Reach Your Potential In The LC?

Sm4shbox

Hey everybody!
I was just wondering how much study/work have all of you other LC students been doing so far this year?

I would really like to achieve around 550 points in my Leaving Cert.
My parents think I'm not being at all realistic because I didn't perform so well in my JC, as I basically did no study at all.
I was wondering is it true that to achieve a very good LC result you do not have to be extremely clever but rather quite determined and hard-working?
All advice would be appreciated!
Thanks guys

Chuchoter

Well I'm in 5th year aiming for 550-560 and I've been doing/trying about 2 hours each night including homework (but I'm getting like no homework so its mostly study). JC means nothing. Just study religiously, its 1% brains and 99% hard work, I learnt that a JC when I coasted thinking I was smart enough to just magically do well and got mediocre results.

magicianz

Im aiming for 520+ at the moment and im in school from 8:40 til 7 monday to thursday, til 7:45 on friday. Saturdays will be starting soon too and longer days in school.

johnmcdnl

from doing the leaving cert I can tell you - yes it is about learning everything off by heart even if you haven't a brain in your head...

learn everything off pretty much seems to be the best way to go so those that work really hard will always beat the naturally clever people...

that's just the way the system is designed to work - but don't learn english essays off is all - everything else can be learned off and recited in the exam

you have to learn quotes and phrases for english poetry and comparative study and work out a good english essay for the 100 marker

learn everything else off

learn everything else off

learn everything else off...

clever people only do well if they learn stuff off because the leaving cert doesn't ask for opinions - it asks for stuff to be recited again after learning off

just like the junior cert - it's all about learning stuff off

DavidKelly1

Im in 5th year too but I think you need both brains and a lot of hard work. Some subjects are easier to learn things off in, however if your not doing these subjects you would have to be quite intelligent to pull out a top grade. Also, the standard of your teachers will have a big impact on you in my opinion. I do between 3.5-4 hours a night. I get about 40 minutes homework and the rest is study!

shane9689

i envy anyone able to achieve above 500 points :P im aiming for 450 points, im terrible at studying over long periods (months) but im brilliant at cramming , i've been doing at least 2hr-3hrs each night and been trying to increase that. iv pretty much failed most of my tests in 5th and scared that i might be too far behind, im finding it tough to remember everything, timetables a disaster, is 450 tough to achieve for someone like me? and is it too late?

Mahogany

The Leaving Certs a load of ****e but hey if we wanna get anywhere in life we have to do it.

Any eejit can do well in the LC, nothing is opinion based, its all learning off by heart like a robot.

Meller

Mahogany wrote: »

The Leaving Certs a load of ****e but hey if we wanna get anywhere in life we have to do it.

Any eejit can do well in the LC, nothing is opinion based, its all learning off by heart like a robot.

Eh, maybe for a couple of subjects (the only one that really springs to mind for me is biology and I think it'd be pushing it a bit too far to ask sixteen and seventeen-year-olds to know enough about biology to have their own opinions or theories), but 'learning off by heart like a robot'? That's not possible in English, or in any other language, nor is it possible in maths.

Just Like Heaven

Meller wrote: »

Eh, maybe for a couple of subjects (the only one that really springs to mind for me is biology and I think it'd be pushing it a bit too far to ask sixteen and seventeen-year-olds to know enough about biology to have their own opinions or theories), but 'learning off by heart like a robot'? That's not possible in English, or in any other language, nor is it possible in maths.

Agreed. Any eejit is kinda degrading the people who put in thousands of hours of hard work.

Bob the Builder

The Leaving Cert, in it's current form, is a matter of remembering, reciting and re-applying it into the question. There is a certain element of practise, a certain element of technique and an even bigger element of understanding.

CornsnakeKeeper

Sm4shbox wrote: »

Hey everybody!
I was just wondering how much study/work have all of you other LC students been doing so far this year?

I would really like to achieve around 550 points in my Leaving Cert.
My parents think I'm not being at all realistic because I didn't perform so well in my JC, as I basically did no study at all.
I was wondering is it true that to achieve a very good LC result you do not have to be extremely clever but rather quite determined and hard-working?
All advice would be appreciated!
Thanks guys

I haven't started studying properly yet at all:o except for reading over my Biology Revise Wise book, but thats it.

Cpt_Blackbeard

All the talk of learning stuff by heart is total cr*p and a waste of your time! :eek:

For Example: Why learn a certain Maths question by heart and be able to do any similar questions that come up in June, when you can get your head around understanding the topic, thus being able to apply this knowledge to anything that comes up?

The LC is all about understanding the topics you cover (this does apply less for English, Irish etc.) and then in due time perfecting your technique. Technique will come over time with h/w and practice.

Talk of hours of study in 5th year seems ridiculous to me and will cause you to burn out long before the LC itself. Some people may need hours a night to understand what was covered during the day, others will get it in class and need very little revision to bring it back to themselves. Most people will be in the middle.

The last bit of advice I have is for those who won't read the forum until May; Start studying a week or two earlier than you plan. :cool: