Calling all 500+ students ! Advice?

CatEyed92

500+ ??

I will be repeating. I received 400 in 2011 and want 500+ this year!
Instead of making silly study plans etc like last time, I just need clear advice that works!

What I have come up with so far for everyday/week consistantly:

- Study class during day - revise a chapter/ do some h/w / make notes
- Answer homework to exam standard in evenings/study class (1.5hr)
- Reviewing + learning days work in the weekday evening after h/w (2.5 - 3hr)
- Weekend - reviewing and revising the week's work /chapters - revise and exam questions to self test.
- Study like a maniac on midterms etc etc

- Will work 1 shift @ weekends

I need 500. Is this enough?

Meowth

That's way too much in my opinion but each to their own. Id advise just doing your homework well and to A standard all the time. Id start properly studying/revising after Christmas sometime. If you go at it hammer and tongs from the beginning you'll tire yourself out.
On the work side of things, one shift a week should be fine, I did more and still got in the 500s. It may be good for you and keep the lc off your mind for a few hours.
Anyways best of luck

loser2k12

You can definitely do it with that approach! Remember to take some time for yourself or you'll have a blowout. I'm not going to say it's easy but you did get 400 points last year so you have a very good foundation to build on. my old friends are always the exam papers & don't do what I did and try to predict everything that is going to come up to give yourself less work because it only gets you worried before the exam that you won't be able to answer everything! i.e English, History, Geog etc.

You can definitely do this and best of luck to you. Like I said, do not overwork. I slacked off allllllll the time.

Ficheall

Meowth wrote: »

go at it hammer and thongs

That conjured up an odd image :pac:


OP - to be honest, that looks like another one of those "silly study plans" to which you refer. You'll burn out. You need some downtime. As Meowth said, just ace your homework this side of Christmas.
You seem to be setting out to do well in the exam, which is obviously your ultimate aim, but instead of trying to prepare and learn answers from the get-go, which is what you seem to be planning, I'd focus on making sure you understood what you're doing in class. Think about topics, mull them over, investigate any issues you're confused on, let it all make sense in your head. After Christmas you can start lobbing everything into quality exam answer format.

Togepi

I repeated and went from the 400s to the 500s (up 95 points) so I'll just give you any advice I can think of.

Study plans don't always work, just a heads up. I made a few last September and I don't think I stuck to any of them even for one day. That's just me, but I'm just saying they don't suit all of us, so if you find it's not working for you, then try something else. Despite not sticking to them, I did study though! I think it's easier to say 'I'll get this, this and this done this evening' instead of saying X minutes of English every Monday, Y minutes of Maths, etc. You're not always going to be in the mood for studying what's on your timetable, or evening studying much full stop, but some nights you might find you're really focused and want to do a bit extra while you can concentrate more.

I think the best thing to do is set goals. Seriously, just get a little copy or a notebook, have a page in it for every day, and before every evening of study or homework, jot down whatever you need to get done, even if it's as small as just doing one part of a Maths question, it still feels great to cross it off and you can see that you're getting stuff done, so it's motivational. I started this in the latter half of the year and it worked well for me, I definitely recommend trying it out and seeing if it works for you.

Don't waste any study classes! I had tonnes of them last year, and most repeats get sick of them soon enough, but I just saw them as an opportunity to get stuff done, as I found it harder to concentrate at home with distractions like the internet, phone, etc.

Try to learn from any mistakes you may have made last year, and make sure to give enough time to each subject - don't just spend ages at your favourite one and neglecting one you need to work on.

Most of all, take breaks, have a hobby or two to help you relax and forget all about the Leaving Cert, and don't go overboard on the study, it's more important that you're happy and healthy than it is to get loads of points.

Good luck!

leaveiton

Togepi wrote: »

I think the best thing to do is set goals. Seriously, just get a little copy or a notebook, have a page in it for every day, and before every evening of study or homework, jot down whatever you need to get done, even if it's as small as just doing one part of a Maths question, it still feels great to cross it off and you can see that you're getting stuff done, so it's motivational. I started this in the latter half of the year and it worked well for me, I definitely recommend trying it out and seeing if it works for you.

This is what I'd recommend doing too. General study plans don't really work, in my experience. It's a lot easier to just take each day as it comes. When you sit down to do your homework/study, say to yourself "Right, what do I need to get done tonight?" and then write down a list, e.g.

Maths: 2011 Q3
Irish: Answer on Geibheann
French: Comprehension
etc

And once you have all your homework written down, then you can decide what you want to study. Don't forget that doing homework is just as valuable as studying! So if there's a night where you have a lot of homework, take a break from any study, or just do something small like a few maths questions, or making out some notes for English. Don't get too hung up on having to do X amount of hours a night. I usually set myself 4 hours, but if there was a night where I got light homework and didn't have much to study for, I might find myself done after 2 and a half hours, and then I'd just call it a night! You need breaks every now and then, so embrace any times like that

I'd also advise to study for any class tests really well - it'll make everything a lot easier when it comes to revising it "for real" when the LC comes around.

What subjects are you doing? People might be able to advise you on how to get high grades in each specific subject

amymak

My two big tips for getting 500+ points are:

• Attend class
• Do your homework

I really did little to no "study" (except homework) except in the immediate lead up to Christmas exams and the mocks. I found that I had more than enough homework to keep me going. 4 hours on a good night. It was often 5 or 6.
I definitely found after the orals that I was feeling burned out. I kept doing my homework, but I found that I did little enough in that school-free week before the LC started.
Being in school is the best way to get stuff done. Even if you're tired or feeling unmotivated, stuff will stick. I know people who were doing grinds in 4 subjects and missing school to "study at home". In the end, a lot of them didn't do as well as they'd hoped.

Also, be a constructive studier when you are studying. Don't just read, cover the book, try to remember them, check. If you're visual or kinesthetic learner, make sure that you're writing down bullet points or drawing diagrams. It helps the information to stick in your head long term. And don't dump those sheets when you're done. You can use them to revise later, when you don't have time to back over everything in detail. It's more difficult when you're an aural learner. It is awkward, but one of my friends tried taping herself and listening back to it. She said that it really worked.