Panicking for the Junior Cert

radagastbr0wn

It's only a week and a half to the junior cert, and I'm panicking! Most of my subjects I reckon I could potentially get an A, but I'm running out of time.

(In geography; I could get an A. English; A. Business; B/C. German; A/B. Art; A. Religion; A/B. Irish; B/C. History; A. Science; A. CSPE; A. Maths; unsure.)

Any general last minute study tips please? I have done some level of study up to this point, but I'm really bad at studying. I just can't concentrate on it, but I have no trouble concentrating anytime else.
Tips on getting a good night's sleep would be welcome too as I'm always tired, and recommendations for foods that make you feel healthy, as I'm a poor eater.
The ones I need most guidance are; Religion, Business and Maths.
My mock results were mostly Bs, but I didn't study very well for them when I neared them, which I plan on changing.
Any tips please??? Are my expectations realistic at all?
(Higher Level in all)

GarIT

Don't study, just do past exams using your book.

radagastbr0wn

Yes, I know, but in a lot of my subjects I've used up most of the past exams, and there has to be some other way than that, surely?

DublinArnie

Make your own notes. I'm making a huge list of science definitions, experiments and important information, so I can quickly look over them the day before science exam :rolleyes: Do the same for history .. geopraphy etc, just make a huge list with important facts and information.

DublinArnie

Also for food, make sure you DRINK ALOT OF WATER and eat a very healthy and FULL breakfest on the day and before the exam, sleep early too (9pmISH).

spurious

Relax. Getting yourself into a state will only make sure you mess up and leave out a question or something.
It's quite probable at least some of your mock Bs will become As.
Relax. If you have the work done, you have it done.

tr0llface

I FEEL YOU DUDE

I can't focus on anything for more than an hour and I go through phases of being irritatingly calm and then SUDDENLY EXTREMELY PANICKY.
The most unnerving this is that I feel that none of my grades have improved since the mocks (3as, 5bs, 2cs or something).

radagastbr0wn

So, list of notes, lots of water, bed at 9-ish, eat breakfast, okay. sounds reasonable. I've planned out the next week and a half, which contain too much past papers and writing things out for my liking. Does anyone know anywhere in the dublin area where they still sell maths exam papers? I only have access to past ones online (i.e. no sample papers) and paper two is of a slightly different format to this year's (got a nasty shock in the mocks!) i think. The help is appreciated. Also, how does one study for religion? I usually get As and Bs, but I have no idea how to prepare for the real thing. The textbook is useless!
^
yeah, I tend to switch between "everything's okay, I've done most of the work and I've planned out the rest" and "ohcrapohcrapohcrap the junior cert's in two weeks! what if i don't do well? what if i don't have enough time? what if i just blank? aaaaaaaaaaaahh." I got too many Bs in the mocks, most of which I hope will become As, but I know the stuff better since the mocks, I hope.

tr0llface

I just wish I could skip the next three weeks because I am so done with state exams ~___~

I don't do religion but if your book is crap I'd say doing loads of questions from past papers would be best.

radagastbr0wn

Yeah, the book is absolutely rubbish. I'll try a few papers but they're impossibly tedious e.g. "describe one image of god you have studied". Are the 'Revise Wise' books any good for this sort of thing?

Cr4pSnip3r

radagastbr0wn wrote: »

Yeah, the book is absolutely rubbish. I'll try a few papers but they're impossibly tedious e.g. "describe one image of god you have studied". Are the 'Revise Wise' books any good for this sort of thing?

My religion teacher wrote the 'Shortcuts to Success" religion rev. book. It's alright. SHe's a good teacher.

radagastbr0wn

Okay. My teacher's crap, but a good guy, so no one really has a clue about religion . I'll have a look at that book, thanks!

Is instrumental music any good for studying? Because that might be a way to reduce the crippling boredom of studying. Lyrics might be a bad thing as you remember them as opposed to the actual information, but does music have any negative effects?

DublinArnie

My religion teacher is so good that I didn't open a book for my mocks and achived 93% . It's common sense, if you listened in most of the classes, it's easy.

radagastbr0wn

Yes, it's relatively easy on the facts, but most of the stuff is really annoying ("define X in terms of a community of faith") and my teacher's not great, so i think i need a few notes to work off.

DublinArnie

radagastbr0wn wrote: »

Yes, it's relatively easy on the facts, but most of the stuff is really annoying ("define X in terms of a community of faith") and my teacher's not great, so i think i need a few notes to work off.

I have an entire folder full of notes ... I could send you the keywords, they're the bones of the religon course, just learn them and you should be fine.

radagastbr0wn

that would be great! thanks, but how would you send them?

