The summer is a distant memory. September is here and we are back to school. In fact September is almost over so it’s time to talk about study.
For those of you facing Junior Cert or Leaving Cert exams in June 2024 it’s time to get serious about study. Here are some tips to help you on your journey.

• If you haven’t started already START NOW. Don’t wait until tomorrow, next week or after the mid term break.
• The key is consistency make study part of your daily routine. Do some revision every day. Some people binge study for a week and then don’t open a book the following week. This is a bad strategy and only breaks momentum.
• Study is not easy and you need to be focused and disciplined. You must block out distractions. You can’t study with Spotify on or if you are looking at your phone every 5 minutes.
• Make a study plan and stick to it but have flexibility as well. Reward yourself if you have been working hard over a period of time take a night off and meet up with friends. You deserve it.
• Do some physical exercise, walk, run, swim, cycle or go to the gym. If you are physically fit your brain will be fit for study. Also try to get to bed at a reasonable hour. Sleep and rest is part of your exam preparation.
• Remember to pace yourself. Build up your study time and routine. Don’t burn yourself out. From now to June is a marathon not a sprint. You want to do your best exam in June not at. Christmas.
• Make your study and revision relevant. When you study a topic use your exam papers and online marking schemes. Don’t just spend an hour reading over a topic. When you finish go to the exam papers and write a question on that topic in the time allowable in the exam. This is real exam practise.
• Don’t just study the subjects you like. We all like to do things we are good at or enjoy. You must also work on your weak areas. In fact we might need more time to improve these weak areas.
• Remember you are not alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help talk about any problems you might have. Talk to your parents, older brothers and sisters, friends and teachers. They have all done exams themselves. Everybody wants you to do well and they will be encouraging and supportive. You can learn from their experiences both positive and negative.
• Finally you will only get out of something what you put into it. Do your best but make sure it’s your best. If you can be honest with yourself then that’s all you can ask of yourself. If you put in the effort you will usually get the reward. So go for it.