Online Exam Revision Sessions: How to Plan and Run Them

To run online exam revision sessions, plan a short series of sessions over the weeks before the exam, start with a diagnostic, work through past papers as PDFs on a whiteboard, practise under a timer, and record each session so students can review it later. Focus each session on the weak spots the diagnostic reveals.

Exam season changes what students need from a tutor: not another pass through the syllabus, but targeted practice and confidence about what to expect. This guide covers how to plan a run of revision sessions and what to do in each one.

How do you plan online exam revision sessions?

Plan revision as a short series of sessions spread over several weeks, starting with a diagnostic that shows where to spend the time. A single cram session the night before rarely helps. A short run of sessions spread over the weeks before the exam works better, and it gives students a clear plan to follow.

On Educastic you can set this up as a series: a multi-session programme with subscribers and a shareable page. Students subscribe once and see the whole plan in one place, which is useful when you are running revision for a group.

A sample six-session plan:

Adjust the plan after session 1. The diagnostic tells you where to spend the remaining time.

How should you schedule revision sessions?

Schedule every revision session in advance with a shared invite link, so students see it in the same place as the rest of their week. On Educastic you schedule each session ("educast") with its guests and duration, and share the invite link. If you use Google Calendar, Educastic's Google Calendar sync keeps the sessions in your calendar so they sit alongside the rest of your week.

How do you use past papers in an online revision session?

Upload past papers to the whiteboard as PDFs and annotate them live, one question at a time, with students taking turns at the pen. Past papers are the core of good revision. In Educastic, Word and other documents convert to PDF on upload, and you can import files from Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive, or keep the papers you use often in your personal My Library.

A routine for each question:

1. Read the question together. Circle the command word ("explain", "calculate", "compare") and underline the key information.
2. Plan the answer. Sketch the structure or the first step in a second colour.
3. Hand over the pen. In Educastic, give a student drawing access and let them write the answer on the paper.
4. Mark it like an examiner. Point out where marks are won and lost, right next to the answer.

Put each paper on its own board tab so the session stays organised. At the end, Educastic lets students download the session's resources as a PDF and keep the annotated papers.

For more on this, see how to annotate a PDF in an online class.

How do you run timed exam practice online?

Run timed exam practice online with short in-class tests that students answer against a countdown. Knowing the material and finishing the paper in time are different skills. In Educastic the teacher publishes a test, students answer against a countdown, and the teacher sees a summary of the answers.

Use that summary straight away:

• If most students got a question wrong, re-teach it on a fresh tab before moving on.
• If only one or two did, note their names and come back to it with them.
• Keep the questions short and exam-style, so students practise the real format.

Should you record revision sessions?

Yes, record every revision session, because students revise at different times and often want to rewatch one tricky explanation. Record each revision session so they can replay the explanation of a tricky question the night before the exam. Educastic keeps recordings in the My Recordings tab of My Library, where they can be replayed and downloaded, and only that class's participants, admitted guests and the owner can watch them. Tell students at the start that you are recording.

After class, Educastic can email a session report with the session details and your notes to you and your students, giving everyone a written recap to go with the recording.

How do you keep students active during revision?

Keep students active by giving them a task in every question: an answer in the chat, a turn at the pen or a problem to try alone. Revision sessions can slide into a lecture, so:

• Start every session with one question from the previous one.
• Give the pen to a different student for each question.
• Ask students to send their own answers in the chat before you reveal the model answer.
• End with one question students should try alone before the next session.

Frequently asked questions

How many revision sessions should I plan before an exam? A short run of sessions spread over several weeks usually works better than one long session at the end. The exact number depends on the exam and the student.

Can I use past papers on the whiteboard? Yes. Upload them to Educastic as PDFs and annotate them live. Word and other documents convert to PDF on upload.

Can students practise under timed conditions? Yes. In Educastic the teacher publishes an in-class test, students answer against a countdown, and the teacher sees a summary of the answers.

Can students rewatch revision sessions? Yes. Educastic keeps recorded sessions in the My Recordings tab of My Library and can be replayed by the class's participants.

Plan your revision series

Open the Educastic online whiteboard, upload a past paper and schedule your first revision session.

Plan revision sessions free