Are you ready for the Leaving Certificate?

The Burning Question: Janet Stafford asked Leaving Cert students at Stratford College, Dublin if they were ready for the exams.

I did seven subjects - the new physics course is tough. I did it because I thought I needed it to do sound engineering, but now I'm thinking of marketing or social work. You need the last bit of time - if the exam was tomorrow, I wouldn't be ready. I try to jog five miles a day to help me de-stress. I'm a bit sick of people saying you've to study for five hours a night. By the time I get home and do homework, I'm too tired to go back to the books. I can't wait until it's over. I need five Cs at honours level to do business studies. I don't agree with the exam process - it should be continual assessment.

I suppose I'm as ready as I can be - the mocks went fine. Generally, I'm not nervous with exams. I'd the odd butterfly over French and Irish orals, but I'm pretty confident. We're mainly doing past papers in class now. I'm not hugely stressed. I listen to music or watch TV - I don't feel guilty as you need time out.

I'm a bit different as I've been offered a tennis scholarship to Virginia, USA. I want to study sport psychology but it's only in UL and tennis facilities are better in the States. I've to do SATs but the Leaving is important too as I want to come home to Ireland My tennis and fitness are suffering with exams I feel pretty well prepared. I worked for the mocks and it's come very quickly after that. My dad's South African - I got asked about the politics there in my French oral, I found it a bit hard. I've practised exam questions to get used to writing them. It's only for a short period of time in your life. I know I still have some study to do, but I'm happy with what I've done. I'm going to the Baptist College of Ministry, Wisconsin, so I had to do SATs. I came in the top 4 per cent this year for them, so I'm quite happy. I want to do well in my Leaving for a sense of achievement. I'm not really stressed.