How to Revise with ADHD: Strategies That Actually Work

Struggling to revise as a student with ADHD? You’re not alone. Traditional study advice often doesn’t work for brains wired like yours. If you find it hard to start, stay focused, or manage your time, that doesn’t mean you’re lazy or incapable. It just means you need a different approach.

This guide is designed specifically for students with ADHD to show you how to revise in ways that work with your attention, energy, and memory. This guide also includes insights from experts in psychology and ADHD.

Key Takeaways

• Create the right study setup: Find a low-distraction space that suits you, gather all your revision materials, and use tools like timers and coloured pens to stay organised and focused.

• Use short, manageable study bursts: Try the Pomodoro technique (25 minutes study, 5-minute break) and start small (just 5 minutes) to beat procrastination and build momentum.

• Mix up revision methods: Use multisensory techniques like mind maps, flashcards, teaching others, and movement to keep your brain engaged and improve retention.

• Be kind to yourself and pace your work: Accept that focus will vary, take regular breaks, prioritise rest and self-care, and remember consistency beats perfection.

Why Revising with ADHD Is Different

As you probably know, ADHD affects key parts of the brain responsible for focus, organisation, and motivation. That can make revision feel overwhelming, even if you want to do well.

Do any of the below sentences describe your study struggles?

• You find it difficult to get started with your work, and you often leave things to the last minute and panic.

• You can lose focus quickly and get distracted by your surroundings.

• Sitting still makes you restless and unable to revise effectively.

• You find managing your time challenging. You either spend hours studying without a break or can’t do any work at all.

• You struggle with prioritising your work. You spend hours on work you enjoy or find easy, but don’t spend enough time on subjects you find less interesting or more difficult.

Before You Start: Set Up for Success

Your revision will run much smoother if you create the right setup first. Here’s how to create the ideal study space:

Pick the Right Environment

A quiet, low-distraction spot is ideal, but it doesn’t have to be a traditional desk. Try the library, a coffee shop with headphones, or even a corner of your bedroom with minimal clutter. If silence makes you fidgety, background noise, like white noise or lo-fi music, can help anchor your focus.

Get Your Tools Ready

Having the right tools around you will make it easier to get started on your revision and reduce any distractions that may require  you to leave your study space. Things you will likely need when revising include:

Learning and Revision Materials

• Textbooks
  These provide detailed information and explanations that follow the curriculum. Use them to deepen your understanding of key topics.

• Revision guides
  Condensed versions of the course content with tips, summaries, and practice questions. Ideal for quick reviews.

• Class and revision notes
  Your own notes from lessons or study sessions. These are personalised and often easier to understand than textbooks. Save My Exams also has revision notes to help you revise effectively.

• Subject syllabus or exam specification
  Exam specifications outline exactly what you need to know for your exam. Use it as a checklist to make sure you’ve covered all topics.

• Essays you have already written or questions you have already answered
  These help you reflect on feedback and spot patterns in how to improve.

• Past paper questions and mark schemes
  Practise with real exam questions and check your answers against official mark schemes to understand what examiners expect. Use Save My Exams extensive range of past papers.

Useful Stationery for All Subjects

• Lined paper or blank paper
  For writing notes, planning essays, or solving problems by hand.

• Sticky notes
  Great for reminders, organising your revision space, or highlighting key facts you want to remember.

• Visual timers or apps (like Forest (opens in a new tab))
  These help you manage your time and stay focused during revision sessions.

• Highlighters and coloured pens
  Use them to colour-code topics, underline key ideas, or make your notes more engaging and easier to scan.

• Task organisers (printed to-do lists or digital tools like Todoist (opens in a new tab) or Notion (opens in a new tab))
  Helpful for breaking big tasks into smaller, manageable steps and keeping track of progress.

• Files or folders
  Keep your notes and past papers organised by subject or topic so you can find things quickly.

• Notecards
  Use these to create flashcards for active recall, one of the most effective revision methods.

Break the “Starting” Barrier

Getting started can feel like climbing a mountain. To help you get going on your revision, try the Five-Minute Rule. This means committing to just five focused minutes of revision to begin with. If you want to stop after that you can, but often, once you start, you’ll be able to keep going.

You could also begin with a small, easy task that will help you build momentum. For example, instead of starting straight with a past paper question, which may feel overwhelming, it may be better to start by testing your subject knowledge using a few flashcards. Save My Exams has a wide range of flashcards for various subjects.

Create an ADHD-Friendly Revision Schedule

Forget long cramming sessions with no breaks. Instead, use shorter bursts of focused effort, followed by regular breaks.

A popular method is the Pomodoro technique, where you complete 25 minutes of focused studying followed by a 5-minute break. After repeating this four times, allow yourself to have a slightly longer break (10-15 minutes).

Here are some more tips for pacing your revision:

• When creating your revision timetable, make sure to schedule breaks for movement or snacks throughout your revision time.

• Mix screen time with off-screen tasks to help you stay focused and engaged. For example, spend 10 minutes using online flashcards, like those by Save My Exams, followed by 15 minutes of hand-written practice questions.

• Use timers and alarms to help you keep track of time and ensure you don’t spend too long on a particular task or overrun on your breaks.

