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How Much Study to get 600

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    #2
    KnifeWRENCH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,148 ✭✭✭✭KnifeWRENCH


    A lot.


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    #3
    brucer24!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 83 ✭✭brucer24!


    it totally depends on the individual..some people will get close to it without pushing themselves TOO hard,others will have to give up their lives for the year to get it!!


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    #4
    estebancambias
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,103 ✭✭✭estebancambias


    too much. no course requires 600 right?


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    #5
    Piste
    Registered Users Posts: 11,440 ✭✭✭✭Piste


    Do what PurpleFistMixer did and play Team Fortress Two for a few months before the LC.


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    #6
    Fad
    Registered Users Posts: 7,231 ✭✭✭Fad


    Piste wrote: »
    Do what PurpleFistMixer did and play Team Fortress Two for a few months before the LC.


    Had I known thatd get me 600, I wouldn't have bought this Mac im on. I tell ya all the Leaving Cert is, is a scam to get people to buy Windows computers!


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    #7
    Nimur90
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭Nimur90


    estebancambias wrote: »
    too much. no course requires 600 right?
    ya i know but a lot of people are secretly aiming for it :D


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    #8
    alan4cult
    Registered Users Posts: 1,583 ✭✭✭alan4cult


    Before you even start studying you can improve your chances of getting 600 points

    1. Pick the right subjects. The Irish Independent published a table of how easy it is to get an A1 in every subject from Irish to Applied Maths.
    If you have a strongly mathematically mind use it to your advantage by choosing similar subjects such as App Maths and Physics, and Accounting and Business or whatever.

    2. Take one or two extra subjects on and drop to pass in either Irish or Maths. If your looking for 600 points I would advise dropping to pass Irish.

    3. Don't rely on your English Grade for points.

    4. Don't cheat in your mocks. Believe me the shock of the mocks gives you a right kick in the ass.

    5. Start studying for your orals at the start of your LC year. Honestly the orals are "uncrammable".

    6. Do Geography, even though the A1 rate is low. Put time into your project (goldmine of marks) and learn sample answers and you'll get the A1.

    7. Don't rely on days off during exam time for cramming. You'll be wrecked, believe me.

    8. Eat, Sleep, Drink well, whatever.

    9. Don't give up on sports, tv, computers and life. Its not a prison.

    10. Do your homework right until the end of the year.

    Then comes the study. There is no super method that works for everyone and the only real guidelines are class tests and mocks. The mocks are a pretty good indication. And remember this corny quote: If you do what you always did, you'll get what you always got!


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    #9
    Cokehead Mother
    Closed Accounts Posts: 773 ✭✭✭Cokehead Mother


    Maybe if the question was "How much study will it take for me to get 600 points?" and the person being asked was say a good guidance counsellor who was well-informed with regards your aptitude and whatever, then it'd be worth asking.

    The best anyone here can really offer you is "It depends on the individual". I mean people are saying things like "a lot" and "you have to regularly do homework etc. etc." but really that's not gonna be true if you're a genius. Similiarly, mental retardation is going to stop someone getting 600 despite their best efforts. Obviously these are extreme examples but yeah, it depends on the individual and this topic is pointless imo. Did you really think there was a fixed number of hours needed for anyone to get 600?


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    #10
    Nimur90
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭Nimur90


    Cokehead Mother wrote: »
    Maybe if the question was "How much study will it take for me to get 600 points?" and the person being asked was say a good guidance counsellor who was well-informed with regards your aptitude and whatever, then it'd be worth asking.

    The best anyone here can really offer you is "It depends on the individual". I mean people are saying things like "a lot" and "you have to regularly do homework etc. etc." but really that's not gonna be true if you're a genius. Similiarly, mental retardation is going to stop someone getting 600 despite their best efforts. Obviously these are extreme examples but yeah, it depends on the individual and this topic is pointless imo. Did you really think there was a fixed number of hours needed for anyone to get 600?

    sorry I should of made it more clear I meant to say "how much study did it take you to get 600 points" and it was directed at the people who achieved 600 in their leaving cert.


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    #11
    Valde
    Closed Accounts Posts: 45 ✭Valde


    Depends on how motivated you are, do you want 600 points ? I'm going to say if your willing to put the time and effort into it you can achieve it. The Leaving Cert isn't about how smart you are ( It does help) but rather your ability to learn things off.