DublinArnie

radagastbr0wn wrote: »

that would be great! thanks, but how would you send them?

I'll take pics of the page .. and e-mail them to you. Alot of pages ... and it'll take a good bit of my time, so you better use them if i'm going to sacrafice time .

radagastbr0wn

cheers! that's great! I'll send you an email address to send them to A.S.A.P.

DublinArnie

radagastbr0wn wrote: »

cheers! that's great! I'll send you an email address to send them to A.S.A.P.

Pm me obviously! :pac:

Jijsaw

Getting working up about the JC it finally hit me today that they are less then two weeks away :O I've been mediating everyday so I feel a lot less stressed and more relaxed but when I miss a day I'm freaked out the day after! Doing a decent bit of studying now hope to get B's/A's in every subject except maths I hope to get a C in that (all higher level btw)

radagastbr0wn

done. i think. I'm not entirely sure how the P.M. system works here.

DublinArnie

Jijsaw wrote: »

Getting working up about the JC it finally hit me today that they are less then two weeks away :O I've been mediating everyday so I feel a lot less stressed and more relaxed but when I miss a day I'm freaked out the day after! Doing a decent bit of studying now hope to get B's/A's in every subject except maths I hope to get a C in that (all higher level btw)

Good! I've been mediating too xD. We'll do good if we just do the work.

Jijsaw

^^^ Yep hoping to do good, I'd be messed up if wasn't for meditation. What do you do to meditate? I chant Hare Krishna of all things But it bleedin' works

DublinArnie

Jijsaw wrote: »

^^^ Yep hoping to do good, I'd be messed up if wasn't for meditation. What do you do to meditate? I chant Hare Krishna of all things But it bleedin' works

Stare at the ceiling listening to my favourite songs ... helps me realise that life goes go on after the Junior Cert :pac:. I don't really get stressed alot because I get cocky alot ... which I suppose is a good thing sometimes.:rolleyes:

radagastbr0wn

hmmm... Meditating? Interesting. I'm quite interested in Buddhism as a lifestyle, so I might try that out. Hopefully should help with the stress.

Jijsaw

Oh the whole cocky thing, that happened to me in first year then I realized how much of a prick I was acting I'm a lot more relaxed now which is a bad thing in a way as I'm less arsed about studying but we can all post our results on the day and rejoice/cry together

DublinArnie

radagastbr0wn wrote: »

hmmm... Meditating? Interesting. I'm quite interested in Buddhism as a lifestyle, so I might try that out. Hopefully should help with the stress.

After doing my Religion project on "Major Festivals in Hinduism", i've became very interested in the religion and I believe in many customs such as the Power of Karma and Recarnination :rolleyes:. Don't take meditating as the stereotype where you cross your legs etc and hum, meditating is when you clear your mind and think clearly.

DublinArnie

Jijsaw wrote: »

Oh the whole cocky thing, that happened to me in first year then I realized how much of a prick I was acting I'm a lot more relaxed now which is a bad thing in a way as I'm less arsed about studying but we can all post our results on the day and rejoice/cry together

I suppose we should set up two threads on the day, "Got my results! I'm happy!" and "Got my results! I'm devestated!" .

radagastbr0wn

^^Yeah, I know, similar deal with my religion project on Buddhism. It sounds rather appealing as a religion/lifestyle.

Jijsaw

radagastbr0wn wrote: »

hmmm... Meditating? Interesting. I'm quite interested in Buddhism as a lifestyle, so I might try that out. Hopefully should help with the stress.

I do it to Hindu mantras/music if you don't want to listen to Indian voices (which I can find annoying) George Harrison made some great chants/mantras e.g
Namah Parvati/Gopola Krishna
Once you get into it it's amazing you feel completely out of it but in a good way you have control over it but you can let all your worries just drift away :cool:

DublinArnie

Jijsaw wrote: »

I do it to Hindu mantras/music if you don't want to listen to Indian voices (which I can find annoying) George Harrison made some great chants/mantras e.g
Namah Parvati/Gopola Krishna
Once you get into it it's amazing you feel completely out of it but in a good way you have control over it but you can let all your worries just drift away :cool:

You sure you're not on weed? :eek:;)

Jijsaw

DublinArnie wrote: »

After doing my Religion project on "Major Festivals in Hinduism", i've became very interested in the religion and I believe in many customs such as the Power of Karma and Recarnination :rolleyes:. Don't take meditating as the stereotype where you cross your legs etc and hum, meditating is when you clear your mind and think clearly.

