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Is it too late to study?

Ellenk456

I'm doing the Leaving cert and to be honest I haven't worked as hard as I should've at all. There's only a month left to the mocks and I'm so unbelievably unprepared and have done close to nothing for them. Im fairly smart and do good when I actually study for tests, but I'm just so lazy and have no motivation. Is it too late to try and aim for 500 points at this stage of the year?

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whirlpool

You have MORRRRRRE than enough time. Too much time, really.

usersame

Make a plan! Start working and get excited, huge opportunity here, it's definitely not too late. I'll never forget the amount of women hanging on my friends every word on LC night when he got 600, he was like a minor celebrity.

MonaPizza

Ellenk456 wrote: »

I'm doing the Leaving cert and to be honest I haven't worked as hard as I should've at all. There's only a month left to the mocks and I'm so unbelievably unprepared and have done close to nothing for them. Im fairly smart and do good when I actually study for tests, but I'm just so lazy and have no motivation. Is it too late to try and aim for 500 points at this stage of the year?

If you're so lazy and unmotivated, where does this desire to achieve 500 points from? One doesn't even need to pass in order to flip burgers or fart around Malaga as a tattoo artist.

Incidentally ....you do well, but we'll get to that Tommy.

Overheal

Ellenk456 wrote: »

I'm doing the Leaving cert and to be honest I haven't worked as hard as I should've at all. There's only a month left to the mocks and I'm so unbelievably unprepared and have done close to nothing for them. Im fairly smart and do good when I actually study for tests, but I'm just so lazy and have no motivation. Is it too late to try and aim for 500 points at this stage of the year?

I suggest you meet with your teachers and look at the course syllabus.

The course syllabus is a document that outlines exactly what competencies you should have upon completing the course.

You can then get a pretty fair idea of what you know and what you need to work on. Then, go back and start a fresh set of note that cleanly explains what you know and what you've learned.

Never too late. The mocks are a good thing to take seriously but do not psyche yourself out. Seriously advise studying about 3 hours per night as an average. Don't just slave away on one subject that entire session, but then again do not try to cover all your subjects in 3 hours either. Rotate out a few every night. Always start with your favorite/best subject.

Definitely do not just stare at a book. Pencil and paper. Summarize what you're learning.

Pulsating Star

Thanks for all the responses folks, the positivity in here is great! I'am feeling really pumped now..

Oh wait.. It's thirty years too late..meh,not even time to go back to bed,early shift down the mine

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

Of the people I know who never bothered with study/college/qualifications etc one is a security guard now, and the other works in a nursing home as a carer.

Both of them bitch and moan about having to work late nights, evening's and weekend's. Takes all my self control not to say Wtf were you expecting, it's the nature of the work, patients need looking after 24/7 and criminals don't do 9-5 either, so just get on with it

Give the Leaving Cert your genuine best shot, pick a course you like, go do a J1, come home and get a decent job, get involved in sports. Your life's what you make it, and if you give up at this age you'll spend the rest of your time regretting it.

joe swanson

Its way too late op. You should probably start to research the location of your local social welfare office cause that will be your life from now on.

playedalive

Ellenk456 wrote: »

Thanks everyone Do you think I should write out notes and stuff then look at exam papers or just concentrate on doing exam papers and learning the answers off without writing any notes?

If you're writing out notes from your book, try to put the words into your own words. That way, you'll know if you understand the topic or not. Then, you can ask your teacher.

It's not too late to find out what areas you can improve before sitting the real thing. The mocks are more just getting you used to the exam structure.

[Deleted User]

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

Was completely overwhelmed at the time, so gave up.

This is the single biggest issue with exam students I think, that feeling that it's too late and there's too much to do so it's a waste of time trying.

It's not. But it is very hard if you don't have that discipline to begin with. I suggest you go with Frada's suggestion and take short notes as you go along, just enough to jog your memory back to what you've read.

Don't stare blankly, make a real effort to engage with what's on the page, and get your teachers help in determining what exactly you should be concentrating on. Tell them you feel you left it late and are overwhelmed, you'll be surprised how helpful they can be when you're honest with them.

Get yourself everything you need in a quiet space and set your alarm for 45 minutes, and give it all your concentration, then take 15 minutes to have a break, then set the timer again. It'll stop it becoming a blur of information overload if you take breaks.

Good luck, give it your best shot from now on, and if it doesn't work out, repeating is not the end of the world.

Merkin

I actually think you've left the optimum amount of time to get decent grades. I personally can only perform when I'm cramming reams of information at the last minute and when under pressure. Don't focus on the mocks, focus instead on flying through your courses in the next few months and rely heavily on past exam papers for practice. You can easily do well but you will have to get the finger out and put the work in.

[Deleted User]

Ellenk456 wrote: »

I'm doing the Leaving cert and to be honest I haven't worked as hard as I should've at all. There's only a month left to the mocks and I'm so unbelievably unprepared and have done close to nothing for them. Im fairly smart and do good when I actually study for tests, but I'm just so lazy and have no motivation. Is it too late to try and aim for 500 points at this stage of the year?