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    #12
    KeyLimePie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 861 ✭✭✭KeyLimePie


    alan4cult wrote: »
    Before you even start studying you can improve your chances of getting 600 points

    1. Pick the right subjects. The Irish Independent published a table of how easy it is to get an A1 in every subject from Irish to Applied Maths.
    If you have a strongly mathematically mind use it to your advantage by choosing similar subjects such as App Maths and Physics, and Accounting and Business or whatever.

    2. Take one or two extra subjects on and drop to pass in either Irish or Maths. If your looking for 600 points I would advise dropping to pass Irish.

    3. Don't rely on your English Grade for points.

    4. Don't cheat in your mocks. Believe me the shock of the mocks gives you a right kick in the ass.

    5. Start studying for your orals at the start of your LC year. Honestly the orals are "uncrammable".

    6. Do Geography, even though the A1 rate is low. Put time into your project (goldmine of marks) and learn sample answers and you'll get the A1.

    7. Don't rely on days off during exam time for cramming. You'll be wrecked, believe me.

    8. Eat, Sleep, Drink well, whatever.

    9. Don't give up on sports, tv, computers and life. Its not a prison.

    10. Do your homework right until the end of the year.

    Then comes the study. There is no super method that works for everyone and the only real guidelines are class tests and mocks. The mocks are a pretty good indication. And remember this corny quote: If you do what you always did, you'll get what you always got!

    that post should be stickied or something :)
    it's the perfect way to get 600


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    #13
    Piste
    Registered Users Posts: 11,440 ✭✭✭✭Piste


    Yeah great advice there alan4cult!


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    #14
    PurpleFistMixer
    Registered Users Posts: 5,851 ✭✭✭PurpleFistMixer


    I don't think that table was "how easy is it" rather than "what percentage of people get A1s", which is quite different. For example, with applied maths, mostly the only people who do it are those who already have maths skillz, so of course they're more likely to get A1s. With other subjects where people with a range of abilities do them, the A1 rate will probably be lower.

    Personally, never killed myself, as Piste said, I spent quite a lot of the year playing TF2/Oblivion/HL2 (even during the LC I'll confess), but I'm lucky in that I don't have to study much to understand/remember things. Always did my homework, did supervised study for the last month, couldn't tell you how many hours it was though. I did a portfolio too from september to february, and from february to april I was studying for the physics olympiad, so I was pretty busy most of the time.

    But yeah, alan4cult has good advice there. Don't freak out with the stress (particularly if you don't need 600 points for your course), it'll only make it harder.


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    #15
    raah!
    Registered Users Posts: 2,629 ✭✭✭raah!


    +1 on number 7. Really ruined myself with apt maths. Had 4 days to study, and spent it listening to sigur ros at my study desk, with odd breaks to walk in circles. (now mind you, normally all it took for a monthly test was the night before cramming session, but that's really really not possible for the leaving cert)

    The leaving cert reaaally is exhausting, like doing a bleep test or something, I was quite shocked my self, you even need to eat a breakfast and all that ****. Normally I skipped b reakfast going to school cos I was always late, but on the first leaving cert exam, my stomach was making such noises after just 30 minutes that I resolved to have full breakfasts every .other day


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    #16
    Konata
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,164 ✭✭✭Konata


    Couldn't agree with alan4cult more - pretty good advice!

    It really does depend on the individual etc. etc. but to maximise your own personal abilities just keep at it. Seriously, treat every class test with the same importance, always do your homework, keep nice neat notes right from the very start and just do your best. Nobody can be perfect all the time. I was pretty good at sitting down and getting on with it but of course there were days when I felt like doing nothing more than plonking myself in front of the TV and giving up.
    It's worth it in the end though :D

    Oh and it's never too early to start preparing for anything - the earlier you start learning your oral notes etc., the less stressed you'll feel when it comes to the exam.

    Good luck! =)


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    #17
    jennyq
    Registered Users Posts: 227 ✭✭jennyq


    It does take a lot of work but it's not unreasonable. Like you read about people spending 10 hours a day studying, going to the library every lunchbreak, etc. and other ridiculous measures that aren't really necessary, or at least I don't think are. If you're really motivated & want to get it though you don't really realise until it's over how hard you worked.

