Exam Tips for Students with Dyslexia

It is hard to believe that the exam season is here again! Good luck to everyone who is at school, college or uni and revising at the moment.

For a dyslexic student efficient use of time is the key to success when studying for exams. There is so much information to learn in a limited amount of time. You need to pack as much knowledge into your brain as possible, but how?

Did you know that when you are trying to remember all those facts it is important to use as many of the senses as you can?

So, what do we remember?

20% of what we read

30% of what we hear

40% of what we see

50% of what we say

60% of what we do

90% of what we read, hear, say and do

It is easy to get stuck in a rut and just use one way of revising because that is what you have always done. This makes revision boring and if you are bored you won’t be learning!

All of us, not just students with dyslexia, learn best by using multi-sensory revision techniques Here are some ideas for you to try.

Visual

• Use as many colours as you can in your notes!
• Underline headings in colour and highlight key words or topic phrases
• Use bullet points when making revision notes
• A mnemonic can be in the form of a word, where each letter stands for something specific, or a rhyme or poem, or a little song you made up as long as the components of it make you think of the more detailed thing you need to remember. They can help with spelling too:
  • • There’s a rat in separate
    • Never believe a lie
    • Draw mind or concept maps by hand or use software like Mindmeister or Ithoughts
    • Use pictures to help you remember- ‘genome’ – a gnome wearing jeans!
    • Make question and answer cards & work with a friend to test each other.
• Quizlet is an online tool that helps you to make quizzes and learn in an interactive way! 
• Draw flow charts or posters to summarise topics and stick them on your wall.

• Put coloured sticky notes in places in the house where you will see them all the time
• Try some different ways of revising and see how they work for you. Remember we all learn differently and it is important to find ways that suit your individual style.
• If you are feeling stressed check out these tips from Student Minds