I got through Hinduism through George Harrison actually He described the power of meditation and I felt "wow I wanna do that, I wanna feel what he feels" and so I began meditation and I feel great but I do the whole crossing your legs on the floor, arms rested on your knees, I don't hum though I chant quietly or silently to myself

Jijsaw

DublinArnie wrote: »

You sure you're not on weed? :eek:;)

Not at the moment But it is amazing, once you get into it. Pure bliss

radagastbr0wn

the negative side of that though is that if I'm not panicking a little bit, I just amn't bothered with studying, and I need to be focused now. Still worth a try though, too much stress has a negative affect on my results.

DublinArnie

Jijsaw wrote: »

I got through Hinduism through George Harrison actually He described the power of meditation and I felt "wow I wanna do that, I wanna feel what he feels" and so I began meditation and I feel great but I do the whole crossing your legs on the floor, arms rested on your knees, I don't hum though I chant quietly or silently to myself

Very interesting!

Cr4pSnip3r

Chaos Walking trilogy put the idea of chanting "I am the circle and the circle is me" in my head, but I never tried it, in meditation that is. I use it sometimes to not get p***ed off :P

dee_mc

Hi OP, I wouldn't recommend listening to any music while studying, partly because the rhythm etc can be distracting, but mainly because your study space should be as similar to exam conditions as possible: it's apparently been proven that studying in a quiet space with little clutter and few distractions improves the quality of your 'recall' in the actual exam.
Of course everybody works differently, but that would be my suggestion.
From reading your posts, it sounds like you've done quite a lot of work already using past papers. Maybe it's just the stress talking. I know it sounds impossible now, but don't stress out too much! The exams themselves are physically draining, so you're dead right about getting quality sleep and good nutrition.
Re sleep, a few drops of lavender on your pillow, Badger sleep balm on your temples, or Rescue Remedy for sleep are all good, natural remedies that should help keep you calm in order to sleep well. It also helps to establish a bedtime routine, for example to read something unrelated to exams for 20 minutes before bed, and/or have a shower. Don't study in bed, and if you find yourself glancing over at the books on your desk when you're trying to sleep, get rid of them! Pack 'em away before bed for the sake of good sleep!
Re nutrition, just go with the basics: 5 portions per day of fruit and veg, good quality protein at least once a day, don't eat too many sugary things as they give short-lived energy spikes (not great for the concentration and memory!), drink plenty water and eat good snacks e.g. popcorn, fruit etc.
A routine like this, with plenty of short study breaks, will help, especially if you maintain the routine during the exams themselves as much as possible.
As for study techniques, try answering 'typical exam questions' without checking the book and in exam-type conditions, only allowing yourself the amount of time you will have to answer a similar question in the exam.
A good way to calm yourself might be to nail down your timings for each paper now. skoool.ie is good for breakdowns per question AFAIK.
You say you're no good at studying, but maybe you just haven't found what works for you. A good strategy for some people is to read a section, reread it, then test yourself on it by answering questions (short ones are grand); revisit the section later in the day or the next day and see if you still know it well; if not, look it over again. If yes, yay! put it aside, it's done!
Above all, remember it's only the Junior Cert. Make time to see your friends, watch a bit of TV, talk to your family about stuff that isn't exams. Don't take any notice of how, or how much, or how often your friends and classmates are studying: find a routine that works for you and you'll be grand.
Best of luck, keep calm and carry on

DublinArnie

The crazy things the Junior Cert can make us do ... what's next? Binge drinking because popular?

Jijsaw

Well George was a very interesting person, here's him talking about the power of the "Hare Krishna mantra"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAxHYSUy-js&feature=player_embedded

Jijsaw

DublinArnie wrote: »

The crazy things the Junior Cert can make us do ... what's next? Binge drinking because popular?

Heavens forbid binge drinking become popular amongst the youth of today :P

radagastbr0wn

^^^^hmmm... interesting. I've banished recreational books and unplugged the TV and try not to use the computer so that I'm not distracted, but if it's actually helpful i can reintroduce them:D. That's all great help! Especially the sleeping stuff, as I'm not the best sleeper in the universe. I remember having that badger stuff as a little kid and it was helpful, so I might as well try it again. I'm also getting Yogi Tea's 'bedtime tea' to help me catch a few precious minutes sleep.