    A lot of people say only do 6 honours subjects and if you have an obvious weak subject then I guess it makes sense but for me it was much better to do the 7 honours. Unless you are certain which subject is your worst I would say stick with it because you never know what could happen. All along English was my biggest challenge and I'm naturally better at maths subjects so Accounting would have initially have been a dead cert for me. Turned out as 6th year went on that our teacher didn't really have much of a clue and ended up having to teach myself a decent part of the course. I still managed an A2 but if I'd dropped down or eased off on English (which I definitely spent a disproportionate amount of time on) I wouldn't have gotten the 600. That said 590 would hardly have been a disaster but I feel it was worth the struggle!

    I posted some other stuff I thought helped me in this other thread, too much typing to do again!


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    #18
    HouseHippo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,332 ✭✭✭HouseHippo


    jennyq wrote: »
    It does take a lot of work but it's not unreasonable. Like you read about people spending 10 hours a day studying, going to the library every lunchbreak, etc. and other ridiculous measures that aren't really necessary, or at least I don't think are. If you're really motivated & want to get it though you don't really realise until it's over how hard you worked.

    A lot of people say only do 6 honours subjects and if you have an obvious weak subject then I guess it makes sense but for me it was much better to do the 7 honours. Unless you are certain which subject is your worst I would say stick with it because you never know what could happen. All along English was my biggest challenge and I'm naturally better at maths subjects so Accounting would have initially have been a dead cert for me. Turned out as 6th year went on that our teacher didn't really have much of a clue and ended up having to teach myself a decent part of the course. I still managed an A2 but if I'd dropped down or eased off on English (which I definitely spent a disproportionate amount of time on) I wouldn't have gotten the 600. That said 590 would hardly have been a disaster but I feel it was worth the struggle!

    I posted some other stuff I thought helped me in this other thread, too much typing to do again!
    600 WELL DONE!

    Don't go on Miniclip whatever you do, hours wasted, hours.....


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    #19
    littlneutralone
    Registered Users Posts: 55 ✭✭littlneutralone


    jennyq wrote: »
    A lot of people say only do 6 honours subjects and if you have an obvious weak subject then I guess it makes sense but for me it was much better to do the 7 honours. Unless you are certain which subject is your worst I would say stick with it because you never know what could happen.
    I back this up, obviously I can't speak for everyone, but if you want 600, 6 honours gives you little room for exams just not going your way. If I remember correctly from the Results thread, most posters on 600 had 8 honours subjects. On the very first day when English P1 went badly for me, I had enough leeway that I wasn't completely disheartened, because I still had one whole other subject that I could fail without ramifications.

    Also honours Irish isn't so bad, tedious but there's no evil twisted questions. 2009 probably won't be such a deliciously predictable paper though.

    Reiterating other tips...study for class tests.
    Do your maths and English homework :pac:

    Don't have any personally, in six years I never managed to develop and stick to a comprehensive routine, I imagine it would have made life a LOT easier if I had. I was the kind of student who spent hours making lists and plans and thinking about all the study I had to do, and wound up leaving it all to the last minute anyway. I guess I ended up lucky but I wouldn't advise that non-method. Be the REAL kind of organised and have a better year than I did :o


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    #20
    PurpleFistMixer
    Registered Users Posts: 5,851 ✭✭✭PurpleFistMixer


    littlneutralone wrote: »
    I back this up, obviously I can't speak for everyone, but if you want 600, 6 honours gives you little room for exams just not going your way. If I remember correctly from the Results thread, most posters on 600 had 8 honours subjects. On the very first day when English P1 went badly for me, I had enough leeway that I wasn't completely disheartened, because I still had one whole other subject that I could fail without ramifications.
    Aye, I did 8 HL subjects... though Art was one of them so I knew I was never going to count it for points (something like 0.4% of people get A1s in it afaik), but it's good to have something to fall back on if it doesn't go well. I did Applied Maths outside school, for points purposes, got a B3 in it in the mocks and freaked out slightly, but got an A1 in the end. If I hadn't done it I would have gotten 590 with my A2 in French (oh calamity), so yeah, doing extra subjects helps.
    Of course, one could argue that if I hadn't "wasted" my time getting an A2 in Art, I could have gotten an A1 in French, but Art class was fun and relaxing, so I think it was worth it. : p


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    #21
    littlneutralone
    Registered Users Posts: 55 ✭✭littlneutralone


    Same here, would have been down 10 points without my spare German. Only time I regretted it was when orals rolled round and I had two in two days.

