How to make a revision timetable you can stick to
Plan backwards from your exam dates and use focused study blocks with breaks, with a simple way to share your time between subjects.
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What is it?
A revision timetable turns a large, vague task into a plan you can follow. Planning is part of self-regulated learning: you decide what to study, monitor how it is going and adjust. The Education Endowment Foundation highlights planning, monitoring and evaluating as key metacognitive strategies.
A good timetable is realistic. It includes breaks, sleep, meals and free time, and it can be changed when things take longer than expected.
Key formulas and ideas
- Plan backwards: list your exams and dates, then count the weeks left.
- Split each subject into topics and give more time to weaker topics.
- Use focused blocks, such as 25 to 45 minutes of work followed by a short break.
- Review the plan each week and adjust it.
Worked examples
Example 1: Count the time
Question: You have 6 weeks, 3 subjects and about 9 hours of revision each week. How many hours per subject, if shared equally?
- Total hours: 6 × 9 = 54.
- Per subject: 54 ÷ 3 = 18 hours.
Answer: 18 hours per subject
Example 2: Pomodoro blocks
Question: How many 25-minute blocks with 5-minute breaks fit in 2 hours?
- One block plus break is 30 minutes.
- 120 ÷ 30 = 4.
Answer: 4 blocks
Example 3: Weight by difficulty
Question: Chemistry feels hardest. How could you adjust an equal plan?
- Give chemistry extra time, for example 24 of the 54 hours.
- Share the remaining 30 hours between the other two subjects.
Answer: Give more time to the weaker subject
Common mistakes
- Making a timetable so full that it cannot be followed.
- Forgetting sleep, meals and breaks.
- Only listing subjects, not specific topics.
- Never updating the plan.
Practice questions
Frequently asked questions
How many hours a day should I revise?
It varies with your exams and age. Regular, focused sessions with breaks usually beat very long, tiring ones.
How many hours a day should I revise?
It depends on your exams and age. Regular, focused sessions with breaks usually beat very long, tiring ones.
Related guides
Spaced repetition: how to remember what you revise
Review material at increasing gaps to remember it long term, with an example schedule and the Leitner box system.
KS3GCSEA-LevelMiddle School+3How to stay focused when studying (and avoid your phone)
Set up your space, plan sessions and manage your phone so your study time is actually productive.
KS3GCSEA-LevelMiddle School+2Exam day plan: what to do the week before and on the day
Plan the last week, the night before and the exam itself: equipment, timing and how to check your work.
GCSEA-LevelHigh SchoolAP+1Sources and review
- Education Endowment Foundation: Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning guidance report
- IES practice guide: Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning (2007)
Reviewed by StudyMorrow editorial review on 5 Nov 2026.