20 hours of study per week?

ConkerTheKing

We got a talk in school today about life in general for the next 6 months, and as our mocks are early in Februrary, they advised us to put in 20 hours of study per week (they broke it down to 3 hours per night, including homework) - which alarmed most people in the room;;... Is it really necessary to put in that much time? It's difficult enough to fit in everything at the moment without adding that much pressure...

Selphie

If you really want to do well, and want to make sure you do well, it seems to me that three hours a night is not an awful amount of time to spend. Obviously it's less important to study for the mocks than the real thing, but still... What I found while studying was that three hours (including homework) would get me nowhere near finished, especially towards the end.

Timans

Yeah, I do 7-10pm study in school Monday to Thursday. That's not very hard to be honest.

Da Bomber

Timans wrote: »

Yeah, I do 7-10pm study in school Monday to Thursday. That's not very hard to be honest.

Same here, strongly considering doin 4-6pm with it too i dont feel 3 hours is enough when you include homework.

Crania

20 hours a week is not that much if you want high points. I do 5 hours of supervised study a night(4-6 and then 7-10) but I rarely do anything outside that on the weeknights. At weekends, I've yet to do much but I intend to start doing a good few hours of study at the weekend in the run-up to the mocks. Even doing that much, I'm finding it very hard to get through all the material.

Different people will always study for different amounts of time. Like it all depends on how much points you're looking for. Personally, I'm going for 500+ so I would consider about 35 hours a week to be enough for me at this time of the year. I intend to increase that in the next few months also. It's all about your own personal ambition and drive to be honest. Do as much as you think is necessary.

Naikon

It Ultimately depends on what you need.
I hated most subjects so I did the bare minimum(if even that:o) and I got 350 which is good enough for me.
If you want more than that........Study for longer periods of time!
Homework and Class work is also pretty important.

deise gal

Yes you may think that 20 hours is a lot but if you break it inot manageable chunks it will be all worth it!I did my leaving cert last year it feels like ages ago!! I was aiming for 450 but I did get 410(my course was 335) while holding down a part time job which inviloved working every saturday. I found that I did 2 hours in after-school study until 6.15, then home for my dinner and relax till 7.30 where i went to study again until 9.30 that is 4 hours a night! it does seem a lot as i said already but when you get into the habit of doing that every night once the exams are over you will have a wonderful fun filled summer ahead, along with the preperation for college, debs, results and various wild nights out!!

Best of luck with your study!!

ZorbaTehZ

Depends on the person tbh. Some people just can't do well without consistent study. Though I was a crammer myself and never went near that kind of level of revision.

sd123

ZorbaTehZ wrote: »

Depends on the person tbh. Some people just can't do well without consistent study. Though I was a crammer myself and never went near that kind of level of revision.

QFT, one hour a night of proper study is more than enough although I ended up doing bout 6 hours a day the week before, and what's this crap I hear of wasting time on homework, If you don't think the homework is beneficial and the time would be better spent studying, then don't do homework, although you will have to listen to giving out from teachers. But, at the end of the day, it's your LC and you have to decide the best thing for yourself.

XxUkblondeIrish

im in my last year of school ive been doing my home work and studying sort of. i need about 400 points ive got my week day time table sorted but how many hours should i be doing during the weekend

x keo21

the main thing right now, six months in, is to pace yourself . if you go full blooded study youll definetly burn yourself out and quite possibly lose the will by exam time, very dangerous. I was by no means a honours student 3 years ago. IN Final in Uni now . i got 420 by really going hell for leather in the 2 weeks off. But obviously i did my homework, revised regularly (not everyday atthis point) and used the mock exams as platform for fine-tuning. Rememeber apart from honours math at this point you shouldnt be struggling with anything really. if you are the best thing you can do is get grinds. I got them and worked brilliantly. IN a classroom the teacher is focusing on getting the course covered, in grinds the tutor focuses on what you are struggling with and covers it in detail. Grinds also count as study. If you can afford them get them, Seriously!!!!

kevmy

Bollocks

One size does not fit all. Personally when I was doing the LC I just did my homework up until about 2 weeks before the mocks when I threw in some revision of older stuff. Homework is revision of what you have done recently. Also you will find the better teachers give you more homework which revises older stuff as you get closer to the mocks/LC.

