How much does everyone else study?

TSMGUY

I see the study logs and think "S***, these guys are dedicated, I'm not doing enough."

Obviously they're not representative of the average student but I still get the feeling I don't study enough. I got 510 last year and I'm aiming for 600+ this year so how much work should I be putting in?

I'm an external candidate so I don't have classes/homework/mocks. I find myself putting in 3 or 4 hours MAX and then getting bored. A lot of the time I take whole days off and I think it's gonna catch up with pretty soon.

How many hours should I be shooting for per day if I want to get 600 pts?

sdio

I think it's kinda useless to compare peoples' study times, because they might be doing different subjects, studying at different efficiencies or they might not learn at the same rate.

I think that instead of thinking about how much time you spend studying, you should think about *what* you are studying. My advice is to set yourself a few tasks each day, without any time limits. Hopefully specific tasks will motivate you to study efficiently without getting bored. Also it might be good to give yourself practice exams every now and again so you know what progress you're at.

X6.430macman

I find if I push myself to hard to study more I just don't take on any more info and dread the thought of study the next time.

TooMuchWork

I'm doing feck all that the moment and I'm repeating like yourself. After the mid-term I'm going to be doing around an hour a day in each subject and focus on completing every exam paper over the three months. 5+ hours per week on a subject seems like plenty in my opinion and should be enough to get 600+, especially if doing it effectively.

DublinArnie

We all study differently.

Some people would spend maybe the guts of half an hour going through a large chapter in biology, others would spend a mere five minutes yet get high results.

What works for me is, I treat homework as study. So before I do a bunch of questions on a topic or an essay, I'd study the topic in question. This way you're already testing yourself by doing homework.

Also paying attention in class does wonders. Some days I'd walk out of class already knowing and remembering key points and so on.

Really depends what works for you. It is good to try new methods, I've spent most of the start of 6th year trying to find a balance and most efficient way to study.

TSMGUY

sdio wrote: »

I think it's kinda useless to compare peoples' study times, because they might be doing different subjects, studying at different efficiencies or they might not learn at the same rate.

I think that instead of thinking about how much time you spend studying, you should think about *what* you are studying. My advice is to set yourself a few tasks each day, without any time limits. Hopefully specific tasks will motivate you to study efficiently without getting bored. Also it might be good to give yourself practice exams every now and again so you know what progress you're at.

That's a great point. I've done it sometimes but if I finish the set targets earlier than expected I feel like I'm goofing off to stop studying so soon.

X6.430macman wrote: »

I find if I push myself to hard to study more I just don't take on any more info and dread the thought of study the next time.

I know these feelings well, man. You just feel really defiant and think "Eff this, it's not going in anymore. Might as well stop until tomorrow" and then the process repeats itself.

TooMuchWork wrote: »

I'm doing feck all that the moment and I'm repeating like yourself. After the mid-term I'm going to be doing around an hour a day in each subject and focus on completing every exam paper over the three months. 5+ hours per week on a subject seems like plenty in my opinion and should be enough to get 600+, especially if doing it effectively.

LOL, strong username to post content ratio. I don't know if 5 hours would cut it when it comes to maths. I feel like maths requires at least 15 hours. I got all A's and B's last year except for in Maths, where I got a D (at honours, but still, a D is fairly sh**)

DublinArnie wrote: »

We all study differently.

Some people would spend maybe the guts of half an hour going through a large chapter in biology, others would spend a mere five minutes yet get high results.

What works for me is, I treat homework as study. So before I do a bunch of questions on a topic or an essay, I'd study the topic in question. This way you're already testing yourself by doing homework.

Also paying attention in class does wonders. Some days I'd walk out of class already knowing and remembering key points and so on.

Really depends what works for you. It is good to try new methods, I've spent most of the start of 6th year trying to find a balance and most efficient way to study.

See, this is my problem. I learn really fast but I hate revising/refining that knowledge. I can go through an entire textbook in 2 or 3 days if I'm committed and get a broad, good understand of the material but it's the revision/questions/past papers that aggravate me. It's the revision that really makes the difference between A's and B's so I see the necessity of it but it's just mind-numbingly boring go over the same stuff again and again and again and again.

By the way, I'm seriously intimidated by your study logs. Keep doing what you do. Maybe your work ethic will rub off on me if I keep reading your logs in panic

Thanks for all the feedback guys! As the tosser conservatives say in the UK, "we're all in this together!"

DublinArnie

TSMGUY wrote: »

That's a great point. I've done it sometimes but if I finish the set targets earlier than expected I feel like I'm goofing off to stop studying so soon.


I know these feelings well, man. You just feel really defiant and think "Eff this, it's not going in anymore. Might as well stop until tomorrow" and then the process repeats itself.
LOL, strong username to post content ratio. I don't know if 5 hours would cut it when it comes to maths. I feel like maths requires at least 15 hours. I got all A's and B's last year except for in Maths, where I got a D (at honours, but still, a D is fairly sh**)


See, this is my problem. I learn really fast but I hate revising/refining that knowledge. I can go through an entire textbook in 2 or 3 days if I'm committed and get a broad, good understand of the material but it's the revision/questions/past papers that aggravate me. It's the revision that really makes the difference between A's and B's so I see the necessity of it but it's just mind-numbingly boring go over the same stuff again and again and again and again.