    Language related tips, do listen to those exam paper CDs from the start, a couple of minutes a night. And as said before, reading short online articles is good for picking up really cool authentic phrases to make you stand out and look articulate.


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    #22
    KeyLimePie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 861 ✭✭✭KeyLimePie


    PurpleFistMixer wrote: »
    I don't think that table was "how easy is it" rather than "what percentage of people get A1s", which is quite different. For example, with applied maths, mostly the only people who do it are those who already have maths skillz, so of course they're more likely to get A1s. With other subjects where people with a range of abilities do them, the A1 rate will probably be lower.

    40% of people doing japanese get A1s.................enough said:)


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    #23
    goodgodholmes
    Closed Accounts Posts: 237 ✭✭goodgodholmes


    Nimur90 wrote: »
    sorry I should of made it more clear I meant to say "how much study did it take you to get 600 points" and it was directed at the people who achieved 600 in their leaving cert.

    Start by writing "should have" instead of "should of". (Sorry)

    And it really does depend on the person. A friend of mine got 600 this year (technically speaking she got 800...) and she had the most amazing social life in 6th year. She did work a fair amount, but not as much as some of my other friends. One friend of mine chained herself to the desk for the year and got in the low 300's, while 600-pointer was out drunk on her arse!

    I got 540 last year, and I only studied in the two weeks before the LC. Pure fluke, DO NOT DO THIS TO YOURSELF, trust me it's more stress than it's worth!


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    #24
    Davidius
    Registered Users Posts: 4,893 ✭✭✭Davidius


    Piste wrote: »
    Do what PurpleFistMixer did and play Team Fortress Two for a few months before the LC.
    I spent the last 7 months doing that! I'm glad to know I'm on the right track. :pac:


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    #25
    PurpleFistMixer
    Registered Users Posts: 5,851 ✭✭✭PurpleFistMixer


    The PFM method accepts no responsibility should you fail your LC. >.>

    Also Piste: I got the game sometime early in 6th year, I just gave it up until the medic update came out. Damn you, Valve, and your delicious updates. The Pyro update (my class of choice) came out the day before applied maths... that was a difficult evening.

    Um.. moving swiftly along, getting addicted to a game is a really bad idea. Though, it worked in one way, because I denied myself it unless I did work. You need serious self discipline to pull that off though.


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    #26
    Call Me Jimmy
    Registered Users Posts: 8,449 ✭✭✭Call Me Jimmy


    I think if you do ALL your homework and study for all the tests you have in 5th and most of 6th it will provide a great base. With a good bit of extra study leading up to the exams ye could do it. A really solid 5th year can set you up well so ye don't have to kill yourself.


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    #27
    jennyq
    Registered Users Posts: 227 ✭✭jennyq


    Also I will say that you will be constantly told about making study plans & timetables & stuff by everybody. Maybe it works for some but I know it didn't for me, it's pretty hard to work out in say, March what you'll need to spend time on later in the year. It probably works for some but I'd say don't worry if it's not for you at all.

    Also equal time for every subject is something people say too but it's probably unlikely to be the case as you're going to find some subjects easier or harder and some courses just have a way bigger workload. Like there's no way to compare the English course & the French course for amount of work. So don't worry if you give more time to some subjects, I know I spent about twice as much time on English as almost any other subject, it felt ridiculous at the time but it worked :D


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    #28
    PurpleFistMixer
    Registered Users Posts: 5,851 ✭✭✭PurpleFistMixer


    jennyq wrote: »
    Also I will say that you will be constantly told about making study plans & timetables & stuff by everybody. Maybe it works for some but I know it didn't for me, it's pretty hard to work out in say, March what you'll need to spend time on later in the year. It probably works for some but I'd say don't worry if it's not for you at all.
    I usually did mine on a weekly/monthly basis to avoid that problem. Doesn't take long to plan, and it can be a bit of a break between homework/study etc. For me, anyway, good organisation meant good efficiency which meant I didn't have to spend hours studying. Win win.