Structure the Day Around Energy

Ramsay and Rostain, experts on ADHD and authors of The Adult ADHD Tool Kit (opens in a new tab), offer this insight into the minds of people with ADHD: “Time management also involves energy management… Sometimes the rationalisation for procrastination is wrapped up in the form of the statement ‘I’m not up to this,’ which reflects the fact you feel tired, stressed, or some other uncomfortable state.”

As Ramsay and Rostain capture, low energy can easily lead to procrastination. To help you overcome this, look out for times when you naturally focus best. Is it in the morning before daily distractions pile up, or in the afternoon when everything’s quieter? Plan your more difficult subjects for your most alert times, and leave easier ones for your lower-energy periods.

Revision Techniques That Work for ADHD

Sarah D. Wright, ADHD coach and author of Fidget to Focus (opens in a new tab), emphasises:
“Key strategies include setting multiple alarms, preparing the night before, embracing productive procrastination, employing multi‑modal learning, scheduling study time, and using rewards or social accountability to adhere to plans.”.

Wright’s approach highlights how students with ADHD benefit most from revision that’s structured, interactive and multisensory. Here are a few techniques you can use to improve your revision:

• Mind maps to connect ideas visually

• Flashcards with images, questions, and colour-coding

• Teaching others what you’ve learned (even if it’s to a pet or mirror)

• Movement-based methods, like walking while reciting notes or bouncing a ball while quizzing yourself

• Voice memos where you talk through topics out loud

Try out these different techniques for your subjects and see which ones help things stick best. You may find that some techniques work better for some subjects or topics than others. Practice makes perfect with revision, so make sure to keep trialling different strategies and using them in different ways.

Managing Focus and Motivation

Even with good tools, staying focused and motivated can still be tough. Here’s how to make it easier.

1. Use Visual and Time-Based Cues

Timers and alarms create a sense of urgency and mark clear end points in your revision timetable, which helps reduce procrastination and keeps you on track. 

Tracking your progress by crossing out items on a checklist, marking your progress with a sticker or icon, or using online task trackers with rewards can be surprisingly motivating and give you a sense of achievement at the end of each task. Try using this in your revision to help yourself stay motivated more consistently. 

2. Mix Up Subjects & Styles

Revising the same subject for too long can lead to boredom and distraction, especially if you find the subject disinteresting or difficult. 

Try interleaving, which means switching between subjects or topics during a study block. For example, using English flashcards for 10-minutes, followed by 10-minutes of completing practice Maths questions. Switching between subjects or topics keeps your brain engaged and helps you retain information better.

You can also switch between revision styles, such as between reading, writing, drawing, teaching someone else, or using flashcards. This variety helps maintain interest and improves your memory through multisensory learning.

3. Accept the Wobbles

Some days will be harder than others. You might feel hyperfocused one day and totally scattered the next. If you’re experiencing this, don’t panic. There is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ revision week, so don’t be put off if things aren’t going exactly to plan. Often, getting started (even if it’s just for 5 minutes initially) is better than waiting for things to be ‘perfect’. Consistency, not perfection, is what matters most.

How to Avoid Burnout

ADHD brains often go all-in, then crash. So pacing is key. Here's how to keep going without burning out:

• Take guilt-free breaks: You need rest to recharge. Build breaks into your revision schedule and don’t feel bad about them. Using the Pomodoro technique is useful here.

• Prioritise your basic needs: Good sleep, regular meals, hydration, and movement are essential for brain function. Revision gets harder when your body isn’t supported, so make sure you’re prioritising your physical needs.

• Try grounding or mindfulness: Some students find techniques, such as deep breathing, stretching, or taking a short walk, helpful for resetting your nervous system and bring back your focus. See what techniques work for you to help you stay motivated and reduce any study stress.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should I revise if I have ADHD?

Not able to study for 3 hours straight? Don’t worry, most students (with and without ADHD) would find this challenging and, likely, not very effective. 

The best thing to do to help you stay focused and motivated when revising is to break your work down into small, manageable blocks. Don’t be afraid to trial different lengths of time to see how long you are able to focus for and adapt your timetable to suit your style.

I keep procrastinating — what can I do?

Start with just 5 minutes. Often, the hardest part is getting started. You can also try body-doubling (studying with someone), or use accountability tools, like Focusmate, to boost your motivation to start working.

What if I feel overwhelmed?

When creating your revision timetable, it is best to be specific about which topics and tasks you are going to complete in each study slot. For example, instead of putting on your timetable: “revise biology,” be more specific, like: “make flashcards on mitosis”. 

Remember, feeling overwhelmed is something most students will experience at some time during their studies. If you experience this, try to take a break, breathe, and return when you're ready.

Final Thoughts

Revising with ADHD doesn’t mean forcing your brain to fit a rigid schedule or certain style. It means working with your brain’s natural patterns and your personal strengths. Use movement, colour, short sessions, positive reinforcement and anything else you find helpful to stay motivated and focused.

Don’t forget to be kind to yourself. ADHD may change how you revise, but it doesn’t stop you from succeeding. Keep experimenting, keep learning what works for you, and take it one step at a time.

References:

The Adult ADHD Tool Kit | Using CBT to Facilitate Coping (opens in a new tab)

Fidget To Focus (opens in a new tab) 

Forest (opens in a new tab) 

Todoist (opens in a new tab)

Notion (opens in a new tab)