TikTok revision hacks: four tips from TikTokers to help GCSE, A-level and university students study for exams

Exam season is well underway, and GCSE, A-level and university pupils are spending hours revising in the hope of achieving the best possible grades.

Many students are looking for ways to make their revision more effective - and they’re turning to TikTok to help them. The hashtags #StudyWithMe and #StudyTips have a total of 8.5 billion and 89 billion views respectively.

Georgina Durrant, former secondary school teacher and author, told NationalWorld she thinks “it’s great to see study techniques being shared and discussed on social media” as “a bit of positive peer pressure” may help some students to get study completed. 

If you only have a limited amount of time left before your exams then you won’t have time to scroll through TikTok and watch multiple videos. Don’t worry though, revision platform Save My Exams has pulled together some of the best TikTok revision hacks below. 

Blurting

The blurting revision technique was first made popular by the successful YouTube ‘study sphere’ content creator Unjaded Jade back in 2017. It is now one of the most popular revision techniques on TikTok and videos with the hashtag #Blurting have 39.9 million views.

Blurting, also known as a memory dump or memory mindmap, involves quickly reading a section of a textbook or study guide then closing the book and writing down as much information as you can remember. It’s a way to test what you know about a certain topic. 

Lucy Kirkham, Head of Maths and Revision Expert at Save My Exams, thinks blurting is an effective technique to check your understanding of a subject. “It’s a helpful technique as it can help you organise and connect the dots within a topic, check for any knowledge gaps and then let you focus on filling the gaps or correcting any mistakes that you made.”

Candlelight study challenge

This challenge sees students time their study periods using a lit candle - and they do not stop revising until the candle burns out. The technique has gained prominence on TikTok this year and videos about this topic have over 280 million views on the platform.

The candlelight study challenge has, however, attracted a hazard warning from firefighters. A fire service spokesperson from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue told NationalWorld: “Candles should never be left unattended. Always place them on non-flammable surfaces and keep them well away from anything flammable like curtains, clothing and furniture. Put them out before you go to bed.”

The premise of the challenge does have some merit, but how it is carried out may need to be changed. Jemma Zoe Smith, founder of tuition company, The Education Hotel, told NationalWorld that although she doesn’t condone the challenge overall she believes the time restricted element of the challenge could be helpful to some. She said “it might stop [students] from checking [their] phone or logging into social media all the time”. But, she recommends using a kitchen timer, instead of a candle, to time both the study period and the break period and keep on schedule.

If you are partaking in this challenge, please ensure that you do so safely and that your candle is always fully extinguished at the end of your study session. 

Scribbling while revising 

Scribbling, or doodling, with your non-dominant hand while studying is one of the latest trends circulating on TikTok, but the benefits of doodling are not new. Academics at Harvard University said in 2016 that doodling helps improve memory, relieves stress and increases retention.

Richard Boole, Chemistry Content Creator at Save My Exams, says that this may only work for people as long as they are able to not get distracted by what they are drawing. He suggests instead that people may wish to doodle before they begin studying, or during study breaks, to help calm their mind. The hack must be helpful to many, however, as videos with the term ‘scribbling revision’ have 294.1 million views on TikTok.

Transparent sticky notes

Colourful sticky notes have long been used for revision, but now TikTokers are enjoying using transparent sticky notes. These post-its are said to be particularly helpful for topics when it’s necessary to trace charts or sketch diagrams. They’re also useful for making notes without damaging or covering reading materials.

Both Kirkham and Boole think this study trend could help to enhance information processing and retention, but would only be most effective if students use it for this purpose and not just to make their revision notes look pretty and aesthetically pleasing.

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