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How much did you/do you plan to study in 6th year?

  • 24-08-2011 5:53pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,305 ✭✭✭


    Just out of interest, whats the general consensus on how much study to do starting from when we get back? Including homework, but specify if you get lots of homework or none.

    EDIT: Yup per night. :)

    How many hours? 83 votes

    0-1
    0% 0 votes
    1-2
    19% 16 votes
    2-3
    8% 7 votes
    3-4
    25% 21 votes
    5-6
    37% 31 votes
    6+
    9% 8 votes


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,299 ✭✭✭paulmclaughlin


    Per night?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,234 ✭✭✭thetonynator


    What happens if you did 4.5 hours?! :P


  • Registered Users Posts: 94 ✭✭hanleyc2


    Personally I left most of my studying to the 2 months leading up to the Leaving Cert as I found that worked for me both for the LC and for college exams. I did a Leaving Cert Exam course during the Easter holidays (basically telling us what sections of what papers to concentrate on).

    Up to Easter I probably spent 1.5 hours on homework each night on average, and probably did a bit of extra study cramming just before the mocks.

    If I had studied all year long I would have forgotten a lot of it come June. Cramming seems to work best for me.

    Not advising this approach, just saying what worked for me.


  • Registered Users Posts: 738 ✭✭✭crazy cabbage


    start of the year i basicly just did my homework cause i spent an unreal amount of time at my DCG project. after mocks i did bout 1.5-2.5 hours per night including homework (i did all the mathisy subjects so i wouldn't have to much pure learing off;))
    last few weeks then i did maby 4-5 hours. got 475

    this is just me but it really depends on what you want to do and what subjects you are doing.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    Start - Christmas
    1-2 hours for the most part, had days where I just did my homework and nothing more. Came up with preliminary designs for my Engineering project over the first mid term, did absolutely nothing whatsoever over Christmas. Listened to French radio weekly for an hour. Most study was done in a public library.

    After Christmas - February
    1-2 hours regularly. Began HPAT practice. Practiced my oral French in a mirror for about an hour every two weeks or so.

    Two weeks up to and during Mock
    3-4 hours daily.

    Mock - Oral/Practical examinations
    Back to 2 hours daily. Began practice for Engineering practical and French/Irish oral.

    April - End of May
    2-3 hours a day revision (Mainly HL Maths).

    First week of June
    4 hours a day at the very most. Sometimes a bit less.

    The night before every exam
    Whenever I woke up/Finished an exam - 2AM with short breaks every once in a while. All nighter before Biology as I had neglected it all year.


    Ended up with 555 (Pending appeal which could bring me up to 565).

    It may not seem very organised but it certainly worked for me.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 566 ✭✭✭seriouslysweet


    Quality, not quantity. I love how our school has us in for 2 hours today and tomorrow of study skills, means we'll hopefully know what we're at...hopefully!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,305 ✭✭✭Chuchoter


    On the subject of orals, who fancies doing a group skype french chat like 40 minutes a week? Irish also?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    Chuchoter wrote: »
    On the subject of orals, who fancies doing a group skype french chat like 40 minutes a week? Irish also?
    I had the same idea last year (And the year before)...

    It never ends up working.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,148 ✭✭✭plein de force


    during normal school times i did between 3-4 hours a night
    like
    1.5 hours of after school study
    then when i got home i'd study/homework from 6:30-9:00
    don't stick to one thing though
    seriously, study timetables will be your friend this year, keeps you on track

    also during mid terms and all make an ammended study timetable so you don't end up not knowing what to do next and end up on the sofa watching TV


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,391 ✭✭✭Mysteriouschic


    Seeing how last year I messed up this year . Last year I tried making a timetable it lasted 2/3 days. Then did bits and pieces , didn't really study well. I'm taking it more seriously. Studying from September.
    Gonna try and do 5/6 hours after school and not watch tv or anything until I've finished at 9/10pm and sleep earlier. I'd get the homework done first. I'd go over everything every few weeks so I don't forget anything.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 712 ✭✭✭teenagedream


