Some essential tips to help you avoid stress and make the most of these two weeks
CHECK THE BASICS
WHAT EXAMS are you doing? And when? It sounds simplistic but you really should highlight the heck out of your examination timetable and stick it somewhere prominent.
What do you need for each exam? Take a few minutes to make a list. Include everything, even the obvious stuff – spare pens, bottled water, ruler, glasses, spare batteries – whatever you need. Check it the night before each exam and make sure you have it all in your bag. You do not need to be tearing around the house looking for your calculator on the morning of the maths test.
IT’S ALL ABOUT TIMING
If you haven’t learned this from your mocks, learn it here. In an exam, timing is everything. You have two years’ worth of information in your head, and while it is tempting to spew it all out onto a page, take a second and breathe.
Know how much time is recommended for each question on the paper. When you’ve reached that limit, leave the question you’re working on and move on. Stop mid-sentence if you have to. You can go back and finish at the end. Do not keep writing. Remember, if a higher-level English poetry question is worth 70 marks, no matter how perfect it is, 70 is all you’ll get.
If you can, keep a watch or a clock on your desk so you don’t have to keep glancing up at a wall clock. Don’t leave early. If you finish, read over the paper, make sure you haven’t missed anything and polish what you’ve done. It’s worth doing.
THE BEST LAID PLANS . . .
Things go wrong. Remember, everybody is rooting for you – your parents/guardians, your teachers, your invigilators. If you wake up feeling rotten, tell your exam invigilator and school principal. They’ll do their best to support you during the exam.
KEEP STRESS IN CHECK
If you feel your anxiety is getting out of control, tell somebody. Honestly, talking it through can really help.
Sometimes, something really serious happens at exam time. For people who are admitted to hospital, or who break a limb, provisions can be made to sit exams externally or with a scribe. The key is to inform your exam centre as soon as possible.
DON’T LOOK BACK
Avoid the postmortem posse at all costs. Once an exam is done, it’s done. There’s nothing you can do about it, so move on and focus on what’s ahead.
EAT
So simple, yet so many people skip breakfast. If you have no appetite in the morning, bring some nutritious snacks for grazing. Nuts, bananas, yoghurt, seeds – you want foods that keep you full and release energy slowly. A coffee and a Mars bar will make you feel fine initially, but an hour into the exam you’ll crash.
Like sleep, eating sensibly helps generate the focus and energy required to go the distance.
SLEEP
The Leaving and Junior Certs are marathons. You will hopefully never sit this many exams all at once, ever again. Pumping your body full of caffeine is all well and good, but if it interferes with your sleep, it’s doing you a massive disservice.
If you’re rested, your recall, concentration and endurance will be as good as they can be. These are crucial to doing well.
RELAX
Do your study, then reward yourself by doing some exercise, watching some TV, surfing the internet or texting a mate. Do not do these things when you’re supposed to be revising. Just do what you need to do, then leave the books and have a proper break.
ONE STEP AT A TIME
Everybody looking back on the Junior and Leaving Cert wonders how on earth they managed it. Not because it’s difficult but because it’s a test of endurance. Third-level exams are quite easy going by comparison. However, everybody does get through it. The secret is to take it one exam at a time.
We spoke about not looking back. Well, don’t look too far ahead either. Just focus on the next exam. If you’re worried about history, for example, plan when you’re going to do the final burst of study, but don’t waste time stressing over it when you have a maths paper the following morning.
KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE
Once it’s over, you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about. Even if things don’t go well, in a year’s time it will be no more than a blip (yes, even if you end up having to repeat).
Please tell someone if you feel it getting on top of you. Once you’re finished, you can embark on the best summer of your life.
CRAMMING TIPS
At this stage you’re better off using notes if you have them. Condense what you read into headings and write these on flashcards.
What sections of the exam are worth most points? Prioritise these. Concentrate on general information and use any extra time on the detail.
Crystallise as much as you can. Read your notes on a topic and write down a word or a phrase on a flashcard. What does that word or phrase spark in your mind? How much of the original notes can you remember?