Last Minute Advice for Leaving Cert and Junior Cert

With exams quickly approaching, we have put together last minute advice for leaving cert and junior cert students to make sure you achieve the very best results in your exams this summer. No matter what grade you are aiming to achieve, these steps will help you approach the exams cool, calm and collected. You have put in the work so far, now it is about placing yourself in the best mindset possible and ensuring you arrive at every exam prepared and focused. Are you a Leaving Cert student? Use our study plan here. It’s never too late!

1. Keep revision notes short

The night before your exam or in the morning, you should only be reading short and clear notes. Do not waste time reading over textbook chapters at this stage. A good tip here is to organise your notes backwards, starting from your final exam and working back to your first exam. Spend some time identifying when to have the final look over your notes before the exam. This will give you some control over the exam and can reduce stress.

2. Make a checklist

of all the items you will need with you on the day of your exam. Include items such as pens/stationary, water, a watch etc. This will make you feel prepared and allow you to put all your focus into the task at hand. Here is an example of an exam checklist you could use from Spunout.ie.

3. Make sure you are comfortable

With the structure of each subject paper know how much time to allocate to each question. This will be important and will help you get the maximum marks out of your paper. If you are not finished a question but your time is up for that question, move on. This will allow you to get some marks from all the questions as opposed to just trying to get full marks in one question and neglecting others. Do this by reading exam paper questions and be clear on what exactly they are asking. You can find past papers on Examinations.ie.

4. Read the question several times

This will ensure you understand exactly what is being asked of you in the exam. Some questions may be phrased in a difficult way, and this requires you to read it several times to understand what needs to be done. Once you have written your answer, go back and read the question again to make sure you have done everything asked of you and you haven’t missed anything.

5. Take a deep breath

It is totally natural to be nervous and anxious around exam time. It is important though, to make sure you remain calm and remember all the work you have put in to date. Make sure to look after yourself during exam time by using some of these tips outlined by RTE.ie.

Exams can be a stressful time for students but it’s important to remember all the work you have done so far and make sure you are as prepared as you can be. This will help you place all your focus on achieving the best possible results in your exams this year. Here are some last minute tips before sitting the leaving and juniors cert exams. Best of luck!

-TJ