    Study can't be measured in time. You can sit and write out notes for an hour doesn't mean you've learned anything. Saying
    "I did 5 hours of study last night" means nothing. If you learn 5 quotes in 20 mins but one line of irish in an hour than you need to find a new way of learning. I learn from constant testing. And I cannot learn from reading. Find what works for you now and don't be stressing yourself out about in December.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,962 ✭✭✭jumpguy


    Chuchoter wrote: »
    On the subject of orals, who fancies doing a group skype french chat like 40 minutes a week? Irish also?
    If you *could* get something like that going, it's great. One of my friends is a fluent German speaker, and on the run-up to the orals we'd practise, it was great!

    As for study, do as much as needed. Study for upcoming tests, pay attention in school and do your homework. That should be plenty. I always tried to go from 6PM-10PM most nights, that included homework. At one point I started going to bed at 9PM and getting up at 5AM, but that only worked for a while before my discipline gave way!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,678 ✭✭✭TrustedApple


    Last year one I done my LC

    At the beginning of the year I was doing 3 hours a day and I was getting mustly B's in every thing. I was doing my nightly 2 pages of English homework

    Then came the pre mocks I got 400 I got doing less and less after that

    The a 2 Weaks before the mocks I got my self a PS3 which ended up in me getting 220 points in my mocks but I haveint opened a book since X-Mess

    The only bit of studying undone was the weak before the LC where I done at max 10 hours of studying

    I ended up with 310 points and passed every thing 4HL passes and 2OL passes all C's and I was very happy with that considering I never whent to school our opened a book

    But when I was in college for the little bit I was I was getting about 75 to 85% in every test I was doing but I hated what I was doing

    So I hope to got to college this year and work my ass of for my 1.1 which is a dream but after nearly a year i won't to make the best of my 2nd go at college


  • Registered Users Posts: 70 ✭✭BazDel


    I personally believe that the most important things to do are Listen in class and Do your Homework. Failing to this will make it so much harder to 'study' when you have a test or whatever.

    Throughout 6th year I kept up with my work and learned for any test I had (Class, Christmas, Pre). Other than this I didn't study (as in set aside time to learn stuff) until a week or 2 before the Leaving Cert.

    I came on to say this as last year I was pretty frightened by all the talk of 'You gotta study _ hours a day not to fail' and people asking 'How many hours do you study'. It makes the LC experience sound very daunting to people who haven't experienced it, unnecessarily so in my opinion.

    I know this may not work for everyone and I was lucky in the fact the course I wanted was well within my reach. It was roughly 380 the previous years and jumped to 400 this year.

    In my Leaving Cert I got 460 which I was very happy with, but again for people looking for courses with higher points doing what I did probably is advisable :p

    Once again, Listen and Do your work :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,164 ✭✭✭Konata


    I did my LC in 2008 and got 8 A1s.

    I studied right from the get go in 5th year. Did all my homework, studied for a few hours at the weekend, not an excessive amount as I usually had piles of homework to do anyway. Increased the study coming up to Christmas/Summer exams.

    6th year I would do homework from 5.30 - 7/8 and then study until 10. So working from 5.30 - 10 but during that I would take a half hour break to practice dancing so really it was 4 hours a day. Twice a week I had a dance class so those nights I only got my homework done.

    Weekends were where I did most of my work. I would get up by 9/9.30 and be studying by 10. If I had no plans for the day, I'd study until 10 at night with breaks for meals, dancing and other activities. After Christmas this was my regular routine every weekend. I studied during all mid term breaks and during Christmas and Easter too.

    Of course, it's all about quality, not quantity. I was a good exam student and did most of my study using exam papers and comparing them to marking schemes. English was my worst subject so I spent A LOT of time writing and re-writing comparative/poetry/drama essays. I covered myself in every subject - learnt 5 poets, learnt a range of Irish essays etc. etc. so that I'd be highly unlikely to be stuck in a question. You need to be smart about what you learn - there's no point in studying for hours unless it's gonna come up on the exam. Textbooks contain a lot of waffle and are really only good for making notes.