By the way, I'm seriously intimidated by your study logs. Keep doing what you do. Maybe your work ethic will rub off on me if I keep reading your logs in panic

Thanks for all the feedback guys! As the tosser conservatives say in the UK, "we're all in this together!"

With the revising and questions, just force yourself to attempt them for five minutes at least. Just put five minutes of your time aside and try a question.

You're over thinking the whole process. It's like going into a swimming pool. You can think about it, touch the water with your toes and be freezing your arse off.... Or you could just jump right in and you're body will adjust to the coldness.

It's easier if you just do it without thought.

Also take it into bits. A chapter here and there etc, don't overwhelm yourself like I do!

TSMGUY

DublinArnie wrote: »

With the revising and questions, just force yourself to attempt them for five minutes at least. Just put five minutes of your time aside and try a question.

You're over thinking the whole process. It's like going into a swimming pool. You can think about it, touch the water with your toes and be freezing your arse off.... Or you could just jump right in and you're body will adjust to the coldness.

It's easier if you just do it without thought.

Also take it into bits. A chapter here and there etc, don't overwhelm yourself like I do!

You're right, you're right! Therein lies the difference between motivation and discipline. Motivation is short-lived and requires a lot of preparation and psyching yourself up. Discipline is doing it without thinking, just because.

I need to be more disciplined and less neurotic! Gonna try and do 8 hrs a day. We'll see how it goes.

DublinArnie

TSMGUY wrote: »

You're right, you're right! Therein lies the difference between motivation and discipline. Motivation is short-lived and requires a lot of preparation and psyching yourself up. Discipline is doing it without thinking, just because.

I need to be more disciplined and less neurotic! Gonna try and do 8 hrs a day. We'll see how it goes.

I will promise you will sleep like a baby the following night.

Post back here to us let us know how it goes!

TSMGUY

DublinArnie wrote: »

I will promise you will sleep like a baby the following night.

Post back here to us let us know how it goes!

Just finished a 7 hour session. Had to pull an all-nighter because I started so late. I have to admit that doing it without thinking WORKS SO WELL.

I think I'm gonna make it! You've helped me out more than you'll know! Didn't quite do 8 hrs today but I'm tired and I want to watch Suits

laserlad2010

Why did you work all night? You've just ruined your study potential for today

Start at 9 am every morning. Stop telling yourself excuses. Your only goal for the next 5 months is to excel in your Leaving Cert. Suits, Netflix, whatever does not matter. Use it to unwind at the end of the day.

Simply barging through 8 hours of study during the night when you're tired is not acceptable. How much of that will you remember in 2 weeks?

Light a fire under your a**, son. No point in anything other than tough love.

DublinArnie

I'd be surprised if anyone will remember what they learn today in four months time.

Study should be done efficiently, and some people are more productive at night.

Make sure to make notes as you study! So everytime you go back to the topic, It'd be easier and easier to refresh your memory. Don't just try to memorise something because like the above post, that's a waste of time. Make notes so the study will have a long term effect, gradually this will build up.

TSMGUY

laserlad2010 wrote: »

Why did you work all night? You've just ruined your study potential for today

Start at 9 am every morning. Stop telling yourself excuses. Your only goal for the next 5 months is to excel in your Leaving Cert. Suits, Netflix, whatever does not matter. Use it to unwind at the end of the day.

Simply barging through 8 hours of study during the night when you're tired is not acceptable. How much of that will you remember in 2 weeks?

Light a fire under your a**, son. No point in anything other than tough love.

Oh you misunderstand me lol. I woke up at 4:30 PM yesterday so I wasn't that tired. One of the perks of being an external candidate is you can wake up whenever you want. I agree completely though, I do need to start waking up at the same time every day and I need to be WAY more organized. Thanks for the tough love, man. My only goal is to excel in my Leaving Cert, you're goddamn right!

DublinArnie wrote: »

I'd be surprised if anyone will remember what they learn today in four months time.

Study should be done efficiently, and some people are more productive at night.

Make sure to make notes as you study! So everytime you go back to the topic, It'd be easier and easier to refresh your memory. Don't just try to memorise something because like the above post, that's a waste of time. Make notes so the study will have a long term effect, gradually this will build up.

Started history for the first time yesterday and I was blown away by how much info I had to memorize. I'm definitely going to have to take notes for History.

Mr Rhode Island Red

TSMGUY wrote: »

I see the study logs...Obviously they're not representative of the average student

It's good that you realise this. A lot of people here are headcases hellbent on one of the following: study, 600+ points, and getting into medicine. (Not everyone, but a large proportion of people here)

I think 3 or 4 hours of study, like you are doing, is sufficient to be honest. Most people here know, but don't like to admit, that after the 3 or 4 hour mark, information stops going in and you end up simply reading words on a page and learning nothing.

It's better to be doing an hour or two, and clearly remembering most of what you revised, than to be doing 8-hour marathons or pulling all-nighters and retaining little.