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Leaving Cert Exam Tips

Welcome to the #lcstudytips series for the Leaving Cert. Remember, relax and best of luck. Here are some tips which might help!

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STUDY TIPS

1. Make a Study Planner; knowing what you’re going to study and when is a great way to keep track of all your subjects as opposed to accidentally spending all your time on one subject and ignoring the others.

2. Set goals; don’t just work indefinitely. Tell yourself what it is you’re going to accomplish in the time you’ve allocated yourself and don’t stop until you’ve done it. Doing this gives a great sense of accomplishment to reach your goal instead of becoming demotivated at the seemingly endless amount of work to be done.

3. Take breaks; no matter how much work you’ve got to do, you should always make time for a break. Different people have different tactics, but a 15-20 minute break every 60-90 minutes is a great way to recharge for your next study session. Try to stay away from your laptop or TV though; read a novel, go for a stroll for some fresh air, or just chill with some music etc.

4. Eat well; pressure and stress from exams can turn even the healthiest people towards junk food and irregular eating habits. Try to eat regularly and healthily; apples and bananas are great energising snacks, drinking water will make you feel a lot better than a day of Red Bull, and skipping meals or just constantly snacking is a certain way to quickly become exhausted.

5. Sleep! Staying up late and getting up early may make you feel productive, but the quality of work you produce will suffer. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep a night, preferably going to bed before midnight. You’ll wake feeling energised and ready to go, instead of groggy and burned out from the late night before.

EXAM TIPS

1. Wake up early! Leave yourself plenty of time so that you don’t need to rush through having breakfast and getting ready

2. Check the time and subject of the exam to make sure you are prepared for the right paper at the right time

3. Before leaving home, check you have everything that you will need – calculations, math sets, pencils, rulers, etc

4. Head to the exam in plenty of time; aim to be there at least 30 minutes before your exam is due to start. A lot of unexpected events can happen on your way to the exam and you don’t want to be late!

5. Avoid negative energy; If there are people around who are panicking, avoid them. They are not doing you any favours!

6. Go to the toilet before the exam starts. Exams can be quite long and there is no time to waste

7. Read all the questions carefully before starting and plan how much time to allocate to each.

8. Don’t be afraid to ask the examiner if you are not clear on a question or if you need something. They are there both for the integrity of the exams but also to offer any help they can

9. Most important of all is to stay calm; panicking helps no one! Rest assured that you have done your work and have nothing to fear!

STRESS TIPS

1. Learn to recognise when you’re actually stressing out! A break or a chat with someone who knows the pressure you’re under will get things into perspective.

2. It’s done and dusted by Friday June 20 Done, finished! Everything will be much, much, much, much, muuuuuch better then!

3. Picture the future! Where you’re going for the summer, you’re freedom or even just getting back to relax in front of the TV. There’s a light at the end of the exam tunnel!