali, a junior doctor, shares his experience with revision timetables and introduces the retrospective revision timetable method.

The standard prospective revision timetable method involves planning revision in advance but has several drawbacks.

Ali found the prospective method inefficient due to the need to predict future study needs and the potential for non-adherence.

The retrospective revision timetable focuses on revising topics based on difficulty and knowledge gaps rather than time.

This method avoids the need to predict future study topics and allows for a more flexible and efficient study schedule.

Ali uses Google Sheets to create and manage his retrospective revision timetable, incorporating active recall and spaced repetition.

Active recall involves testing oneself on material previously studied, which is a more effective learning technique.

Spaced repetition involves revisiting material at increasing intervals to reinforce memory.

Ali's retrospective method allows for a clear overview of subjects and identifies areas that need more focus.

The retrospective revision timetable is easy to create and does not require extensive planning or prediction.

Ali's use of color coding in his revision timetable helps to quickly identify topics that need further review.

Ali's method won him the prize for best performance in his third year of university, demonstrating its effectiveness.

The retrospective revision timetable is adaptable and can be used with various study techniques like flashcards and spider diagrams.

Ali emphasizes the importance of starting revision without being overwhelmed by creating a simple topic list.

The method helps to maximize study efficiency by targeting weak areas and ensuring comprehensive coverage of all topics.

Ali's personal website, aliabdul.com, is being redesigned using Squarespace, showcasing the platform's ease of use and customization options.

Squarespace offers 24/7 customer support and a free trial for users to start building their own websites.