    I found that study timetables didn't work for me. Instead, I made out lists of things I needed to learn or revise or make notes on or whatever. I'd have a little goal list for each study session and felt good when I could tick an item off. Sometimes I didn't get everything on the list done, other times I had extra time but you soon get a general idea of what you can fit into any space of time.

    I started making notes in 5th year. In Physics and Chemistry I had notepads that contained all my notes - I didn't use the textbook once the course was finished. For every exam I did, those notes were all I used. It's so much quicker to study them than rooting through the textbook waffle plus the info will go into your brain when you write them out the first time and can then be revised. I was always improving on the notes, adding in extra bits as time went on or sentences from marking schemes and that sorta thing.

    I will give a word of warning here. Study was nearly an addiction for me. I was wracked with anxiety and guilt if I didn't spend every possible moment studying. I didn't use the internet except for exam related things, I didn't watch TV or films or play games. I took part in Irish dance class for 2 hours twice a week and attended a few local competitions throughout the year. I went out but only for big things like birthdays etc. and I was always up early again the next morning no matter how tired I was. Basically, all I did for 5th & 6th year was study and dance.

    If I could turn back the clock, I'd make more of my 6th year. I'd spend more time with friends and I'd partake in hobbies more - even if it's just watching TV or playing a video game. Nobody NEEDS 8 A1s, nobody NEEDS 600 points. I was happy I got them, sure but after dropping out of 2 college courses - due mainly to getting extremely mentally ill when I realised I couldn't keep up that kind of study perfection forever - I now know that it wasn't worth it. Not in the least. I didn't know what I liked or what my interests were after the LC cause I'd never spent the time developing them. Hence, I didn't know what I wanted to study in college. Now, 3 years later, I'm FINALLY starting a course I'm interested in and that I WANT to do. All the points in the world aren't worth a shít if you aren't happy.

    So my advice is to keep on top of things during 5th & 6th year. It's never too late to start studying. Be smart with your study or you'll be wasting your time. Make your own notes so you don't have to root through textbook waffle every time you try to revise. Remember that you will never be able to cover everything and that you will always feel like you could've done more. That's the way the LC works - I felt like that and came out with A1s in everything. And finally - the LC is NOT everything. It feels like it at the time but it's not. So do your study and be diligent but don't take it to the extremes. 6th year especially is about so much more than study - there's an awful lot of life lessons to learn that year. Make the most of your time and try to find a balance between work and play.

    Good luck :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,819 ✭✭✭EuropeanSon


    tl;dr :P

    Just kidding, some good advice there.

    I did all my homework to the best of my ability (no cutting corners) which amounted to 1-2 hours per night (usually 1), up until April, after which I started doing a couple of hours of study most nights and on Saturday mornings. I'd always stop doing stuff by 8pm at the latest on weekdays.

    I went crazy on studying History in the two weeks before the LC, learning the entire course pretty much to perfection (even now, a year later, I can still remember the exact sequence of events and dates and all the characters involved in the Hungarian Uprising, for examlpe), doing 4-5 hours per day, 3 of which were probably History. I ended up with 580, 5A1s, a B2 and 2 B3s (including an A1 in History).


  • Registered Users Posts: 855 ✭✭✭joshrogan


    0-1 hours all day err'day up until a week before the exams, I stretched it to a whopping 2 hours/day. I got 380 points, not the best but I was never motivated to do brilliantly in the leaving cert.


