Tips for a leaving cert student?

lostinlimerick

Hi im doing leaving cert this year and need some help on do i need a large schoolbag, use only a4 pad or copies and is there any help or advice for this year, i am already worrying about my leaving cert and i haven't even started it yet. So thank you any advice would be greatful.

.:FuZion:.

Stay organised.. I found being organised made everything really easy.. Another thing I did was make revision folders, one for every subject.. Tabbed each section and stuff.. Try start studying early and get into a good routine, take good breaks too.. And ya, A4 pads are handy.. Dont get too stressed, the year will fly..

Homicidal_jesus

ya i used A4 pads rather then copies for leaving cert i used one for all my classwork and another for homework for all the subjects and then tore out sheets and put them in folders if i needed them for revision!

get your hands on some revision books too VERY HANDY:D

3_BOoYA_X

thats actually real good idea about putting the sheets in folders..hmm. For revision books which do you thinks better revise wise or less stress?

EL_Loco

get previous years papers and have a look at them, as the year progresses you should see the cirriculum(sp?) coming into play to answer the questions. It will help stave off boredom in class if at least you know that it's actually filling the gap in your knowledge to answer the exam questions.

The exam is for YOU and your future. Put as much into it as you feel you want to get out of it. You seem fairly focused already, but don't let it (exams) worry you too much. Everyone worries about it, but keep it in perspective. YOU WILL NOT GET PERSPECTIVE IN SCHOOL. They will be giving it loads about it being very important. It's important yes, it's not life or death. Try and keep that thought in the back of your mind as the year goes on.

I'll dig up a link about studying techniques, I've posted a few times here. It was something we did in 6th year. TBH I didn't use it very much as I'm a last minute man, but it's a very good system.

If you're going to start from day1 with your study plans etc. then there's plenty of time to study, and still do things you like doing. I remember people declaring things like "I won't be out at the weekends" or "I'm giving up playing football to study for my leaving cert". Utter nonsense, it should not take up all of your time for a full year of your life to achieve the points you need. If it does then I think your course choices for college should be reviewed. I'm not saying aim low by any means, but it might be an indication of over extending yourself.

The "I should be studying" trap: follow on from above. If you're studying then study, if you're out enjoying yourself, enjoy yourself.

I'll leave it there, I could go on all day. I'll edit post with link when I find it.

Craguls

I think it depends on the subject but in general, revise wise are revision books whereas less stress tend to be mini text books.

DancingQueen:)

I know how you feel OP every time I think about it, there's so much to do! But I've gotten better and learned a lot of great information about not over doing it and taking time out to relax and take things easy. It's one year and will be over before we know it.

I bough a pretty big bag but not even half my books fit in it :eek: and it's heavy but i'm sure i'll work something out.

jefreywithonef

Don't leave everything until the last minute (if you're doing Art and relying on it for points start revising the History section cos it will feck you over if you ignore it).

Study plans are important but not as important as the actual studying itself. That's common sense yet you'll hear so many stories of people creating elaborate study timetables but failing to actually adhere to them.

Predictions for what's coming up on the exams can be good but don't totally rely on them - see Stair na Gaeilge 2009 Irish HL paper (it was the same as the 2008 one).

Read this.

Vamp

Loose sheets were sent from hell to ruin you around exam time. A4 hardbacks for notes from my experience are the way to go because, provided you can decipher your own handwriting, everything is together.
Also if your doing subjects like ag which require projects, DONT leave it til the night before the handup date. Its a waste of easy marks if you do a rush job, and a total pain tryin to scrape info together when you have orals andf praticals to deal with too.. Also dont plagerise too much, most examiners will cop on fairly quickly and again you're just throwing away marks.. Google is not your friend when it comes to ag!:o...
Hope thats some addition to ya, enjoy the year, it dosnt have to be as bad as people make it out to be. Keep on top of stuff and work fairly consistanyly and you'll ace it!:)

Fad

Get an A4 folder for everything and just work from A4 pads, build up a set of notes. It works well if your relatively neat/organised. If you arent all that organised, use hardback copies.

Dont bother with flashcards and shíte unless you know they work for you, it'll just waste your time. Get a decent enough bag, wide straps should be a priority, it wont be as hard on your back.

Just be consistent, that's what'll get you good marks. Cramming works for some (Including me, I would not have gotten nearly as many points without it) but not for others, you'll probably know by this stage whether it works for you, but it's surprising just how much you can get done the night before an exam.

