How you studied for Leaving Cert?

Evernal

How did you study for your Leaving Cert, like what methods did you use, notes etc. and how did you revise and for how long for in fifth year and 6th year? and how many points do you speculate you will get as a result of your studying techniques?

sock.rocker*

well i just kept up in fifth year.. never studied but knew what was goin on

in sixth year, i did the same until bout easter and then i started doin some study.. like 1-2 hours a day
then in the last 3-4 weeks, i crammed pretty good

i think i'll get bout 440 points, btw i was doin all higher except for irish

angeldelight

In fifth year I made out notes for whatever we were doing in my own writing, don't like learning from books and studied a bit, moreso coming up to christmas and summer exams, just reading over them a couple of times.

In sixth year I made out notes for the rest of the courses. The way I used to learn was read it out loud, then close the book/notes and pretend to be teaching it to someone, explaining it. If there were any diagrams (I did a lot of science) I practiced drawing them out and then I just did all the exam questions on a particular area, gave them to my teacher to correct.

By the end of 6th year I was doing a lot of study - 8 hrs some saturdays and sundays, as many as i could fit in during the week but that was partly cause i enjoyed the subjects i was doing and partly cause i knew i needed to do well. got 590 so paid off. That was LC 2004.

EdgarAllenPoo

I never "studied" I only did about five past papers in total for eight subjects (and that's not five for each subject). I couldn't bring myself to study mainly because I don't really know how to study properly and since I was doing the LC from home that meant I didn't do very much at all.

What I like to do is read things several times, each time as the material becomes more familiar the pace I read at quickens and each time I read the stuff the memroy of it is reinforced. That's handy for subjects like english,biology,business and history which are all my strong subjects but it's less than ideal for things like maths.

defiantshrimp

I think the best way to tackle the Leaving is to study at a constant rate throughout all of 6th year. Hit the ground running so to speak. I did it and I was able to easy up on work and relax when the leaving cert rolled around this June while my friends were freaking out and saying they should have studied more and so on. As regards studying do whatever works best for you. I can’t stand making notes and I used to get more frustrated than anything making them, so I didn’t make them. That said a lot of my subjects were more doing than rote-learning (applied maths, physics, economics and so on) so I didn’t have to. For those subjects with a bit more learning I found reading the text books and testing myself worked just fine (but I didn’t do History or Classics or any other very essay heavy subject). For maths/applied maths all you need to do are problems and more problems and learn (better yet understand) the few theorem floating around. The most important thing for every subject is to constantly test yourself and if you can’t answer something find out the answer. Best of luck future 6th years!

phantom_lord

I made out notes for nearly every sub, i just barely ticked over in fifth and 6th kinda just keeping up with what was going on but not doing muh else. If i did more than half an hour a night iwas doing well i didn't do much at the weekends, really all i did was two and a half/three weeks at the end. For me that's all i needed and the way i prefer doing things, anywayi think i got around 570 and to be honest i doubt doinghours everydayin 5/6year would have made a difference but that's just me. I kinda wonder about the people in fifth year i saw in the library at weekends. Will they remember any of that on the day?

phantom_lord

defiantshrimp wrote:

(but I didn’t do History or Classics or any other very essay heavy subject).

Hmm I thought they were the easist type to do...just me i guess.

Vikings

I didnt study, and ill pay the price in two weeks.

The best thing you can do is pay attention in class over the two years, then when it comes to 6th year around christmas, hit the books. Cover your worst subjects for the mocks, and study them well, keep doing the past papers. Not much more you can do. Take a week or two off after the mocks and then hit the books again, make notes for your best subjects first, do them the best you can and then use them techniques for the subjects that you detest, it should make them easier.

bounceymousey

i didnt stop studying until i knew what i learnt off!! Theres no point studying for hours on end if u cant even remember what you learnt. Thats why i doesn't matter how many hours u put in, its what you learn!!! I hope i got 475 or 480!!! Realistically, 440.

Mina Loy

ha haa..crammed like **** for two weeks beforehand but i honestly could not give a tossssssssssgasm about the whole thing anymore life is too short m'dears

derek27

i originally left school in 2nd year before even sitting the junior cert. fiveyears after, i realised i'd made a mistake. i contactedthe dept. of education and asked about sitting the LC as an external candidate. no problems, but i had no support or guidance on hat even had to be studied... no teachers, and my education to that date was only as high as 2nd year. i spent almost a year studying math, english, physics, chemistry, biology and home ec sc.+s. at home on my own. i purchased all the booksand basically decided thatwhateverwas in those LC bookshad to be learned. sat those 6 at HL in the1997LC and got 540 points outof it. only thing that made that happen as my own determination to further my education and self discipline. i dont really think that there is such a thing as stupid people when it comes to academic achievement, just people who dont bother to plan to do well as a result of a lack of belief in their ability or just laziness.

Mina Loy

I had no idea you could do that.. I would have..if i knew..****ing hated my school..I changed to another and hated it so I had to repeat 5th year back in my old school and all my mates had moved to 6th year..was grand til they left..then i went insane.. teeh. :eek:

abercrombie

decided to resurrect this thread....jst wondering people's different methods of studying...