If Motivation is an issue then I would recommend the incremental approach.

Too often people sit around trying to get into the habit of doing a few hours study a night. They lose interest and get into a "Ah sure ill start NEXT monday" mentality. And then it is the monday after that. Or after that. And in the end you end up getting nothing done and much time is lost.

So instead try losing time in a constructive fashion. Start today. Not "next" anything. Simply sit down today and do 10 minutes of study. Nothing more. And no 6 minutes preperation and 4 minutes study. Sit down - get comfortable - get the materials open in front of you - start the clock - and study your best for 10 minutes straight.

Then tomorrow do 15. The next day do 20. The next 25.

This incremental approach will get you into the routine of doing 2 hours study a night by the middle of next month. And because the change is incremental and not sudden - it will not be as difficult as trying to will yourself into being a good studier now.

Do not worry about the mocks, just worry about getting into a study routine for the real thing. The mocks are just there to give you experience of the real exam and the real exam setting. The results are meaningless. Just take what you can from the experience.

sunflower27

Stick your head in the books, OP, and go for it. You may actually find you enjoy it. You have the rest of your life to waste on here

Butterface

Don't worry about the Mocks. And don't let a teacher push you down into pass for the Leaving Cert if you believe yourself that you're able for it.

For this next term, make sure you do all your homework and go over what you've learned in each subject every evening. That way you're taking it in twice and there'll be less need to cram on topics closer to the exams.

What subjects are you doing? I found making mindmaps for science subjects and history & geography to be very helpful. I'm in final year of University now and I have an exam tomorrow... have a load of mindmaps for all my topics spread all over my bed!!

In terms of length of time, you have loads OP so don't stress. I would advise you start taking full advantage of your weekends, or at least a Saturday from about March onwards!

kowloon

Dj Stiggie wrote: »

If you want 500 points then if you get over 400 or so in the mocks, its realistic with work. If you get less than 370, have another look at the CAO.

That seems oddly specific.

JumpShivers

Not too late at all, OP.

Lapin

Far too late now OP, but hey. Don't worry.

The world will always need ditch diggers.

B.A._Baracus

I know a few people who failed their leaving cert and some who didnt even do it. Didnt stop them from going to college and this is a few years ago when the mature student age was 23. Now its 21 I do believe.

Obviously, since recession some 18yo would be best off going to college immediately after school. As you are unlikely to get a job for a year or two with todays market. So waiting those 3 years until you are 21 would be wasted years.

But who cares. Still a VERY young man at 21.

_Redzer_

Dj Stiggie wrote: »

Do some exam papers between now and the mocks. Then use your results as a guide to how much you think you can improve. If you want 500 points then if you get over 400 or so in the mocks, its realistic with work. If you get less than 370, have another look at the CAO.

Nonsense. I did pretty terribly in the mocks and got nowhere near my points, yet I pulled it together for the real thing. The mocks are a great kick in the arse, and if you're smart with your revision and cut down on the work by only taking down key bits of information and go through loads of test papers you'll do very well.

Queen-Mise

Break it down OP - from what I remember of the Leaving Cert, for example, in Maths, you had to do four questions in each paper. Pick out the ones you are best at - and then work at them only.

Do the same for the other subjects.

So 8 or 9 exams by 4 questions in each is 32-36 questions to prepare.

Break it down, you have loads of time.

SamAK

Ellenk456 wrote: »

Teachers have this way of making you think that all is lost if you feck up the L.C...

I'm very uncomfortable with the whole situation. I didn't know my arse from my elbow when I sat the exams in 2009. I certainly had absolutely no fecking idea what I was interested in after college.

If you do, then good for you, all i'm saying is that it's scary as hell seeing 17/18 year old kids just going for any old college course just because that's whats expected of them. Most of the time, parents don't care if it's your calling, they just want you to do SOMETHING.

Like I said, if you know what you're passionate about, then good for you. But, it took me three years of bumming around and experiencing the world before I stumbled across something that really got my attention, that really made me thing 'god, I love this'..

So, I actually LIVED for a couple of years after secondary school, and I learned some things that school can never teach you. I found something that i'm really, really sure I want to dedicate my life to, and if I had aimed for going straight from S.C to college, I would have picked any old thing, even if I wasn't into it. And i'd have regretted it, or dropped out of the course.

I'm nearly finished my second year of a PLC course, have applied through CAO for the course I WANT in an I.T, and I think i've got a good chance of getting it. Funny thing is, my chosen field (music tech/media production) didn't exist as far as my secondary school was concerned. Nothing music related on the cirriculum whatsoever.

School is a system, and sometimes it fails to provide adequate opportunity and to cater for an individuals strengths. That's what I learned anyway.

(Long winded post and not at all intended to convince you of anything, but it's food for thought and I wish someone had told me when I finished S.C that there's a whole world out there that we know feck all about)

Arthur Beesley

It's never to late to start studying for LC 2015.

Iwasfrozen

Ellenk456 wrote: »

I'm doing the Leaving cert and to be honest I haven't worked as hard as I should've at all. There's only a month left to the mocks and I'm so unbelievably unprepared and have done close to nothing for them. Im fairly smart and do good when I actually study for tests, but I'm just so lazy and have no motivation. Is it too late to try and aim for 500 points at this stage of the year?

Far too late. You might as well just give up now.

pragmatic1

You have plenty of time to get the points you want. Do your past papers and keep the head down.

Aestivalis

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

I know a few people who failed their leaving cert and some who didnt even do it. Didnt stop them from going to college and this is a few years ago when the mature student age was 23. Now its 21 I do believe.

Obviously, since recession some 18yo would be best off going to college immediately after school. As you are unlikely to get a job for a year or two with todays market. So waiting those 3 years until you are 21 would be wasted years.

But who cares. Still a VERY young man at 21.

No its still 23, and you have to 23 in january so most people dont get to apply until they're 24.

Doing poorly in the LC is unavoidable sometimes. Not everybody has an interest in the ****e they ram down your throat, and its a poor way to gauge somebodies true intelligence and ability. But its a long wait between 18 and 24 if things dont go your way.

FETAC wont get you exactly where you want, and mature student is very competitive too. So not everybody gets their place.

The CAO is the biggest load of bollocks ever. Its supposed to be a fair system, but in reality its not fair at all.

I've been pissing about for the past 3 years doing various fetac courses and looking for jobs (good luck with that :rolleyes:). 3 more years to go until I can try the mature route. If that fails then I might just.... well lets not go there.

No op, 4 months is loads of time. The mocks is a joke, and I swear they marked mine harder than the actual leaving cert in some subjects.
I repeated leaving cert biology in a fetac course, and didnt study any of it until about january.
I had never taken biology before and thought I was up to my neck. Turned out a lot easier than I thought and I go full marks so you're well capable if I was!

Capt'n Midnight

http://asset-5.soup.io/asset/6509/2549_5f39.jpeg

fergus1001

started a month beforehand and got 350 was delighted

SamAK

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

http://asset-5.soup.io/asset/6509/2549_5f39.jpeg

YOOUUUUUUUU.......SHALL NOT.........PAAAAAAAAAAASSS!

Classic scene, still gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. Powerful.

urabell

SamAK wrote: »

Teachers have this way of making you think that all is lost if you feck up the L.C...

I'm very uncomfortable with the whole situation. I didn't know my arse from my elbow when I sat the exams in 2009. I certainly had absolutely no fecking idea what I was interested in after college.

If you do, then good for you, all i'm saying is that it's scary as hell seeing 17/18 year old kids just going for any old college course just because that's whats expected of them. Most of the time, parents don't care if it's your calling, they just want you to do SOMETHING.

Like I said, if you know what you're passionate about, then good for you. But, it took me three years of bumming around and experiencing the world before I stumbled across something that really got my attention, that really made me thing 'god, I love this'..

So, I actually LIVED for a couple of years after secondary school, and I learned some things that school can never teach you. I found something that i'm really, really sure I want to dedicate my life to, and if I had aimed for going straight from S.C to college, I would have picked any old thing, even if I wasn't into it. And i'd have regretted it, or dropped out of the course.

I'm nearly finished my second year of a PLC course, have applied through CAO for the course I WANT in an I.T, and I think i've got a good chance of getting it. Funny thing is, my chosen field (music tech/media production) didn't exist as far as my secondary school was concerned. Nothing music related on the cirriculum whatsoever.

School is a system, and sometimes it fails to provide adequate opportunity and to cater for an individuals strengths. That's what I learned anyway.

(Long winded post and not at all intended to convince you of anything, but it's food for thought and I wish someone had told me when I finished S.C that there's a whole world out there that we know feck all about)

IT, PLC, 'music tech' that's super nice that you found something that suits you but it'd be better if you didn't imply they were somehow superior choices because you had no aptitude for academics

'things school will never teach you' nonsense, school is less than half your time, plenty of time of outside stimulus without abandoning the path of least resistance. 'experiencing the world' something school and university will aid you in greatly

whiteandlight

Queen-Mise wrote: »

Break it down OP - from what I remember of the Leaving Cert, for example, in Maths, you had to do four questions in each paper. Pick out the ones you are best at - and then work at them only.

Do the same for the other subjects.

So 8 or 9 exams by 4 questions in each is 32-36 questions to prepare.

Break it down, you have loads of time.

Please be careful doing this in maths. The curriculum has changed and absolutely everything is examinable now-you cannot leave anything out and you cannot predict the paper.

SamAK

urabell wrote: »

IT, PLC, 'music tech' that's super nice that you found something that suits you but it'd be better if you didn't imply they were somehow superior choices because you had no aptitude for academics

Yes it was super nice that I found something that suited me, but I think you misunderstood me completely. I did not and would not imply that my choices are somehow 'superior'....now THAT would be nonsense.:D

Was there something wrong with the way I recounted my personal experience?, because it seems that you've got the wrong end of the stick.