DublinArnie

dee_mc wrote: »

Hi OP, I wouldn't recommend listening to any music while studying, partly because the rhythm etc can be distracting, but mainly because your study space should be as similar to exam conditions as possible: it's apparently been proven that studying in a quiet space with little clutter and few distractions improves the quality of your 'recall' in the actual exam.
Of course everybody works differently, but that would be my suggestion.
From reading your posts, it sounds like you've done quite a lot of work already using past papers. Maybe it's just the stress talking. I know it sounds impossible now, but don't stress out too much! The exams themselves are physically draining, so you're dead right about getting quality sleep and good nutrition.
Re sleep, a few drops of lavender on your pillow, Badger sleep balm on your temples, or Rescue Remedy for sleep are all good, natural remedies that should help keep you calm in order to sleep well. It also helps to establish a bedtime routine, for example to read something unrelated to exams for 20 minutes before bed, and/or have a shower. Don't study in bed, and if you find yourself glancing over at the books on your desk when you're trying to sleep, get rid of them! Pack 'em away before bed for the sake of good sleep!
Re nutrition, just go with the basics: 5 portions per day of fruit and veg, good quality protein at least once a day, don't eat too many sugary things as they give short-lived energy spikes (not great for the concentration and memory!), drink plenty water and eat good snacks e.g. popcorn, fruit etc.
A routine like this, with plenty of short study breaks, will help, especially if you maintain the routine during the exams themselves as much as possible.
As for study techniques, try answering 'typical exam questions' without checking the book and in exam-type conditions, only allowing yourself the amount of time you will have to answer a similar question in the exam.
A good way to calm yourself might be to nail down your timings for each paper now. skoool.ie is good for breakdowns per question AFAIK.
You say you're no good at studying, but maybe you just haven't found what works for you. A good strategy for some people is to read a section, reread it, then test yourself on it by answering questions (short ones are grand); revisit the section later in the day or the next day and see if you still know it well; if not, look it over again. If yes, yay! put it aside, it's done!
Above all, remember it's only the Junior Cert. Make time to see your friends, watch a bit of TV, talk to your family about stuff that isn't exams. Don't take any notice of how, or how much, or how often your friends and classmates are studying: find a routine that works for you and you'll be grand.
Best of luck, keep calm and carry on

:rolleyes::rolleyes: Dee_mc with your useful information. I sometimes study with music on and i'm perfectly fine and personally I eat a very healthy diet :rolleyes:.

dee_mc

DublinArnie wrote: »

:rolleyes::rolleyes: Dee_mc with your useful information. I sometimes study with music on and i'm perfectly fine and personally I eat a very healthy diet :rolleyes:.

Ah yes but as I said, different strokes for different folks!
And the healthy eating tips are very general but for anyone with a currently unhealthy diet, would be a big improvement

Jijsaw

I don't study with music on, it's gotten so bad that I can't actually have the internet modem plugged in because I will just check my stupid phone! I have to go to my Granddad's house where of course he has Sky :rolleyes:

DublinArnie

dee_mc wrote: »

Ah yes but as I said, different strokes for different folks!
And the healthy eating tips are very general but for anyone with a currently unhealthy diet, would be a big improvement

^_^ You really love us, don't you! :pac::D

radagastbr0wn

With regards to the music though, I tend to get very bored studying. Maybe music would help? I see your point when it comes to past papers, but making notes and revising aren't much like the exam anyway.

Jijsaw

Because everybody is talking about their diet in the words of Michael Jackson "I'm a vegetarian and I don't drink" And as we're talking about music, what kind of music are ye guys listening to at the moment?

DublinArnie

Jijsaw wrote: »

I don't study with music on, it's gotten so bad that I can't actually have the internet modem plugged in because I will just check my stupid phone! I have to go to my Granddad's house where of course he has Sky :rolleyes:

The phone ... the worst enemy of a Junior Cert student . Why not use your laptop/computer to study? If you have microsoft word etc, keep typing things using that repeatly, it's faster than writing it and you won't use up ink or paper.

radagastbr0wn

Some of 'Two Steps from Hell''s stuff. It's all pretty much the type of music that can be (and is) used for movie soundtracks etc.

dee_mc

radagastbr0wn wrote: »

With regards to the music though, I tend to get very bored studying. Maybe music would help? I see your point when it comes to past papers, but making notes and revising aren't much like the exam anyway.

I think what I wrote was phrased wrong, what I meant was to keep your environment similar to the exam hall i.e. quiet and tidy, it's supposed to help your memory

DublinArnie

radagastbr0wn wrote: »

With regards to the music though, I tend to get very bored studying. Maybe music would help? I see your point when it comes to past papers, but making notes and revising aren't much like the exam anyway.

I make notes so I can quickly remember all the small facts and details, don't use them to study longterm, just use them to refresh your brain.