Mt St Michaels Secondary School Exam and Study tips for State Examinations June2019 Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate students Mt St Michaels Secondary School

Do your best Don’t compare yourself to someone else

Know the exam timetable well Check the length of your exam and have calculated what time you give to each question Read the exam paper Answer all questions Go over the answers and fill in any new information that comes to mind or make any corrections etc.

Exam techniques Keep in mind that it’s a timed exam and remember to practise answers in the set time limit. You must know, and stick to, the timing of the paper.  This is the most important aspect of Exam Techniques! So many students spend too much time on questions they know a lot about and then cannot finish (or even attempt) other questions on the paper.  Generally speaking, you are better off to do two half answered questions than one complete answer in a given amount of time.

Format of paper Know clearly the format of the paper you are going to sit in each subject. Check Marking Schemes and Examiners’ Reports, they are full of really valuable information. See www.examinations.ie

Look at the past few years’ exam papers Have practice of doing past exam papers The evening before the exam, take a look at what's come up in the past few years. Make sure you know how the exam is structured and what is more likely to come up.

Get plenty sleep You won’t be able to concentrate properly if all you’ve had is a 20-minute nap on the way into the exam. Rather than stay up all night, get up early the morning of an exam and study.

Have a good breakfast Before the exam, top up your energy levels with a good meal. A slow energy release food such as porridge is ideal.

Get to the exam hall at least 15 minutes early If you are 30 minutes late you can’t sit the exam, so make sure you are there with plenty of time to spare. Bring plenty pens and coloured pencils for the CSPE exam and Geography and all mathematical requirements and( pencil sharpener ruler, calculator etc.)

Hand in your mobile phone Leave all books aside and only bring what you need into the exam Don’t be in the middle of an exam and needing to go out to the toilet .

Don’t be afraid to scribble down notes If you run out of time at the end of an exam, giving up notes for a question can actually get you some marks.

Read through the paper first You will subconsciously start thinking of answers to questions you are unsure of and it will allow you to identify what you need to answer.

Plan your paper Allocate how much time you are going to spend on each question and stick to it. This way you know if you should be moving on.

Prioritise Don’t spend half an hour on a 10-mark question. Make sure you give the questions with the most marks the time it needs

Answer your best questions first You don’t want to get bogged down with a hard question and not have enough time to answer something you do know. Don’t panic do what you can do and write down as much as you can that is relevant to the question asked.

No panic

Attempt everything You can only get zero marks for a blank space. For certain subjects, such as Maths, attempt marks are actually worth as much or more than a correct answer, so attempt everything.

Try to write legibly This can be very tough when you are trying to race through English paper two but if the examiner can’t read your writing, it creates a problem.

Address the question asked Don’t just pick out a word, for example agriculture, and write everything you know about the subject. Make sure your answer is directly related to the question and refer back to it if you are getting off track.

Only answer what you are asked

Stay until the end Leaving early is no good. Imagine all your three years in Secondary school coming down to this final exam and you want to leave early! Take your time and read over all your answers as you may remember more information at the end which you can add in.

Don’t study for too long in one sitting Take breaks in between studying for exams as the brain focuses best in shorter bursts.

Study tips Here are some details on study tips for you !

Make sure you have a balanced routine Take breaks and take time out to take a walk or do exercise

You need a goal in mind Do your best

Your Journals. How to study Survey the chapter you are going to read. Look at the headings ,subheadings, maps charts etc. Question? Turn the heading and subheading into questions. Use charts and pictures to add other questions. So instead of just reading you are now focused on reading to answer questions

Read and recall Read slowly ,read sections and paragraphs at a time. You can take notes of what you are reading to help you remember what you are learning Recall

Recall Say out loud to yourself what you can remember of what you have learned.

Take a break

Review Repeat again what you have learned and answer your questions from step 2. Reread the sections and notes that you are having difficulty with. Keep the questions and notes as these can be used again.

Keep the notes in a folder Keep your notes in a folder so that you have them for revision again

Study timetable

Place of study Always same place Keep it neat and tidy Warm Quiet No social media

Regular time of study

Success 110 %

Simple Study Techniques Always work against the Clock Each time you study, clearly specify the work you intend to complete and set yourself a given period of time in which to complete it. Don’t become a “clock-watcher” – they sit in the room quite happily, just so long as they spend sufficient time “at the books” You must learn to work against the clock. By specifying clearly what work is to be completed, and by what time, you should provide the necessary motivation to complete a worthwhile session.

Keep to your targets. Goals must be very specific. All goals should be “SMART” S specific (not something vague) M measurable A achievable R recorded (written down) T timed (have a time limit)  

Notes Whenever you study you should get into the habit of taking notes. You cannot “study” by just reading, or highlighting, a book. I know that many students believe that taking notes is wasting time, but there is really no other way if you want to remember the information!

Key points Notes are just the key points. Make a list of the main points only. Test yourself that you know the key points of what you are studying. Repeating out loud or saying the key points to yourself is a great way to learn something. Seeing if you can write down the key points you have learned without referring to your notes.

Mind maps Some students prefer to draw mind maps or spider diagrams.  They use different colours and symbols and spread their ideas over the page.  Each student may find that different styles suit them.

Mnemonics ( ways to remember something) Examples of Rhyme or Poem Mnemonics Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November; All the rest have thirty-one, Save February, with twenty-eight days clear, And twenty-nine each leap year Columbus sailed the ocean blue In fourteen hundred ninety-two

Spellings Because Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants Arithmetic A Rat In The House May Eat The Ice Cream

Colour The presentation of your notes is very important – keep them neat and use a little colour – but don’t overdo it!

Home work Don’t waste time copying your homework answers out of the textbook – you learn little by copying. Read the information required to answer the question. Try to answer without looking at the answers in the book.

Focus Don’t waste your valuable time!

Follow your teachers directions Do as your subject teachers recommend They give you great advice Get rest and eat well and take plenty exercise Try not to get stressed about the exams everyone will experience some level of nervousness before exams Remember you will have a great Summer break when the exams are finished

Go raibh maith agaibh Every effort counts!