Revision advice is usually written for brains that focus best in quiet rooms, have long attention spans, and have no problems starting boring tasks “because you should”. If you have ADHD, that can feel… deeply unhelpful. So here’s a more realistic approach, tailored to work for ADHD brains by someone who actually HAS one.
I’m Catrin Woodruff, ADHD coach and writer for Sunbeam Education, and here are some of my top tips for building a revision routine that’s motivating, flexible, and designed around how ADHD attention actually works. These revision tips reduce friction and make it easier to begin, continue, and come back after breaks. You may not need to revise more. You might just need a system that works with your brain.
These are the strategies I come back to again and again with neurodivergent students, especially during GCSE season. Some of these tips are ones I found helpful during my own studies, and others have been developed through my work with neurodivergent students.
As always, everyone’s brains and needs are different, so some of these tips may not be for you. That’s ok! Try everything out, find what suits you, and build YOUR perfect GCSE revision routine.
1. Use movement and breaks to support focus
A lot of revision advice assumes you should sit still for long periods. ADHD brains often focus better when the body is allowed to move, and focus LESS when we're expending a lot of energy on staying still.
When revising at home, try building in movement on purpose, rather than waiting until you are restless:
- Stand up and stretch between topics
- Walk while listening to audiobook versions of your English Literature texts
- Take a short break outside - perhaps do a walk around the garden or a quick lap up and down your street
- Use a fidget tool if that helps you stay present
- Try “active breaks” like making a drink, a short tidy-up of your desk or room, or a few star jumps
Taking a break isn't a sign that you're not working hard enough. It can be the reset your brain needs to return to the task feeling refreshed and ready to learn.
2. Use technology to reduce executive function load
If you have ADHD, the hardest part of revision is often organising yourself, not understanding the content. This is where apps can be genuinely supportive, because they hold the structure for you.
Useful tools include:
- Digital planners or calendar reminders for study sessions
- Task apps like Keep Notes or Goblin Tools, where you can break down your to-do list into tiny steps and tick them off
- Mind-mapping tools for planning essays and linking ideas
- Speech-to-text programs for getting ideas down quickly, especially if writing feels slow
- Text-to-speech programs to listen back to your notes while you rest your eyes
Technology is not “cheating”. It is scaffolding.
3. Try multisensory revision so the information sticks
Many ADHD students learn best when revision feels active and engaging. We all know the feeling of reading the same paragraph over and over until your eyes get fuzzy and words lose all meaning!
Try beating the boredom by combining your senses:
- Read and listen at the same time using audiobooks or text-to-speech while you read your notes and set texts
- Talk your notes out loud, like you’re teaching someone else
- Record voice notes and listen back while you do something simple like going for a walk, exercising, crafting or baking
- Use drawing, doodles, or quick symbols to represent concepts
- Use tactile objects if that helps, like moving counters for maths steps or timeline cards for history
The aim is not to make revision more complicated. It’s to make it memorable.
4. Set clear, bite-sized goals for each session
With ADHD, “revise” is too vague. Even “revise biology” is too vague! Your brain needs a clear target, or it will drift, procrastinate, or get stuck deciding what to do first.
Instead, set one or two goals that are specific and achievable, for example:
- “Complete one practice question using a timer”
- “Learn five key terms and test myself”
- “Make one mind map on photosynthesis”
- “Learn ten quotes that represent Macbeth”
If your goal feels too big, shrink it until starting feels possible. Starting is the whole game. Chances are, once you've completed one or two small goals, you'll be inspired to keep going!
5. Build rewards into revision (because you deserve a dopamine boost)
Many of us with ADHD struggle to feel rewarded by ticking something off a list. Whereas for many, the sense of achievement from ticking items off a to-do list provides a dopamine boost and a refreshed sense of motivation, for someone with ADHD, you finish a task… and your brain immediately starts worrying about the next one. That’s exhausting, and it can lead to burnout or avoidance.
Our rewards need to be more tangible to give us the same boost of dopamine and motivation. So we “manufacture” rewards on purpose and add some fun into our routines
Here are some suggestions that have worked for other students with ADHD. Experiment with them or adapt them to pick rewards that work for you:
- Two revision blocks = one episode of a favourite show
- Finish a set of questions = spend 10 minutes with your pet / go outside for 10 minutes
- Use your favourite stationery or coloured pens for writing notes
- Make a favourite snack as part of your revision routine
- Revise with a friend for accountability (if that feels supportive, not stressful)
Don't be afraid to give yourself rewards for your hard work! They’re essential to sustainable revision routines.
6. Practise self-care
This one is boring but true! ADHD brains are more sensitive to sleep loss, hunger, stress, and burnout. Revision becomes harder when your system is overloaded.
Try these tips to keep you feeling good during stressful times:
- Sleep as consistently as you can, especially near exams
- Eat something with protein and slow energy release before longer study sessions
- Keep water nearby - and make sure you actually drink it!
- Build in downtime so your brain has space to reset (TV breaks, time with friends, walk the dog, etc)
- Use calming strategies that work for you, like listening to your favourite music, breathing exercises, or taking a short walk
You are not a machine. Your brain needs fuel and recovery time to learn properly.
A gentle reminder before you go
Revision isn’t a moral test. If you have ADHD and GCSEs are looming, you’re probably already doing a lot. You’re managing distractions, motivation dips, stress, and the constant effort of trying to do what other people seem to do automatically.
These tips are designed to help you achieve your revision goals in a way that supports you, and is sustainable over the whole exam period - which, as we know, seems practically never-ending!
Use movement. Use tools. Use support. Keep goals small. Let self-care count as revision support too. And reward yourself for all your hard work!
How Sunbeam can help
If you’d like help building a revision approach that fits the way you learn, Sunbeam Education tutors offer structured, ADHD-informed GCSE support that’s practical, encouraging, and tailored to you. If you’d like to find out more about how ADHD coaching or tutoring could help with GCSE revision, you can book a free, no-pressure consultation with one of our expert ADHD tutors - they’ll listen, answer questions, and suggest practical next steps.