  • Registered Users Posts: 764 ✭✭✭floutingmaxims


    Did shag all and got my first choice. Got 355 points. Wouldnt advise being a lazy bugger like me though. The lead up to results is torture as is coming out of an exam thinking youve failed. Being lazy and relaxed for the most part of two years may have worked out but sweet jaysus the stress during and after the actual LC!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 239 ✭✭sganyfx


    Nothing less than 6, I need to go to Oxbridge ^_^ I will need 625 points for that.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 774 ✭✭✭stealinhorses


    Big homework, such as history and English essays were left for the weekend. Then, I could spend up to 5 hours on an essay, if that was needed. Otherwise, all other homework was done on the day I got it, and the time depended solely on how long it took me to do everything.
    My only real intense study period came during the Easter Holidays. I had the house to myself for two weeks and got cracking at the books, mostly during the night, for two up to five hours at a time. Since I completely winged the mocks, I felt much better after Easter and looked forward to the exams.
    As they approached, I got cold feet and lost interest in studying, ended up watching a lot of TV series and movies and finding ways to procrastinate my studying. I would look over stuff the night before, and walk in with high hopes that I could get by on the information I've retained from listening in class and doing study during Easter. It all worked out well for me in the end, but I approach learning and exams in a very specific way, so it's hard for me to recommend any particular length of time needed for study to sow the seeds of success.
    I'd advise everyone to go with their gut, since you all know your abilities :).


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,298 ✭✭✭Namlub


    sganyfx wrote: »
    Nothing less than 6, I need to go to Oxbridge ^_^ I will need 625 points for that.
    o_O


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 721 ✭✭✭mk6705


    The first thing to remember is that study is different for everyone. The second is that the leaving cert is quite a badly designed exam, and it can be a mistake to think that rote learning sometimes very predictable information makes you intelligent.

    Personally, I started off saying to myself in August last year that I would come home after the first day and start studying. I did too. However it lasted for about two days. I tried to pay attention in class. At first this worked out, but for various reasons I found this unsustainable and sometimes had big lapses in concentration, lasting for a few hours. In some classes I couldn't resist the temptation to talk. I started evening study about a week in. One of the big advantages of this two hour period is that I got my homework done (The majority of the time). When I finished my homework however, I rarely studied. After a long, tiring day I (a) put down my head to rest or (b) Took out and stared at a book without studying. My mocks started at Christmas. We had maths, English and Irish paper ones then. However due to snow and ice, we had them after Christmas. Which was terrible because if there's one thing I didn't do, it was study over Christmas. So I decided I would study for the rest in February. I ended up doing very little however. So I ended up getting about 200 points in the mocks. Now I was a little sick that week, but by in large it was lack of effort. That 200 or so points was the best thing that ever happened. It was the motivation that I needed. While I didn't really study straight away, I paid a lot more attention in class. I made sure to do quite well in my orals and at times gave up my lunchtime to practise with the teachers. They turned out well and I was happy. At Easter I did a revision course which provided me with great notes and helped a lot. At the end of April I decided it was time to start studying. And I did. A teacher in our school organised Saturday study which helped a lot. I did that and found it was the most productive time possible. I couldn't study very well at home, but I could in school on a Saturday morning. Everyone was after getting up early on a Saturday morning, so no one was even awake enough to distract anyone. This helped a lot. I also used my time in evening study during the week to do exam papers (and very importantly correct them myself/have a teacher correct them) and also studied during the day when a class wasn't worth attending (Ie. Religion (Not exam subject) or OL Irish). In the gap week between graduation and the leaving, I did block study in a grind school. This was extremely tiring, but very beneficial. I did study then exam papers. This method worked well for me. In the evening, I used marking schemes to correct my work. I then worked on my weak areas. Book examples were also handy to bridge the gap between study and exam papers. I also did Saturday study in the same grind school for the Saturday before and first during the leaving. In all my time studying, most of it was spent on HL maths. Anyway I did the leaving. The nights and days before the exams I focused on predictions, exam papers and marking schemes. After the horrid maths paper one, I was dreading failing maths all summer. I worked things out, and thought I should have gotten at least 320, provided that I passed maths. My course was 315 last year, so I was hopeful, but still had an irrational fear of failing maths. I didn't however, and got a D1 :). I got 415 in the end, and my course went up by 15 points. So at the end of the day, I got 85 points more than required.

