Student Rep, Ellen Morgan, gives us her top five revision tips for Dietitians studying for those all-important exams!
1. Start early and stay organised
Don’t forget you will have other tasks to complete along your revision journey, such as coursework, lecture prep, and group work tasks. Keeping a diary and online calendar has been a lifesaver for me to organise exactly where I’m going to fit everything I have to do around my busy schedule as a student! Starting early is always useful as when you go over things you may find you don’t understand them as well as you thought you did (I know I definitely do this!) and so you need time to chat to your lecturer etc. to understand the topic. The time leading up to an exam also always goes a lot quicker than you expect it to!
2. Always relate information back to your role as a Dietitian
Depending on the module, this is key. Some modules may give you case studies as a part of your exam where it is essential to relate the question to what you would do as a Dietitian. Learning information on this basis is very important for these modules! However, even for other modules, thinking ‘why is it important I know this as a Dietitian?’ can help you figure out what you need to know and hopefully give you the motivation to learn it as it will help you in your future career!
3. Practice questions!
I always find this is the best way to learn content and check you understand it! Put your books and lecture notes away to really check your knowledge! Ask your lecturer for some practice questions or make up your own using flashcards or case studies from exams. If you’re sitting an OSCE exam practising things such as feeding regimes or estimating the nutrient content of food diaries is also essential. It’s a good idea to try and set yourself a time limit for these questions which will be similar to the time limit in the exam to help stick to a schedule and get used to the exam conditions.
4. Practise consultation skills with coursemates
This is essential for the OSCE exam! Practising your consultation and communication skills with coursemates is perfect as you can learn whether you’re observing or being the Dietitian, learning from each other and seeing how different people handle different situations can be really helpful for developing your own skills. Using case studies from class, as well as making up your own can be useful here!
5. Look after yourself and get the balance right
Getting the balance right isn’t easy and exam time is often a stressful time. Try to create boundaries for yourself such as stopping studying by a certain time so you have a few hours to unwind in the evening before bed, this can help reduce stress and help keep you more productive during your study hours. Knowing what you need to do to unwind is also extremely helpful in looking after yourself and gaining balance.
If you need some alone time to unwind, make sure you get it rather than going out with friends every evening. If you’re spending your ‘relax’ time scrolling on your phone and find you don’t feel relaxed afterwards then maybe this isn’t the best way for you to unwind. Always try to get enough sleep, eat well, and get some exercise in every day even if this is just a walk around the local park at lunchtime or a stretch off in the evening. I always find fresh air helps refresh me if I’m spending a long day studying.
Finally, always make sure to speak to someone if you’re struggling and look into your University’s wellness services.