Transcripts

this video is sponsored by Squarespace

whether you need a domain website or

online store make it with Squarespace

hey guys welcome back to the channel if

you new here my name is Ali I'm a junior

doctor working in Cambridge and in this

video we're talking about revision

timetables isn't that exciting now back

in the day when I was in secondary

school I used to use the standard

prospective revision timetable method

you know where you plan out your

revision in advance like 6 weeks in

advance but for the last six years or so

I've been using the patented

retrospective revision timetable method

and I've never looked back anyone else

find that funny no just me nevermind

this video is gonna be split up into

three parts firstly I'll talk about what

a standard prospective revision

timetable looks like for most people and

explain some of the problems that I used

to have with this method when I used it

back in my secondary school days

secondly I'll introduce the idea of the

retrospective revision timetable and

explain why I think it solves all of the

problems that the prospective revision

timetable does this really needs in your

name and finally I'll show you using

Google sheets exactly how I create my

own retrospective revision timetable and

why I think that makes your studying

more efficient by incorporating active

recall and spaced repetition so yeah

let's just get started

okay so prospective means looking

forward and retrospective means looking

back and what most people think of as a

revision timetable tends to be

prospective so it tends to look

something like this you've got your

dates down one column and then you've

got the topics that you're going to

revise each day in your kind of rows and

the idea is when you're making these

you'd predict in advance what kind of

topics you want to be doing but this

method has some problems and I used to

use this when I was kind of pre GCSE but

I recognized quite early on that it was

I was being quite inefficient and

there's four main problems that I used

to have with this method so firstly this

method requires us to in a way

prophesize look into the future and work

out and at six weeks in advance what

sort of topics we're gonna be struggling

most with six weeks from now and this

for me was always tricky because there

were always random days where something

would pop up and I'd be going out with

some friends or you know sitting at home

doing a raid on World of Warcraft and

you know I just wouldn't follow my study

timetable or if I did follow it to a tee

I'd realize that actually I'm repeating

subjects pointlessly or you know more

often than not I just won't end up

following it at all secondly I think a

problem with this method is that it

encourages us implicitly to think of

revision as something that is a function

of time rather than a funk

of topics so we've got the time access

down on our kind of main access and

therefore every day we think okay it's a

7th of April I'd I'm gonna consult my

revision timetable and I'm gonna

therefore revise these three topics and

that's not really how studying should be

done and I realized this later that I

think is better to think of it in terms

of topics rather than in terms of time

so instead of thinking that each day I

need to get three topics done instead

I'll be thinking in terms of subjects

and in terms of topics and thinking by

the end of the exam period I want to

know everything about every topic

therefore what do I need to do for that

to take place and this is gonna sound a

bit abstract but I explain it in more

detail when we explain the retrospective

timetable and you'll hopefully see that

that method solves this particular

problem thirdly with this standard

prospective revision timetable there's

no real way of seeing how much of each

subject you know pondering past papers

and apart from having your own separate

record like if I were to the glance down

this list and it's that say the 10th of

April I can see that okay well I studied

physics electricity on the 4th but I

mean do I know the topic are there any

other topics in physics there's no easy

way of me seeing an overview of the

subject and therefore working out

exactly what I need to learn and finally

there's the whole thing of actually

creating one of these time tables in the

first place I always used to view this

as an activity in procrastination I'd be

like okay I need to get some work done

you know what I've not made my revision

timetable for the year yet I'm gonna sit

down and get all my pretty colors out

back in the day before the iPad pro

existed in the Apple pencil wasn't a

thing yeah my pretty color to

highlighters out my felt-tip pens and

make this fancy big ass revision

timetable and I would never follow it

equally I had some friends who would

regard the revision timetable as such an

insurmountable thing that they had to do

before they started studying that it put

them off studying for like you know a

period of weeks two months because they

had to sit down and make this timetable

it was just couldn't get around to you

know overcoming the activation energy

required to make one of these so those

are just some problems with the

prospective revision timetable these are

all just my thoughts maybe it works for

you but I'll explain what the

retrospective revision timetable looks

like now and hopefully you might be able

to take something away from that to make

your own studying a little bit more

efficient okay so a retrospective

revision timetable looks something like

this

so as you can see we've got the topics

within physiology the six different

topics we've got those down the main

axis of our spreadsheet and this is the

exact opposite to how it is with the

prospective revision timetable where we

had the dates down the front so let's

say it's the fourth of April and I've

arbitrarily studied the heart and the

kidneys using my retrospective revision

timetable I'm gonna note to the fact

that I studied the heart and the kidneys

on the fourth of April then let's say

it's the fifth of April I look at my