Most important, dont panic, read up on how the CAO works (So many people dont seem to understand it......), and be prepared.

Edit: Enjoy 6th year. (You are going into 6th year, right?) It's the best year of school, but try to do it just the once!

arthistory

personally i'd avoid loose sheets...trust me, loose sheets will drive you mad in the last few weeks of May!!! I know!!!! :rolleyes:

Totally agree with everyone who suggested a4 hardbacks. There are always teachers who give notes on loose sheets so invest in a big folder, you know the ones that already have the pockets in them. you'll probably end up with quite a few of those folders!!!

For languages, if you find the listening section hard, my best tip is to put the cd that comes with the papers on your ipod/mp3!! Seriously it reallly helps!!

For the orals, if you get notes and you're one of those people who has to learn stuff off (that's me but i know it's not everyone) then say them to yourself for a few mins every evening coming up to exam time so that you actually sound natural yet fluent in the exams.

That's all I can think of at the minute!! Good Luck and try not to get stressed and worried.The Leaving Cert is not the end of the world ( I know its easy for us to say that when it's done!) but even if it doesn't go well, you can always repeat (that's what I kept telling myself and I didn't have to repeat)

Homicidal_jesus

3_BOoYA_X wrote: »

thats actually real good idea about putting the sheets in folders..hmm. For revision books which do you thinks better revise wise or less stress?

it is indeed very handy cause you just have 2 copies cuts down the load a fair bit!!

eh depends on subject revise wise is handy if your good at the subject i find as it gives the bair bones of what you need to know!handy for those 10 min before the exam ha...but less stress might as well replace your text book cause there way better and theres no waffle as such just everything you need to know in extreme detail!!

Fad

3_BOoYA_X wrote: »

For revision books which do you thinks better revise wise or less stress?

I'd avoid them both, Rapid Revision do tend to be really good.

freyners

use pads and put the good stuff into folders
most important is to do qs from the papers, especially for stuff like istory or sciences

Stephen Esquire

Past exam papers and their respective marking schemes should be your main study resource, they are invaluble!Especially if your doing a science subject like biology, where key words are well..key!Learn them off like a shopping list, they tend to repeat alot of questions so it will stand to you.

reap-a-rat

try not to do a million hours of study every night, and dont get overly stressed by the mocks or pres, focus on the task at hand- i got a D1 in chem mock, started a study plan late april and got an A2!!

That's another thing, study plan!! maybe make a final draft of any study plan around march or april, like whenever the orals are over.. what i did was put aside an hour each evening for each subject, covering four each evening. plan out the whole thing in a little notebook up until the exams and mark each evening off as it goes by. STICK to the subject allocated for each hour!!

My boyf told me he did that and he got 545, and i did it too and got 570!!

take it easy on like at least one day, just dont fall for stress!!

most of all, if you have a good school and and a good year group, make the most of it, dont be afraid to have a laugh:D!!!

christina_x

Youl be fine I was scared ****less going into leaving cert and thought i would have no social life for an entire 9 months - not true.
Of course, i wasnt out as much as normal but sure, nobody was so your not really missing out!
for revision books, they vary depending fo the subject. If you do biology or home ec i would swear by revise wise, where as go for rapid revision for business studies.
For irish (pass) learn off opening and closing lines for things like your letters and stories - gets you alot of marks for having a good opening/closing, and its only roughly 4 scentences!
For home ec just stick to exam papers, and business studies.
Math is all about practise, and english just keep doing essays. I find it hard to think up essays on the spot, especially in an exam situation so i did out lots of essays and i was able to use an essay i wrote one weekend and got a good mark and was able to twist the story slightly to suit the essay title that came up in the exam, and was able to just re-write out one that i had practised for my single text. just keep all your good essays and ask your teacher for suggestions on how to improve on your lower marked ones! good luck

Idjit

1. Get plenty of sleep, good food and exercise.(I know too many people who survived on coffee, red bull and crisps while pulling several all-nighters in one go to study...this messed them up and they actually ended up mostly failing).
2.Give yourself at least two days full of socialising, relaxning and hobbies where you must not think about studying or exams.
3.You can be understressed as well as overstressed. Be calm, but not too calm! You would ideally feel a little pressure to study, enough to motivate you to do it but not so much that you get butterflies thinking about the exams. Keep a gaurdian/parent or friends up to date on how study is going and how stressed you feel. Getting it off your chest helps.
4.Your life shouldn't be on hold just because of impending exams. Don't lose touch with friends and family!

vladglenin

Fad wrote: »

I'd avoid them both, Rapid Revision do tend to be really good.

