Abia Teaching
Back to Blog
• by Abia

How to Revise for Highers: Insights from a Med Student

The jump from National 5 to Higher is significant. As a Medicine student, I have spent years refining my study techniques. The hard truth is: reading your notes is not studying.

1. Active Recall

You must test yourself. Instead of reading a textbook, close it and write down everything you remember. This is hard, but it is how memory works.

2. The Power of Past Papers

There is no substitute for practicing real exam questions[cite: 7].

  • Timed Conditions: I always encourage students to do papers under timed conditions to get used to the pressure[cite: 8].
  • The "Process": We analyse the marking scheme together. Often, students lose marks not because they don't know the answer, but because they didn't show their working.

3. Consistency Over Cramming

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out"[cite: 9]. I help my students build a revision timetable that prevents burnout. Cramming might get you a pass at Nat 5, but it rarely works at Higher.