retrospective sheet and I see oh I

haven't revised the lungs yet why don't

I do that so I do that and then on the

sixth and the seventh I do the rest of

the topics because I see that they're

blank and I haven't done them yet

so now let's say it's the 8th of April

and I know that I need to revise

physiology I look down my list and think

huh so it's been about four days since

I've done the heart and the kidneys and

I vaguely reckoned that kidneys are a

little bit harder so I'm gonna go for

the kidneys and then I revised the

kidneys on the 8th of April but because

I'm a good student and I'm using

effective study techniques I'm not just

gonna read my notes on the kidneys cuz

that would be a complete waste of time

instead I'm gonna be using active recall

and hopefully when I studied the kidneys

on the 4th of April I wrote down a long

list of questions for myself that I

could answer or I got some passed papers

from somewhere all right found an essay

plan with essay questions there's sort

of stuff either way I'm using active

recall I am I've got the book closed and

I'm trying to answer all the questions

that I previously wrote for myself about

the kidneys and then you know I get some

stuff wrong so I look it up and I'd say

overall I judged that I'm reasonably

okay at the kidneys but not perfect so

I'm gonna highlight that in yellow this

is the classic traffic light method of

you know color coding now let's say it's

a 9th of April and I think you know what

why don't I do the heart because it's

been a while since I've done that it's

in the heart on the 9th of April and

then having answered the active recall

questions that I set for myself on the

previous time I studied it on the 4th I

think you know what I'm actually pretty

good at the heart so I'm gonna color

that in green antastic

and I'm just gonna fill in some random

bits

so hopefully you can see how I've done

that here now let's say it's the 13th of

April and I'm thinking you know what I

should revise some physiology I look

down this list and I see that ok well

it's been a while since I studied the

kidneys but the kidney is a yellow and

actually even though I studied the lungs

on the 10th of April they were red at

the time so you know what I'm gonna

prioritize the lungs because the

question I'm gonna be asking myself each

day is if the exam were tomorrow which

topic would I be least happy about

and currently I'm least happy about the

lungs which is why I'm gonna revise them

on the April the 13th and I'm gonna

color code those in yellow afterwards

because I think ok I'm now at a yellow

level when it comes to the lungs so now

let's say it's April the 14th and I'm

thinking great I don't have any Reds

left on this list so why don't I revise

the kidneys because it's been the

longest time since I've done that this

is space - repetition in action and you

know otherwise the kidneys that I'm

pretty good at the kidneys are there

then that becomes a green and as you can

see over time we develop this

understanding of every single topic

within our subject because each day we

are tackling the thing that we find most

difficult we're not doing that thing

with the prospect of revision timetable

where we're studying a topic because we

told ourselves we'd studied that topic 6

weeks ago we're studying the topic that

we have decided we are weakest on and

therefore every time we have a study

session we are working on a weakest

point and therefore getting the most

bang for our buck in terms of revising

efficiently and trying to maximize our

marks in the exam and on knowledge for

day-to-day life and the idea is that

hopefully by the end of it as the exam

approaches you look at physiology and

you think you know what everything is a

green on this I know

physiology you look at anatomy and think

oh I still got a few areas of yellow so

I'm gonna screw physiology for today I

don't care about it I'm gonna focus on

anatomy because those are my weak areas

this gives you a very easy way of seeing

a whole overview of your subject without

having to predict anything in advance

because we are terribly bad at

predicting the future and finally one

great thing about this is that it

doesn't really take any effort to get

started beyond initially scoping the

subject and just writing down the list

of every single topic in your

spreadsheet and I think that in itself

is an incredibly valuable exercise

because a subject can often seem very

daunting until you write down all the

topics that are in it and then you think

oh wow you know physiology seems

complicated but actually there's only

really six topics so great I can do six

topics that's like one topic a day I've

got eight weeks until my exams I can

repeat every single topic eight times

that's pretty incredible I can learn all

of human

geology and that's a nice attitude to

have rather than kind of being in the

dark could be like oh I need to revise

some chemistry but I'm not really sure

what to revise cuz I don't really know

what's in it and the specification has

85 different points of it and yeah

whatever so this is the retrospective

revision timetable now let's jump into

Google sheets and I will show you how

that works in real life by using an

example from my third year of university

all right so this here is the

retrospective revision timetable that I

used in my third year of university that

was the year that I did by far the best

in I won the prize for the best example

formance that year when I was studying

psychology which was pretty awesome and

I think the reason that that happened

was because I very aggressively used all

of the most efficient study techniques

active recall spaced repetition spider

diagrams flashcards I'll be making a

video at a later date about exactly how

I mer eyes 250 different essays too you

know absolutely smash those exams if I

can say so myself anyway this is the

Google sheet and as you can see I've got

it split up into section a section B

section C which corresponds to our three

papers within psychology and as you can

see I've got a list of all the topics

down one end and the dates in the other

