The secret of a great revision session isn’t just a matter of how interesting you find the subject and how motivated you are to plough your way through the materials in a bid to ace the upcoming exam. It’s also very much a question of your surroundings and environment.

How relaxed the room you’re in and the furniture you’re on make you feel, the level of background noise and the access you have to the treats, snacks and drinks that fuel your revision sessions: these are all hugely important factors in determining how well your revision goes. And that means, by extension, that these things also decide how well you do in your exams.

Many people don’t take these things into consideration when they revise. That’s fine, so long as it’s because by chance they’ve hit upon the perfect revision environment for them. But if you’re one of those people who continually finds themselves distracted or unfocused when revising, it could be because of where you’re revising rather than what you’re revising.

So let’s have a look at some of the pros and cons of some of the most popular–and some less well-known–revision spots.

Bedroom desk

The bedroom desk is often people’s default place to revise. And this is unsurprising, given that our bedroom is our private space. Whether it’s an effective space, however, depends on a lot of things. If it’s a quiet oasis and free of distractions, and you also have a big, tidy desk, then it’s perfect.

But if your room is full of clutter and there’s an Xbox in the corner screaming ‘play me!’ at you, then it’s possibly not the best spot.

Sitting at your bedroom desk to revise certainly shouldn’t be ruled out. But whether or not you use it should be determined by results. If you’re not having much luck revising at your desk, move elsewhere.

On the bed

The first place we suggest moving to is just a short hop from your desk, over to your bed. One of the things about revision that it’s best to face up to is that, ultimately, we don’t want to do it. However, any task that we don’t want to do is made more tolerable by at least being comfortable when we do it. And for many people, reclining on the bed to revise is much more comfortable than fidgeting on a stiff office chair.

If this applies to you, give the bed a try. That said, some people hate mixing relaxation with work (rule of thumb: if you have to get showered and dressed before you can revise, you’re probably in this category). If this applies to you, then don’t worry; the key thing here is to find a place where you personally feel good about revising. And there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to that.

The library

Going to your local library is perhaps a good option if you’re one of those people who doesn’t like the idea of slouching or reclining when revising. The library is probably about the most focused environment you’ll find for revising. It’s quiet, there are no distractions from your personal life here, and the chairs will probably force you to sit up nice and straight.

So for the down-to-business revisers it’s a great spot. And the relaxer-revisers might find the library is a good place for the odd revision session too, if what you need is a jolt of concentration to get your mind thinking about the task before continuing your revision somewhere you feel more comfortable.

In a caf

Cafs are a good place to revise if you’re looking for a change of scene from home, but don’t want to be in the silence of the library. You can order your favourite beverage, get comfy on an armchair or sofa, and get down to some study. If you’ve been distracted at home in your revision, you’ll probably find the change of scene does you a world of good. The two main downsides to the caf are that often there can be background noise, and if you’re sensitive to this sort of thing you’ll find it off-putting; and eventually you’ll either have to buy another coffee or face the wrath of the owner.

In the park or garden

This is obviously a very weather-dependent option. But if it’s a nice, warm day, getting a dose of vitamin D from the sun and being out in the fresh air can be just the shot in the arm that a flagging reviser needs.

Assuming you have gone out on a sunny day to revise, the only things you need to bear in mind are to be careful not to overexpose yourself to the sun–wear suncream and spend time in the shade as well–and that you have some sort of way of keeping your notes secure if there’s a breeze.

There are of course loads of other places you could revise, and whether you use them or not depends entirely on how well they work for you. We’ve even heard one tale of an eccentric chap who used to take a long, round-trip train journey every day for his revision sessions, as this was where he felt most focused and at peace. The key point is to not be afraid to try new places, and also to abandon them once they stop being effective.