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    #29
    Kimmy-XxX
    Closed Accounts Posts: 57 ✭✭Kimmy-XxX


    I'm not in the elite bracket of those who got 600 (major and well deserved congradulations to those people) but I did get 565 which I'm extremely proud of so maybe you'll take my advice on how I did it. Granted, there is no fail safe way of getting 600 because thankfully, no two people are the same. However, hopefully my tips will push you in the right direction.

    1. With regards how many honours/pass subjects to take, it depends entirely on the individual. What's important is having an awareness of your own abilities and staying as far removed from seeking presteige as possible. A shocking amount of people will stick with 7 honours subjects just so they can say they do it and emerge with less points. That said, if you have an ability to do 7 or more honours subjects, embrace it. The differences in points for honours and pass speak for themselves. Gaining an awareness of your ability in a certain subject will be accessible through talking to your teacher and reviewing test scores.

    2. Orgainisation is key. Have specific folders/hardbacks/copies/notes etc. for each and every subject. When using these items you will be in the right frame of mind for the subject you're studying/doing homework in. Also, valuable time is often wasted searching for particular resources.

    3.Find a place to study. It's an age-old piece of advice but it makes an enormous difference. Supervised study is fantastic and, coupled with a desk in your room for weekend study, can work wonders.

    4. Study groups!. It's a forgotten art but if handled properly, can be extremely effective. Gather a group of friends, say 4 or 5, preferably ones you will actually learn something from!. Assign, for example, an essay title, to each friend to be completed, copied and handed out to the rest of the group. Suddenly, you have five smaple answers, having only completed one!.Your fellow students are your best resource. The same principal applies when someone in your class gets an excellent mark in a piece of homework/test, ask for a copy and compare it to your own, if the student is willing to share their work.

    5. Plan your study!.Writing down your intentions, lists of what you have to complete and organising your workload into chunks according to subject can make it seem much more doable. Also, writing down a study plan means you will be much more likely to actually stick to it.

    6. Take care of yourself. Breaks are essential, but shouldn't interfere with your study. Twenty minutes taking a walk/watching tv can work wonders. There's no need for mammoth breaks of hours on end, frequent and short ones work much better. Eat well, see your friends and sleep as much as you can. The latter can be a problem, personally I got an hour and a half before my first paper but try your best!

    7. How many hours study you should do is impossible to advise on. Personally, throughout sixth year, I did 3 hours Mon-Fri and about 7/8 on Saturday and Sunday. It sounds like an enormous amount now but a fantastic tip is getting up early on Saturday/ Sunday morning. Starting study at 8 (it really won't kill you!) means you can be finished early afternoon which leaves you to go out if you want!.Planning ahead means you can have a substantial amount of time to study but alot of time to yourself also.

    8. Start from the beginning!..This means starting to study from September. Obviously the amount you do will increase as the year goes on but having a good start can, and will, make an enormous difference. Always do your homework and set aside a few topics a week to revise for the first few weeks, even a topic from each subject for September, October, November will make a huge impact on your grades. Every little helps!

    I hope my advice has given you Some motivation and some handy tips. I'm merely a LC student who did well and sought to share her experience and what she learned. Please feel fry to contradict and argue with the points I'v made above!.

    IF ANYONE NEEDS SPECIFIC ADVICE ON CLASSICAL STUDIES, ENGLISH OR HISTORY AT LEAVING CERT LEVEL, PM ME AND I'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP:D


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    #30
    Call Me Jimmy
    Registered Users Posts: 8,449 ✭✭✭Call Me Jimmy


    wtf made you think posting in that colour would be a good idea?


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    #31
    turgon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,762 ✭✭✭turgon


    PurpleFistMixer wrote: »
    Of course, one could argue that if I hadn't "wasted" my time getting an A2 in Art, I could have gotten an A1 in French, but Art class was fun and relaxing, so I think it was worth it. : p

    +1 for doing subjects you like - you are more likely to do well in them. I really liked Maths, Engineering and Tech Graph and got A1's out of them without too much stress. Same for History. And my obsession with Maths helped me get an A1 in Applied Maths.

    Just remember, the LC will be roughly one eightieth of your life. YOu will have to evaluate how much 600 would mean to you and would it be worth losing that fun time you will never get back. Unless you become immortal.


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