Skipping past the pitfalls

He was no Virgil at Latin, but Michael McCann remembers it as the best exam he ever did.

He was no Virgil at Latin, but Michael McCann remembers it as the best exam he ever did.

Today, the principal of the Presentation Secondary School in Galway says completion of that particular exam in the Leaving Cert is still a source of delight. He got marks of over 90 per cent. "It wasn't that I was a genius, but I was very well organised," he says. You can still hear the thrill of that day in his voice as he laughs at the memory. "When I came out I knew I'd done a very good paper."

He believes organisation is the key to success in exams.

Like most principals and teachers, the advice McCann gives to his students is based on his own experience of exams. "Timing is very, very important," he says. "It varies on the type of paper you are doing. You should be so familiar with the lay-out of the paper that you know how much time to give to each question."

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Over the coming weeks, parents, teachers and world-weary former exam candidates will recite an age-old litany of warnings. They will all tell you to read the questions carefully and then to read them a second time; nervousness and excitement on the morning of an exam can often result in students making mistakes, in not seeing that there is another page of questions overleaf - or just forgetting to write their exam number on the answer book. It's important to know "exactly what you are being asked" and to read the paper carefully, says McCann. "Choosing the order in which you answer the questions is important. You do the questions you know well first. This helps purely from a confidence point of view."

The advice of Paddy Boyle, principal of the Holy Rosary College in Mountbellew in the north-east of Co Galway, is equally level-headed and balanced.

He recommends students "attend school and classes up to the end rather than leaving school early. The last revision and tips from experienced teachers can be very helpful."

He cautions students not to burn the midnight oil or get up at the crack of dawn to cram. It's all about consistency, he says. "There should be no getting up at five in the morning or working until 2.30," he warns. Students should remember that plenty of sleep is important. "And at exams they should eat well," Boyle says. He has a word of advice for parents too, urging them "to help the students through the exams by being there to listen. It's a stressful time." Students should "realise that they have a few weeks left and they can cover oceans of work in the next few weeks," says Mary Kenny, principal of Arklow Community College, Co Wicklow. "It will be easy to access that, it will come back to them very easily."

This is not to advocate cramming, she insists. They should have a very organised approach to study; use the last few weeks in a constructive way; have a very well structured timetable of study and very definitely give up part-time work; remain calm and remember to take plenty of exercise and a moderate amount of recreation."

She tells her own students also "to rely on their peers and to remain as part of the group" because "they get good support from the group". Her tip is also "not to go overboard on the post-mortems". In general, she says, students "always surprise themselves and they always do much better than they expect to".

All the principals and teachers agree that the same hoary pitfalls open up every year - especially not reading the questions properly. "Read the questions very, very carefully," says Kenny. In exams such as geography, she points out, it's vital not to concentrate on one question to the exclusion of other compulsory ones. The key is to be calm, not to panic, to ignore the pressure and all the hype and to know that this is just a State exam to mark the completion of your second-level education. So breathe in, be confident and listen to all the advice.

You will be told to keep your eye on the clock, to know how much time you can devote to each question and to be strict with yourself in that regard. Now take another few deep breaths. Don't spend too much time on one question to the detriment of the others; include your rough work with your answer book; write clearly and legibly; watch your spelling and make sure that any charts, graphs or diagrams are clear and well-labelled.

Teachers emphasise the importance of the words used in the questions on the paper. Notice the different words - words such as argue, compare, contrast, criticise, define, demonstrate, prove, describe, discuss, explain and summarise. They are telling you how to approach a question.

When you're asked to discuss, you're expected to tease out the different aspects of the topic. A discussion means that more than a simple description is required.

The art of summary is to include all of the main points in the least possible space. The shorter the answer is, the better - provided you haven't left out anything vital.

In arguing, you are trying to persuade the examiner of your point of view. A simple description is not enough.

But hey, you know all of this. As the experts will tell you, the key is not to get jumpy, agitated or panic-stricken. Don't be afraid. Be positive and confident. Life's a picnic.

So go into that exam hall, be challenged and be great.