Binomate

I got 160 points in my mocks with out studying. I worked in school from the mocks on and started studying about a week and a half before the exams and cramed through out the exams and I got 310 which was more than enough for what I needed.

abercrombie

somehow i dont thinki'll be doing that...i need a minimum of 530 pts stupid exams

d4gurl

Yeh I need about 550 :eek: If I dont get it its not the end of the world only I wont get my car! lol! there are back doors and different ways to get what you want! If I dont get my first chocie, 2nd or third then Ill just find somehting else to do not going to repeat!! School has only started for me a week! Im going over all 5th year work which is great because it means when I get home I just read over. Ill have a chemistry exam every week, and an exam in everything else in two weeks! If I keep up with homework and study for those test make notes etc... Im sure it will work! fingers crossed anyway!

abercrombie

what do you wanna do and what college??

Funkstard

I'm just keeping up with homework and studying for whatever tests come up ATM. I'm aiming for 545. I want to do Architecture. If I don't get the points I'll do Structural Engineering & Architecture which was 510 this year. If I want to do Architecture in UL or DIT I won't need as many points as you get points for the interview & portfolio.

I'm worried about my portfolio mostly at the moment, not sure what to do

RobVanDamager2

d4gurl wrote:

Yeh I need about 550 :eek: If I dont get it its not the end of the world only I wont get my car! lol! there are back doors and different ways to get what you want! If I dont get my first chocie, 2nd or third then Ill just find somehting else to do not going to repeat!! School has only started for me a week! Im going over all 5th year work which is great because it means when I get home I just read over. Ill have a chemistry exam every week, and an exam in everything else in two weeks! If I keep up with homework and study for those test make notes etc... Im sure it will work! fingers crossed anyway!

Oh look, a flying pig.

PaulJC

d4gurl wrote:

Yeh I need about 550 :eek: If I dont get it its not the end of the world only I wont get my car! lol! there are back doors and different ways to get what you want! If I dont get my first chocie, 2nd or third then Ill just find somehting else to do not going to repeat!! School has only started for me a week! Im going over all 5th year work which is great because it means when I get home I just read over. Ill have a chemistry exam every week, and an exam in everything else in two weeks! If I keep up with homework and study for those test make notes etc... Im sure it will work! fingers crossed anyway!

Institute by any chance?

Yeah I nedd 500-ish for B&L Studies in UCD........classes start 830 every morning,then I do supervised study til 8 every night. Not too bad but Mondays r a bitch, only 3 classes!!!

abercrombie

PaulJC wrote:

Institute by any chance?

Yeah I nedd 500-ish for B&L Studies in UCD........classes start 830 every morning,then I do supervised study til 8 every night. Not too bad but Mondays r a bitch, only 3 classes!!!

only 3 classes...:rolleyes:

d4gurl

RobVanDamager2 wrote:

Oh look, a flying pig.

Oh look a d ick head!

Quote PaulJC:

Institute by any chance?

Yeah I nedd 500-ish for B&L Studies in UCD........classes start 830 every morning,then I do supervised study til 8 every night. Not too bad but Mondays r a bitch, only 3 classes!!!

Yes I'm in the institute! I only have 8.30 morning on Thursday and Friday! Your luky, you only have three classes! The least I have is four on a Wednesday and the most is sevan on a thursday! I do after skool study till about half six but then I sometimes have to do an hour when I come home!

Oh abercrombie my dear, I want pharmacy in Trinity! If not I'll do a Science degree in either UCD or Trinity! If god forbid I dont get Science well then ther is always DIT! My perogative is to stay positive and try not to get too stressed!

abercrombie

exactly!!! i want law with french law in ucd...if not, law and french in ucc...if i dont get that...i'm thinking radiography in ucd...but hopefully i'll get my 1st choice

patzer117

I'll tell you exactly how i studied - I'd do my homework when I got home from school (around 6 usually), then I'd have some food. After that I'd watch some tv. No study untill bedtime when I'd hop in and read my books in bed until I fell asleep - could be in 5 minutes, could be an hour, usually no more than 20 minutes. I simply couldn't stand sitting at a desk at home.

As soon as school ended I started cramming, as you do, but never more than 5 hours a day, and it was always either in the school library or in bed/the sofa.

I got my course, comfortably with 515 points and thoroughly enjoyed sixth year - debated, played sports, was a prefect, went to plenty of 18ths etc. No matter what you can always repeat the leaving cert, but you can't ever repeat your last year with all your friends. Enjoy it as much as you can.

And lastly as a warning, i got really sick just before the leaving cert began, and was in bed from the Thursday beforehand untill the Tuesday afternoon - the day before it began. I was basically hungover for English maths and Irish. Don't be stupid and leave ALL study till the last weeks, they should be topups - i paid heavily for it (maths Irish and English my worst 3 by two grades) cause i didn't know the stuff.

Best of luck to all of you sixth years

lazylad

I done my leavin and passed.:D

I never studies and couldnt study. I found it impossible! All I got was mistreatment from ignorant teachers who were placed here from the midlands. They were so ignorant it was unreal!! If you werent this and that they would ignore you!

I often lashed out at them and got near suspended for it but I know they were only looking out for teaching their class now. they had a hard job. they went on strike in third year and there was a load of student marches. It was brillant I got to watch jerry springer on tv when I was suppost to be doing my mocks!
Now im outa education,
to make it worse I was an townie put into secondary school with farmers. God am I sorry I didnt go to the cbs or tek.

aidob

same here,

BARELY studied , was told I would fail my Leaving Cert , and was regularly asked , "Why are you here" ?

still came out wit 255 points at the end of the day , dont know really how I did it ,

But ,

if you listen in class , go over a few bit now and again , but really concentrate the last month or 2 (even if its just in class) do it ......

it can be passed no bothers , oh ye a nice little cram session before each exam , maths formulas etc... , notes on plays (even crappy bullet point things all get you marks) .