Free study tool · Level: GCSE, A-level, IB and university
Revision timetable maker
Type in your exams, say how many hours a day you can give, and get a plan that puts the right subject on the right day. If the hours do not fit, it tells you instead of pretending.
Try this on the planner above
- Keep the three sample exams and set weekday hours to 1. The warnings list which subjects no longer fit, and by how much.
- Put weekday hours back to 2 and pick Sunday as a rest day. The plan stays complete, because the hours move to the other days instead of vanishing.
- Change the third exam to the day after the second one. The review blocks for both now sit on the same evening, split in two, which is what a real clash looks like.
A revision timetable works when each subject gets its hours before its own exam, the subject under the most pressure comes first, and no day is given entirely to one subject. This planner does exactly that: add your exams with a date and the hours each needs, set your daily hours, and read the plan. The day before each exam opens with a review block, and any subject that cannot fit in the time left is flagged so you can start earlier or trim.
The usual mistake
I will do one subject per day, finish it, and move on to the next.
Blocking feels productive and forgets fast. Two shorter sessions on different subjects in one day beat one long one, because coming back to a topic the next day is the retrieval that makes it stick. The planner never gives a whole day to one subject when two or more are still open.
How the planner decides what goes on each day
Every subject has hours still needed and days left until its exam. Dividing one by the other gives its pressure. Each half hour of a day goes to whichever subject is under the most pressure at that moment, so the exam that is closest and least prepared always gets fed first, and nothing is left for the night before.
Two rules soften the greed. No subject takes more than half a day while others are still open, so subjects interleave. And on the day before an exam, that subject opens the day with a review block, then the rest of the day goes to whatever comes next.
How many hours does a subject need?
Be honest rather than ambitious. A subject you are comfortable with needs a few hours of practice questions and one pass over the notes: four to six. A subject you failed the last test in needs the notes rebuilt and worked examples redone, which is ten to fifteen hours over two weeks. Halve any number that assumes you will study every single day.
If the plan shows a shortfall, you have three honest options: start earlier, raise the daily hours where you actually have them (usually the weekend), or accept that one subject gets less. Deciding that now beats discovering it two days before the exam.
What to do inside a block
Rereading is the least effective thing you can do with an hour. Close the notes and write down what you remember, then check. Work past-paper questions under time. Explain a topic out loud to nobody. Each of these forces retrieval, and retrieval is what the exam tests.
End every block by writing down the one thing you still cannot do. That list is your review block for the day before the exam, and it is worth more than any summary.
When the plan slips
It will. A day gets lost to something else and the temptation is to double the next day. Do not. Change the start date to today, trim the hours of the subject you are most comfortable with, and read the new plan. A plan you can keep beats a plan you have already broken.
Stuck on one of those subjects?
A tutor can turn a fifteen-hour subject into an eight-hour one by finding the gap. Book a single lesson before the exam and bring your list of things you cannot do.
Frequently asked questions
- How far ahead should I start a revision timetable?
- Two to three weeks before the first exam for a normal exam period, four to six for A-levels or university finals with several papers. The planner shows immediately whether your hours fit into the time left; if they do not, that is your answer.
- How many hours a day should I revise?
- Two focused hours on a school day and four at the weekend is realistic for most students during term. In a study leave or holiday week, four to six. Beyond six the quality drops faster than the quantity rises, and the plan should include a rest day.
- Should I revise more than one subject per day?
- Yes. Two or three subjects a day, in separate blocks, is better for memory than one subject all day. The planner interleaves on purpose and only gives a whole day to a subject when it is the last one left.
- What should I do the day before an exam?
- A review block on that subject only: your list of things you still cannot do, a past paper if there is time, and an early night. The planner reserves the opening of that day for exactly that, then moves on to the next exam so the following one does not fall behind.
- Is my plan saved?
- It is saved in your browser only, on this device, and nothing is sent anywhere. Clearing your browser data clears it. Copy it as text or print it if you want to keep it somewhere safer.