How to revise for the PGDL: a practical weekly plan

Revise for the PGDL by combining knowledge checks, practice in your assessment format and a careful review of mistakes. Start with your own module requirements, then make each study session produce something you can assess: a problem answer, an MCQ explanation or a plan for an essay.

A tidy set of notes can support that work. It cannot tell you, on its own, whether you can use the law under exam conditions.

Start with your assessment map

Before building a timetable, record the following for each module:

• The topics and learning outcomes being assessed.
• The assessment format, duration and weighting.
• Whether it is open book or closed book, and which materials are permitted.
• The marking criteria, sample answers and feedback available.
• The date by which you need to be ready.

Do not assume every PGDL uses the same assessment pattern. For example, the University of Law's PGDL course information lists a mix of formats across modules. Your provider's current handbook and assessment instructions should determine what you practise.

Turn a topic into questions you can answer

Replace "revise contract law" with a smaller task, such as:

Explain the requirements for the remedy in this problem, identify the facts that satisfy them and state what would change the answer.

Try answering without your notes first. Then check the answer against your course materials and the relevant authority. Mark the exact gap: a missing rule, an exception, a misunderstanding of the facts or an unsupported conclusion.

If you can repeat a rule but cannot explain when it applies, make the next task an application exercise. If you cannot recall the rule at all, return to a short, targeted explanation before trying another question.

A 45-minute revision session

Here is one routine to adapt to the task and the time you have:

Time	Task	What you should finish with
5 minutes	Recall the main rules without notes	A short list showing what you remember
10 minutes	Check and correct gaps	A corrected outline with authorities
15 minutes	Answer or plan a practice question	A completed attempt
10 minutes	Compare with feedback or a reliable answer	Specific errors and missing application
5 minutes	Set the next task	One issue to revisit and a suitable question

Fifteen minutes may be enough for part of a question or a plan; it is not a universal time limit for a full answer. Schedule longer blocks for complete assessments and take breaks between demanding tasks.

Spread the work across the week

This example follows one topic through a week. It is not a timetable for the entire PGDL; fit other modules, classes, work and rest around it.

Day	Focus
Monday	Check the topic requirements and make a first recall attempt
Tuesday	Work through a problem slowly, explaining the application
Wednesday	Revisit Monday's gaps and try a fresh short question
Thursday	Complete a timed section in the actual assessment format
Friday	Review the timed attempt and ask about unresolved points
Weekend	Attempt a mixed-topic task, then plan the next week's priorities

Choose the next week's work from the evidence of your attempts. A topic that feels familiar may still deserve attention if you repeatedly misapply it.

What should you do with a wrong answer?

An error log only helps if it changes your next task. Keep the entries brief:

What happened	Useful next step
You omitted a condition for a remedy	Rebuild the rule and test a scenario where that condition is absent
You named the authority but did not apply it	Rewrite one paragraph connecting a specific fact to the rule
You overlooked a date	Build a timeline before answering the next problem
You ran out of time	Attempt a shorter section to a realistic limit and review your allocation

For a worked example of application, use our guide to answering law problem questions. For MCQs, compare your reasoning with our answer-selection method.

Where can you find useful practice questions?

Start with your provider's permitted past papers, workshop questions, mock assessments and examiner feedback. Ask which older materials remain suitable: both the law and the assessment format can change.

The official SQE1 sample questions can provide additional practice where the topic overlaps. They are not a complete mock exam or a substitute for your PGDL specification. A score on questions you have seen before is also different from performance on fresh questions.

Study groups can be useful for explaining reasoning and testing alternative facts. Keep assessed work within your provider's collaboration and academic-integrity rules.

Make your notes easy to use

For each topic, aim for a structure you can navigate: the legal issue, the test, the important authorities, the exceptions and a short application example. Use permitted materials when practising an open-book assessment, including the time needed to locate a rule.

If you use our PGDL study notes, check the guide's course coverage and edition against your module. Use it alongside your teaching materials and feedback, and bring each revision session back to a question you can answer.

Use Law Answered+ for your weekly revision routine

Join Law Answered+ for digital PGDL guides and case books, plus MCQ Master. Use the guide to clarify a topic, test yourself on that subject and review the explanation for each mistake. Choose the PGDL guide version that matches your course.

Already have your study notes? Join MCQ Master for question practice by subject or sub-topic, with explanations and progress tracking to help you decide what to revisit next.