When studying for the LC itself I did about 3-4 hours a day. I literally found I was wasting my time doing other stuff I couldn't take it in. If you study well instead of measuring it timewise then you will do alright. Know past papers inside out especially for maths, science subjects and geography. Irish, English and French etc. may not require the same level of knowledge of past papers with more emphasis being placed on quotes/vocabulary etc.

If you have attended school well, paid decent attention in class and being relatively consistent with homework over 5th year and LC then you have a big advantage. I followed this formula through LC (where I coasted to 470 points without pushing myself - the course I wanted had 315 points) and kept it through college. I'm now studying for a PhD in Physics and give grinds to LC and 1st Year college students.

You will often find the people who study 8 hours a day are the people who didn't do as well as they should have in 5th Year, are aiming for very high points (500++) or are panicking. Don't pay attention to panickers or the lazy 5th Years. You are generally the best judge of yourself. You know what you know and what you don't know. You have a feeling where you are at in each subject - if you think you're doing alright then you probably are.

And one last piece of advice don't go crazy into study at the moment. Build up towards your best level of study and find whats best for you using the mocks as an experiment. Thats what they're there for. Don't be shocked if your mocks results are lower than you hoped they usually are. Most of the people who just do crazy study are the ones who drop out of difficult college courses due to the pressure of student life.

Fad

i misread the title and thought it was ''20 hours a night'' wtf :P

anyway 20 hours isnt really THAT much in fairness
just make sure those 20 hours are productive and not just go over the same stuff over and over, make sure your getting some where

Brooke01

ConkerTheKing wrote: »

We got a talk in school today about life in general for the next 6 months, and as our mocks are early in Februrary, they advised us to put in 20 hours of study per week (they broke it down to 3 hours per night, including homework) - which alarmed most people in the room;;... Is it really necessary to put in that much time? It's difficult enough to fit in everything at the moment without adding that much pressure...

Well my Principal told us at the start of the year . Everyone should study for 4 hours a night . He is holding a Ph.D . you have to add more hours on for your home work . Thats what we were told . (thats if your speculatingof doing Impressively excellent in your LC )

Killaqueen!!!

3 hours a night isnt much? jaysus..I'm only in 5th year so I better make use of my free time and actually go out cos when I'm in 6th year I'm gonna have a hard time.

So basically for the whole of 6th year exams are your life? School from 9.00-4.00. By the time you get home, have dinner, have shower, etc. It might be 6.30. I'm getting the impression that 3 hours study is the minimum amount that you should be doing. So, we're talking doing work until at least 9.30. Watch a bit of TV, go to bed, and then have to get up early the next day to start all over again?

I was thinking more like 2hours a day including homework, coming up to the LC.

I know everyone is different but still...!

~Candy~

tbh i am only in 5th yr
and i am spending at least 3 hours on homework alone everyday

heres how it goes

business / home ec = 1hour ( written work alone lyk )
1hour on french it depends if i got a comprehension n stuff it d be more
accounting : 1 hour
maths : at least 1.5 to 2 hours!!!!!!!!!!!! - -


then the teacher expects us to learn all the stuff we did on da day such as sometimes like it could be 10pages business and 4pages home ec + 100 french words......(but yeah i don't do da learning part much tho )

:rolleyes:

1huge1

I do after school study from 4-6 and then about a hour and a bit when I get home
That will be increasing a lot as the weeks pass by coming up to the pre's and a LOT more fot the LC

weekends, as of yet I havent done too much for the weekend

Xhristy

This post has been deleted.

analyse this

Brooke01 wrote: »

Well my Principal told us at the start of the year . Everyone should study for 4 hours a night .

yeah, good luck with that! Your principal is obviously imaginary or else comepletely delusional!

He is holding a Ph.D .

So holding a Ph.D somehow correlates to a superior knowledge of studying at LC level?

(thats if your speculatingof doing Impressively excellent in your LC )

WOW...just wow! Im hoping english isn't your native language! That four hrs/night of study seems to be doing wonders for you :P

remus808

Just thought I'd share my experiences, having done sat the LC in '07..