one so taking a look at this we can see

that on the 20th of April I did these

four topics I did implicit versus

explicit memory recollection versus

familiarity semantics with episodic

memory memory and short-term memory

versus long-term memory and these are

kind of essay based things but I'll talk

more about exactly how I studied these

particular topics in that video that I

mentioned a little bit earlier anyway

the point is I've done all these on the

20th of April and then I repeated the

top one implicit versus explicit on the

22nd and then I had a bit of a gap and

then on the 12th of May I repeated it

again and then I started color coding it

because I was like right I'm getting

close to the exam now I should start

color coding my stuff and you can see

that over time everything has become

green and Saturday was like the Saturday

before the exam Tuesday was the Tuesday

before I think the examples on a

Wednesday or a Thursday something like

that and yeah over time I've repeated

this topic so like the top essay one two

three four five six seven

I'd repeated it seven times this was all

active recall based repetition it was me

drawing out my spider diagram over and

over again until I could do it from

memory until I could basically write out

any essay you gave me on implicit versus

explicit memory could cite ten papers in

that essay and all because I used active

recall in spaced repetition to repeat it

seven times until the point where it was

green before the exam and we can see

I've done the same thing for Section B

this was all about

animal cognition comparative cognition

how the thinking of animals defers to

the thinking of humans it's a theory of

mind future planning metacognition do

animals navigate using cognitive maps do

animals understand causality do animal

like what's the difference between human

and animal language and finally Section

C which is my personal favorite was all

the various things about intelligence

and IQ and for example sex differences

in IQ very controversial even race

differences in IQ even more

controversial very exciting topic and

then a little bit of stuff about

personality whether there are any genes

that influence personality but you know

who cares that's all psychology the

point is you know 21st of April 2nd of

May 12th of May 13th of May the Saturday

before the Friday before that sort of

stuff and over time the stuff has become

green because it means I know all of it

so this is the retrospective revision

timetable created in Google sheets it's

very straightforward

list of topics down the a column and

then the date that you revise the topic

ideally color coded based on how well

you knew it before you looked at your

book on along the rows and that's really

all the rest to it so hopefully this

video has explained why I think that the

retrospective revision timetable is a

better in my opinion more effective more

efficient way of studying than the

prospective revision timetable the book

standard revision timetable that we all

implicitly get taught from a young age

just to summarize the main reasons why I

think it's good are firstly it means you

don't have to prophesize into the future

because that is impossible secondly it

means that you see an overview of all

your topics thirdly it encourages you to

think of your studying in terms of

topics rather than in terms of time

because it doesn't really matter how

long something takes all that matters is

that by the end you know everything

rather than you know I'm gonna do my

three topics a day for 20 days and it

doesn't matter what what happens by the

end of it you know focusing on it in

terms of topics helps understand stuff

and fourthly it's so easy to make one of

these spreadsheets you don't have to

spend the cognitive effort of thinking

six weeks into the future and trying to

imagine yourself at that point and how

many subjects you need to do instead all

you have to do is to write down the

topics and you can just get cracking

with your revision so thank you very

much for watching before we go I just

want to say a massive thank you to

Squarespace for sponsoring this video

Squarespace are absolutely fantastic

website design a hosting content

platform that you can use to make a

website a blog an ecommerce store

anything like that they've got really

nice designer templates to choose from

so you know if you don't know anything

about web design or even if you do you

can just get one of those template

to get started with them and then you

can customize them and listening if you

want they've got 24/7 customer support

and actually I'm redesigning my own

personal website ali abdul comm using

Squarespace and it makes it so easy to

do and because I know a little bit about

coding I'm also able to tweak it to my

liking and if I run into any problems

I'll just message there to support team

and they just get back to you

practically immediately and if you want

you can even hop on a phone call with

them and they'll like talk you through

stuff and explain how stuff works so if

you fancy giving Squarespace a try you

can sign up for a free trial by

following the link in the video

description and then if you do decide to

upgrade to a paid subscription like I've

done you can also get 10% off by using

my special code so thank you very much

Squarespace for sponsoring this video

and thank you for watching the video I

hope you gained something from me I hope

you've you know gleamed some kind of

insight as to my personal method for the

retrospective revision timetable if you

can think of a better name for that

please let me know in the comments down

below equally if you have any questions

about it or any questions about anything

else study related drop a comment down

below and I'll be more than happy to

make videos about this sort of stuff in

the upcoming exam season if people are

following them helpful so thanks for

watching if you liked the video please

give it a thumbs up if you haven't

subscribed to the channel then please

consider doing so have a lovely day and

I'll see you in the next video goodbye