I agree totally. Rapid Revision is the best for Chemistry, Biology and Maths!

JW91

lostinlimerick wrote: »

Hi im doing leaving cert this year and need some help on do i need a large schoolbag, use only a4 pad or copies and is there any help or advice for this year, i am already worrying about my leaving cert and i haven't even started it yet. So thank you any advice would be greatful.

The advice I would give you is don't take the whole thing too seriously. There's no need to get too stressed out about it.

In my opinion caring about it too much is much worse than not caring enough about it.

doug.irl.92

Some great advice here lads! Just a quick question for "the experts"! I will be looking to do very well (500 or so), but I'm also BIG into a sport. I have talked wit my two coaches and we have decided to train between 5 and 8 times a week (8 times a week in the winter and then easing down to around 5 times a week in May/June). I will have Mondays off but other than that I will be training every night for an hour to an hour and a half and sometimes at lunchtime too. Coming up to the exams I will be very busy with competitions also eg. I only had 3 free weekends this year from the start of May to the end of July this year!!
IYHO do you think this is possible?! I'm just kind of worried that I will neglect my study due to my training. Was anyone here in a similar situation? Cheers:D

Fad

doug.irl.92 wrote: »

IYHO do you think this is possible?! I'm just kind of worried that I will neglect my study due to my training. Was anyone here in a similar situation? Cheers:D

If you work obscenely hard during every spare moment you have, it might be possible.

I would urge you to reconsider such a regime though.

ironictoaster

Cover your arse for all situations. Apply for everything through the CAO, PLCs etc.

I'm glad I did, especially when all the points up for my courses I applied to, I had a PLC to rely on.

GallowsGhost

doug.irl.92 wrote: »

I'm just kind of worried that I will neglect my study due to my training. Was anyone here in a similar situation? Cheers:D

Maybe give it a month trial, and if you are neglecting your study then drop it, or try and cut back on the amount of training sessions.

Personally though I don't think you should bother with it at all, getting 500+ points in the leaving is a hard enough gig without taking on a load of training as well. Even if you do manage to keep on top of your study, you're probably going to burn yourself out long before you even get to the mocks.

sheep-go-baa

Going into 6th year tomorrow, reading this has definitely brought me back down to earth but the advice sounds great, thanks!!:)

Reillyman

lostinlimerick wrote: »

Hi im doing leaving cert this year and need some help on do i need a large schoolbag, use only a4 pad or copies and is there any help or advice for this year, i am already worrying about my leaving cert and i haven't even started it yet. So thank you any advice would be greatful.

When you say your doing your leaving cert this year, I presume your in 6th year, in which case you have completed 5th year, yes? So your schoolbag and it's contents should be exactly the same as last year.

"Is there any help or advice for this year?" Have you not looked at this forum yet? If I'm not mistaken there's at least one sticky devoted to tips and advice on leaving cert...:rolleyes:

Thoie

If you're using A4 sheets and putting them in folders, buy those self adhesive reinforcement rings, and put them on each sheet as it goes into the folder.

doug.irl.92

GallowsGhost wrote: »

Maybe give it a month trial, and if you are neglecting your study then drop it, or try and cut back on the amount of training sessions.

Personally though I don't think you should bother with it at all, getting 500+ points in the leaving is a hard enough gig without taking on a load of training as well. Even if you do manage to keep on top of your study, you're probably going to burn yourself out long before you even get to the mocks.

Thanks guys for your help!!
The months trial seems like a good option. I got a good junior cert and kept up in 5th year when I was training around 5 or 6 times a week so I might be able to do it but I'm just not sure if the pressure of 6th yr will be to much on top of this.

Giving up the sport is simply not an option as I have reached International level at it and I will hopefully be applying for sports scholarships in some of the colleges and if I tell them that I have taken the year out, I don't have a chance of getting one. Although I may HAVE to cut back on training!:(

whadabouchasir

I'll keep it short:Get a highlighter and use it.

pjtb

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but the marking schemes on www.examinations.ie are invaluable. I found them particularly good for the sciences.