It's not what you know that counts in an exam - it's what you write about what you know that earns marks on the big day. Therefore, the mistake that most students make at this stage of the year is to worry about how best to cram information into their minds - rather than planning how to organise and explain what they have learned already. Based on this principle, here are some practical tips on revision and exam skills.

1. Write down 2-3 specific questions to guide your revision

"Studying" is not the same as reading. It involves reading with a purpose - to obtain specific answers to specific questions. So, instead of saying "I'm going to do some economics tonight," it's better to say "I'm going to look for an answer to the question: What is inflation and how can it be measured?" A good place to look for questions is in previous exam papers. Research shows that asking questions improves your concentration and sharpens your thinking because it encourages you to distinguish between "relevant" and "irrelevant " information in your book or notes. Remember - it's only relevant if it answers your specific study question.

2. Space your learning - study regularly and briefly

Try to study in blocks of time which do not exceed your concentration span. For example, break up a study session into periods of about 50 minutes each. For each one, write down your specific question at the top of the page and insert relevant information underneath. Then, at the end of the session, put your summary notes aside and spend about five minutes trying to recall what you have learned. This quick review (called "overlearning") consolidates your memory.

3. Compose "summary sheets"

As you read through your books, summarise any information which seems relevant to your study questions. This condensed information is your "summary sheet" and can be consulted regularly during the day (e.g. while sitting in a bus). Avoid underlining or photocopying information because these techniques do not condense the material that you wish to learn.

4. Reward yourself for work done

If you find it difficult to motivate yourself to study (and who doesn't?!), then give yourself a reward after successful completion of every revision session. This reward could be watching a favourite television programme or making a telephone call to a friend. Research shows that activities (e.g. study) which are followed by rewarding consequences eventually become rewarding in themselves.

5. Develop a study routine

Try to study at the same time and in the same place every day. This routine approach will overcome the problem of not being in the "right mood" to study. As William James noted, it's easier to act your way into a feeling than to feel your way into action. So, resist the temptation to tidy your room or rule your notepaper whenever you start to study - otherwise you're only rewarding yourself for avoidance behaviour.

6. Test yourself under exam conditions

A good way to improve your memory in exams is to test your ability to recall your summary sheets under simulated exam conditions (e.g. testing what you can remember about a topic for 45 minutes in the absence of your books/notes). Research suggests that successful students test their memories more often than do their less successful counterparts.

7. Regard exams as opportunities

Exams are best regarded as opportunities to show what you have learned rather than as tests of what you do not know. Unfortunately, many students worry themselves sick by believing falsely that correctors want to take marks away from them in exams rather than awarding them for evidence of understanding.

8. It's okay to be nervous

Exams are potentially stressful for two reasons. First, we all have a fear of the unknown. And you cannot predict what questions you will be asked in the exam. But in addition, exam stress is often caused by the contrast between the conditions under which you study and those in which you will be examined. For example, if you study late at night while listening to your favourite music, then you are setting yourself up for disappointment because research shows that people remember best under conditions which resemble those in which the original learning occurred. Therefore, it's best to study in silence simply because you will be tested under silent conditions in the exam-hall.

And so, it's okay to be nervous. All it really means is that you care about what you are doing. But you must learn to care about the "right" things - things which are under your control (such as your revision plans) rather than irrelevant concerns (e.g. who will mark your paper).

9. Focus on your own behaviour in the exam-hall

Exams bring out strange behaviour in all of us. For example, when papers are handed out in the hall, students tend to look right or left in order to gauge the reactions of their classmates to the paper.

10. As soon as the exam starts

Read the whole paper briefly

Pick your questions and start with your "best" one

Underline the key words in each question (to make sure that you stick to the point)

Write your proposed finishing time on each question (to ensure that you don't get carried away)

Above all, remember that for every word you write, you're likely to gain some marks.

Dr Aidan Moran is Head of the Department of Psychology in University College, Dublin, and the author of the best selling book Managing Your Own Learning at University: A Practical Guide (1997, UCD Press, £5.95) and audiotape Learn to Concentrate (1996, Tutorial Services UK, available from leading bookshops).