The one thing I'v consistently heard from people studying for it is that they always have more to do than they can feasibly manage.. it's always "i have to do this, this, this and that.. and then my teacher said we've to do that.. and then i'v a test on wedensday" etc. The one thing I learned to accept was that you will never get it all done! (generally speaking).. You will never get every detail revised in perfect detail, you can only hope for a decent balance.. Once your putting time into studying consistently and getting through a reasonable amount of stuff you should be fine..

Obviously it's all totally variable by person aswell.. I was a very inconsistent worker and dossed or went AWOL for large parts of 5th and 6th year, but pulled some pretty nice results out of the bag by putting in the work in the last month/2-weeks and by being 'cute': not wasting time on stuff i already knew/was good at, cutting out as much of the course as i could get away with etc... At the end of the day there's no point breaking your back with the whole thing because there is no right or wrong way! (Unless your going for Medicine!)

Mackleton

Hey guys, I too did the LC last year and the biggest piece of advice I can give would be dont panic! Firstly the mocks mean absolutely nothing. No doubt you've all heard this before but it is something that I ignored when studying for them and it really didnt pay off. I got overly worked up and wasted time that I could have used constructively. All you should learn from the mocks is timing for questions, thats it.

Next take stock of when you study most effectively. Is it when you just get up? In the afternoon? Around midnight? Pinpoint when you are at your most alert and use that time efficiently. For me, I worked (in the weeks before the LC) from about midnight until 5 or 6 am. This sounds intensive but without the distractions of a noisy house and family I was able to really concentrate and get things done. If you are a night person you should really consider night studying.

Never begin a study session without a plan. Sounds basic but you can easily get caught up in a maths or english question for upwards of an hour and this essentially limits what you are taking in, limit yourself to maybe 1 hr per subject, doing more than one question or topic in the hour. Also, start with something you enjoy or find easy, its a confidence boost and keeps you focused.

On the subject of taking breaks, they can be a real distraction but as long as you make them maybe 15 minutes every hour you can work more efficiently with the thought of the break to spur you on.

MAJOR TIP: Do not neglect subjects you dislkike or find difficult!! Its tempting but in fact these are the subjects you should spend more time on.

Always make your study plan realistic and achievable. Dont say: Study all of unit 1 in Biology. This rarely works and only serves to dishearten you and make you feel guilty when you haven't achieved it. Make your goals small and specific ie. study photosynthesis and ecology. Pair up a difficult topic with something easier, that way you don't get completely bogged down.

AND FINALLY..........biggest tip of all........EXAM PAPERS! You really cannot do enough of them. They focus you and help with timing as well as giving a general idea of the questioning and showing a pattern in questions through the years.

The very best of luck to you all and pm me if you want to ask anything.

kkumk

I'm in 6th year and on a weekday I'd do about a half an hour or an hour in the morning, maybe an hour during the day and roughly two and a half hours in the evening, but I know I should be doing more!!

My study guidance counsellor said you should do 50 minutes of every subject you did during the day every night, including homework, and to remember that at the end of the day you only need 6 subjects so some are going to be worth nothing for you, so you should only spend the minimum amount of time on them!

At weekends I tend to spend the whole day in the library on Sat but on Sunday I rarely do anything....Although that will have to change now that the mocks are approaching...
I was also told to do two hours of each subject during the weekend!

Three hours a day isn't bad really! Most teachers I know would say four! Getting stuff done in the morning really helps if it's possible!

1huge1

kkumk wrote: »

I'm in 6th year and on a weekday I'd do about a half an hour or an hour in the morning, maybe an hour during the day and roughly two and a half hours in the evening, but I know I should be doing more!!

My study guidance counsellor said you should do 50 minutes of every subject you did during the day every night, including homework, and to remember that at the end of the day you only need 6 subjects so some are going to be worth nothing for you, so you should only spend the minimum amount of time on them!

At weekends I tend to spend the whole day in the library on Sat but on Sunday I rarely do anything....Although that will have to change now that the mocks are approaching...
I was also told to do two hours of each subject during the weekend!

