Trial and error: how to make the most out of the mocks

The mocks will serve you well if you take them seriously and remember to use them for their true purpose – to prepare you to reach your potential in this summer’s Junior and Leaving Cert exams

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE MOCK RESULTS, AND WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM THEM?

The results of the mocks themselves are of absolutely no significance. Their real benefit arises from the actual experience of taking them.

For Junior Certificate students, the mocks are their first experience of a full examination paper. They will learn a huge amount about issues such as timing, etc from the trial run.

For both Junior and Leaving Certificate students, the results will enable them to determine the level they will take papers at in June, as well as identify areas of each subject that they will need to focus on over the final three months running up to the actual exam.

For students who have not – as yet – taken the forthcoming State examinations seriously, or who have overestimated their level of preparedness, the results of the mocks can act as a timely wake-up call.

SHOULD STUDENTS TAKE HIGHER OR ORDINARY LEVEL?

Take each paper at the level you have studied that subject over the past two school years. Don’t drop down to ordinary or foundation level if you have studied the higher level up to now. If, following the mocks, you don’t do well at higher level in a particular subject, your teacher will then advise you on the level to attempt in the Junior or Leaving Certificate.

SHOULD I TAKE ON MORE INFORMATION AT THIS LATE STAGE?

You probably have 10 times more information in your head than you can ever usefully use. Over the coming weeks in the run up to your mocks, it’s not so much a case of piling on more information as formatting the information you already have, in a manner presentable in 30 to 40 minutes (the average time slot per question).

HOW SHOULD I USE PAST PAPERS?

The only way to improve performance in the mocks at this stage is through tackling individual questions on the past examination papers. Always compare your answer against the marking schemes used by the teachers who corrected those questions in the Leaving Certificate. These marking schemes are available on the State Examinations website at www.examinations.ie.

In addition, by now you should have a series of prepared answers on a whole range of past and possible 2009 examination questions. Ensure that you cover all sections of each examination paper so that your improvement is balanced across all your subjects.

Also, utilise your teachers fully in this process by presenting them with the fruits of your work and asking them to critically evaluate your approach to the questions. If you follow this approach, you will find that the errors that suppressed your grades up to now will begin to disappear from your answers.

HOW CAN PARENTS HELP YOU PREPARE FOR THE MOCKS?

Ensure that the home environment is conducive to a productive study regime. Try to ensure that students do not exhaust themselves with marathon study session into the night if they have to sit a day’s mock examinations the following morning.

Parents can help put the mocks and State examinations next June in context. Emphasise that the mocks and the exams in June are simply steps on the road to your child’s development that will enable them to build a successful career. Success or failure in any subject in the mocks is simply a learning experience.

The deepening recession has added to the stress levels of many. Parents or older brothers and sisters may be dealing with the reality or the fear of unemployment. Students preparing for their mocks cannot be immune from these stresses or the questions that this recession poses for their immediate future. Parents should reassure their children that hard work and study will improve their chances of securing employment in their chosen career field as the economy improves in the coming years.

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF TIPS THAT MAY HELP YOU TO STUDY MORE EFFECTIVELY FOR YOU MOCK EXAMINATIONS

- Constantly rereading the material is a wasted exercise. By now you should be summarising your answers on index cards in graphic format, which can be revised in a few moments.

- You forget 90 per cent of what we read within 24 hours of reading it, so writing abbreviated notes and committing points to a visual format greatly increases retention.

- Long periods of study require short breaks and nourishing drinks or snacks. Forty minutes per subject, with a variety of subjects over three to four hours, makes for a well-balanced session.

- Exercise, a good diet, time for relaxation with friends, involvement in a favourite sporting activity, are all positive elements in any student’s life as you prepare for mock or state examinations.

- Now that you are getting ready for your mock exams, and seeing the Leaving Certificate looming on the horizon, you will begin to experience normal healthy stress. Stress is not a negative – it helps you focus on the task ahead and heightens your motivation. If you begin to feel that your stress levels are getting out of hand, don’t sit back and let it overwhelm you. A visit to your family doctor should rectify the problem quickly.

- Your focus should now be exclusively on past papers, as they are the standard you must now deal with in your forthcoming mocks.