    My advice is: Stress is inevitable if you want to get anything at all in the leaving. Exam papers and marking schemes are invaluable. Study can not be measured in hours. People saying they did X hours of study is just stupid. It measures nothing. It's better to aim to get something done, than aim to do a certain amount of hours of study. I never gave up doing what I enjoy and spent a reasonable amount of time visiting friends in college, going to matches, occasionally drinking, going to the cinema etc. (This makes me tick, you're not me, so adjust accordingly :) ) So remember, until you're motivated, nothing is going to happen!


  • Registered Users Posts: 176 ✭✭sdiff


    sganyfx wrote: »
    Nothing less than 6, I need to go to Oxbridge ^_^ I will need 625 points for that.
    Don't you need a bit more then 625 points? I plan on getting 625 but I don't think I'll be able to go to Oxbridge... if I had set my mind to it at the start of fifth year I could have practiced for the STEP and gotten some juicy stuff on my CV but meh :/ i'll avail of the free third level we have and go for postgrad if needed :cool:


  • Registered Users Posts: 239 ✭✭sganyfx


    sdiff wrote: »
    Don't you need a bit more then 625 points? I plan on getting 625 but I don't think I'll be able to go to Oxbridge... if I had set my mind to it at the start of fifth year I could have practiced for the STEP and gotten some juicy stuff on my CV but meh :/ i'll avail of the free third level we have and go for postgrad if needed :cool:
    625 is the highest amount of points no?

    Their standard offer for LC is AAAAA so if I get predictions of A1A1A1A1A1A1A1 I doubt I would be rejected ^_^


  • Registered Users Posts: 176 ✭✭sdiff


    sganyfx wrote: »
    625 is the highest amount of points no?

    Their standard offer for LC is AAAAA so if I get predictions of A1A1A1A1A1A1A1 I doubt I would be rejected ^_^
    I thought that to get into oxbridge you need some outstanding stuff on your CV. I could be wrong though


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,292 ✭✭✭LilMissCiara


    sganyfx wrote: »
    625 is the highest amount of points no?

    Their standard offer for LC is AAAAA so if I get predictions of A1A1A1A1A1A1A1 I doubt I would be rejected ^_^

    Do you realize that thousands of people apply for each course in Oxbridge, a small number of them get an interview and an even smaller number get an offer. I'm not saying you won't get an offer but at the same time I wouldn't be so sure to say 'I doubt I would be rejected'.


  • Registered Users Posts: 239 ✭✭sganyfx


    sdiff wrote: »
    I thought that to get into oxbridge you need some outstanding stuff on your CV. I could be wrong though

    Oxbridge is purely academic EC does not help at all.
    Do you realize that thousands of people apply for each course in Oxbridge, a small number of them get an interview and an even smaller number get an offer. I'm not saying you won't get an offer but at the same time I wouldn't be so sure to say 'I doubt I would be rejected'.

    Only some courses have more than a few hundred applications per courses at Cambridge, the interview rate is actually pretty high, although you gotta give a good interview. I understand it won't be easy but having none perfect grades won't help.


  • Registered Users Posts: 120 ✭✭That Handsome Devil


    sganyfx wrote: »
    Oxbridge is purely academic EC does not help at all.

    Yes but you still need some EC that you can relate back to your chosen subject. (is hopeful for cambridge this year)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 341 ✭✭BL1993


    I think the better question is how much time are you going to spend getting drunk this year.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 584 ✭✭✭Skintwin


    September - Christmas
    About 4 hours a night (that's homework AND study (I'm not deranged :pac:)

    Christmas - 1st week of February
    Had swine flu, so if I did two hours in the total time frame, I'd be surprised

    The week of the Pre's
    About 7 hours a day (we were given study classes during school)

    Pre's - Easter
    About 4 hours a night again

    Easter - The LC
    About 6 hours a night, not including school hours.

    Came out with 460, after beng 100% that I'd fail Maths and French!


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