Three hours a day isn't bad really! Most teachers I know would say four! Getting stuff done in the morning really helps if it's possible!

a hour in the morning, wow, trust me your doing enough, unless you got a lot of subjects like biology just full of info

sambora

3 hours a night isnt much? jaysus..I'm only in 5th year so I better make use of my free time and actually go out cos when I'm in 6th year I'm gonna have a hard time.

Anyone who wants a good Leaving Cert has to sacrifice going out all the time!

kkumk

Lol no it's not much really! It's just cause I get into school at 8.30/9ish and my classes don't start until 9.30!

JC 2K3

Killaqueen!!! wrote: »

3 hours a night isnt much? jaysus..I'm only in 5th year so I better make use of my free time and actually go out cos when I'm in 6th year I'm gonna have a hard time.

sambora wrote: »

Anyone who wants a good Leaving Cert has to sacrifice going out all the time!

Bollocks. I never sacrificed one night out last year.

Everyone should be well capable of having their study done by 8/9 pm every night and should also be taking one day over the weekend off studying to relax. To avoid studying with a hangover, if you're going out on Friday night, take Saturday off studying. If you're going out Saturday night, take Sunday off studying.

Following the above advice, you'll never have to cancel a night out to study.

Killaqueen!!! wrote: »

So basically for the whole of 6th year exams are your life? School from 9.00-4.00. By the time you get home, have dinner, have shower, etc. It might be 6.30. I'm getting the impression that 3 hours study is the minimum amount that you should be doing. So, we're talking doing work until at least 9.30. Watch a bit of TV, go to bed, and then have to get up early the next day to start all over again?

It sounds so hard isn't it?

Honestly, it's not really. Think about what you normally do for those 3 hours between 6:30 and 9:30. Probably nothing important or worthwhile. You might as well use the time that you'd be otherwise spending lying around doing nothing.

The last thing I'll say is that study has much more to do with what you get done than how long you spend at it. Looking around me during supervised study last year I remember seeing loads of people who were just reading their textbooks, doing **** all study really and yet thinking they'd done 3 hours studying....

I did 3 hours supervised study 4 days a week in 6th year, only about 50% of the time was it actual study.

Jack Sheehan

Studying does not come down to time. There is a huge difference between 2 hour of making notes, exam questions and active study and 2 hours of staring at a book. The main point of notes is not that you have a condensed form of the information but that you have made it yourself and are therefore more likely to remember it.

Overheal

sd123 wrote: »

QFT, one hour a night of proper study is more than enough although I ended up doing bout 6 hours a day the week before, and what's this crap I hear of wasting time on homework, If you don't think the homework is beneficial and the time would be better spent studying, then don't do homework, although you will have to listen to giving out from teachers. But, at the end of the day, it's your LC and you have to decide the best thing for yourself.

What were your points? No prize pig I'm guessing.

Children, 3 hours of study is what you should be at. Lets be serious. Now you can do the cram thing but its not recommended. Cramming involves a lot of strategy - guesstimating what will come up and learning to recite data like a parrot. Its a gamble. Its too early in the year to be thinking about.

Get yourself into your afternoon study classes: dont worry a whole lot about fitting every subject into that 3 hours. If you want to get meaningful study done on a subject in my opinion you'll spend at least 1 hour per subject. However if you find yourself being completely unproductive studying one subject - switch to another. Don't stare at a physics definition for 3 hours assuming that if you read the text forwards and backwards something that you are having trouble understanding will magically pop: if you find yourself stuck like that longer than 15-20 minutes: then move on. Note the problem to ask your teacher the next day.

I got 410 points studying 3-5 hours a day average with 8-10 hours per day in the 2-3 weeks surrounding exams.

ZorbaTehZ

Overheal wrote: »

What were your points? No prize pig I'm guessing.

Sd is studying medicine at Trinity.

Overheal wrote: »

I got 410 points studying 3-5 hours a day average with 8-10 hours per day in the 2-3 weeks surrounding exams.

I didn't. And I got 590.
JC 2K3 (above) got 570 points.

As someone said already, one glove does not fit all.

mp3guy

Quality, not quantity, which has already been said. Just set out what you're going to do each day, like, 2 maths paper questions, 2 french letters, all comparative quotes or something.

That is not even nearly enough if you actually want to do well.

3 hours a night including homework = Stupidity.