....history again

Bididdlina

is anyone else terrified for history?? i'm having so much stress attacks recently with it, there just seems to be so much to do and no time to do it in. the exam format is absolutely HORRIBLE and i'm kacking myself. i can't write that much in that amount of time and i've TRIED repeatedly to give up the subject because it's takin away from my other 6 but my school won't let me! my history teacher is convinced i can get an A1 which is just NEVER going to happen!

somebody PLEASE make me feel better about this. how do i study for it now? i'm finished my mocks which i'm ashamed to say don't count for anything cos i knew what was on the paper. i just can't do this 3-pages-in-half-an-hour thing and i think i'm going to have a nervous breakdown!

help

Only Human

Bididdlina wrote:

is anyone else terrified for history?? i'm having so much stress attacks recently with it, there just seems to be so much to do and no time to do it in. the exam format is absolutely HORRIBLE and i'm kacking myself. i can't write that much in that amount of time and i've TRIED repeatedly to give up the subject because it's takin away from my other 6 but my school won't let me! my history teacher is convinced i can get an A1 which is just NEVER going to happen!

somebody PLEASE make me feel better about this. how do i study for it now? i'm finished my mocks which i'm ashamed to say don't count for anything cos i knew what was on the paper. i just can't do this 3-pages-in-half-an-hour thing and i think i'm going to have a nervous breakdown!

help

I know what you mean. My History mock is in less than two weeks away and I've to learn about 20 essays and my special topic. Its like being tied to down to a post, blindfolded and then having someone swing a sledgehammer at your face and missing by millimeters everytime. I supose if you just read through each chapter then maybe somehow link these History notes to them, then practice writing essays untill you hand shrivels up. Thats what im doing when im not being totaly distracted by the computer. Im screwed for the mocks but im determined to get my act togther for the Leaving Cert. Hopefully I'll get a C3 at least. Good Luck.

bp_me

Just to put things in perspective:

The mocks dont matter. I think I studied the night before each one, failed two or three of them. Put in some work for the actual LC and came out with 405. Im now in my second year of a college degree and quiet happy with my 405 ( compared to the 25% or so of my class who scored above 500)

Dont waste too much energy on the mocks and dont get stressed out. they are simply to give you an example of the type of question you might get. In my experience they werent marked correctly and I scored far better in the actual and someway important LC.

To the original poster:

relax, take a breth. now consider how much has to be done between now and the exam. realise that it is only a small amount of work each night. if that doesnt work for you, you can give up the subject and the school can't do anything about it, just mark withdrawn on the list of subjects you intend to sit exams for. But be sure this is the road you want to take as it will mean having only 6 subjects on your LC, which means if you need the points that you must sit 6 good exams with little room for error, but if you have 7, you could do one subject at a pass level. you can even switch on the day without your school knowing, but be sure to practice the different style paper well in advance so as not to be caught out on the day.

Bididdlina

Thanks!
I feel slightly better today, had a freak out las tnight

..........It's normal



right?

bp_me

Bididdlina wrote:

Thanks!
I feel slightly better today, had a freak out las tnight

..........It's normal



right?

From what I understand it is somewhat normal to worry about it. I never did, but then I was aiming for 350 or so, which I felt I could probably do in my sleep so....

Bididdlina

*hysterical laughter*

Bidi wants to be a doctor

*further hysterical laughter*

claire h

Breathe, breathe, breathe. I did my Leaving last year and I was *so* stressed about history and was absolutely *convinced* I was never going to be able to write enough to keep the examiners happy, because even when I wrote what I thought were good essays for my mock, I didn't do particularly well. And the format of the exam is a nightmare.

But. It is manageable. You can do it. I don't know how, I don't know why, but somehow, by the day of the exam, you will actually be able to write and write (and write and write) for 3 hrs 20 mins and finish 5 essays. You will get through it and it will be An Accomplishment deserving of capital letters. (I ended up with an A1, but I still consider actually surviving the exam a greater achievement. *grin*)

Three things:

1. Read your history books. As in, read, not study. Don't stress out about it. Just sit down with a cup of tea or hot chocolate or something and do a bit of reading when you're taking a break from more intensive stuff.
2. Find yourself a history buddy. It sounds incredibly sad but once you have a co-sufferer to test on stuff, it will help. Because saying things out loud does work, and saying them out loud to someone else works even better.
3. TIMELINES. They will save your life. Year, event, year, event. Put everything in order, because things are rarely in order in the books. Make out other notes as well, relating to specific topics, but just making out timelines will actually cover most topics that could come up.

See, once you know your stuff, you're going to be able to go in and just write on auto-pilot for the duration of the exam, and shake your hand out every half hour or so, and leave in agony, but with a finished paper. You can do it. Good luck!

(And now I shall go and contemplate becoming a motivational speaker for history students... heh.)

Only Human

claire h wrote:

Breathe, breathe, breathe. I did my Leaving last year and I was *so* stressed about history and was absolutely *convinced* I was never going to be able to write enough to keep the examiners happy, because even when I wrote what I thought were good essays for my mock, I didn't do particularly well. And the format of the exam is a nightmare.

But. It is manageable. You can do it. I don't know how, I don't know why, but somehow, by the day of the exam, you will actually be able to write and write (and write and write) for 3 hrs 20 mins and finish 5 essays. You will get through it and it will be An Accomplishment deserving of capital letters. (I ended up with an A1, but I still consider actually surviving the exam a greater achievement. *grin*)

Three things:

1. Read your history books. As in, read, not study. Don't stress out about it. Just sit down with a cup of tea or hot chocolate or something and do a bit of reading when you're taking a break from more intensive stuff.
2. Find yourself a history buddy. It sounds incredibly sad but once you have a co-sufferer to test on stuff, it will help. Because saying things out loud does work, and saying them out loud to someone else works even better.
3. TIMELINES. They will save your life. Year, event, year, event. Put everything in order, because things are rarely in order in the books. Make out other notes as well, relating to specific topics, but just making out timelines will actually cover most topics that could come up.

See, once you know your stuff, you're going to be able to go in and just write on auto-pilot for the duration of the exam, and shake your hand out every half hour or so, and leave in agony, but with a finished paper. You can do it. Good luck!

(And now I shall go and contemplate becoming a motivational speaker for history students... heh.)

Im trying to become obcessed with history. Its not working. Your method sounds easier.

Chucky the tree

Only Human wrote:

I know what you mean. My History mock is in less than two weeks away and I've to learn about 20 essays and my special topic. Its like being tied to down to a post, blindfolded and then having someone swing a sledgehammer at your face and missing by millimeters everytime. I supose if you just read through each chapter then maybe somehow link these History notes to them, then practice writing essays untill you hand shrivels up. Thats what im doing when im not being totaly distracted by the computer. Im screwed for the mocks but im determined to get my act togther for the Leaving Cert. Hopefully I'll get a C3 at least. Good Luck.

dont bother cramming for the the mocks, waste of time.

Learn off you specialist topic fully, and even if thats the only essay you know going into the mock then so be it. Just make sure to learn it off fully.

If you do, and have time to cover other essays then just cover essays for a certain section. Take section A and just learn the 2 or 3 set topics you have for that section. In the long run it will be much better for you.