Study Skills
Many of you reading this are involved in a sport or a creative activity such as music, art or drama. Can you imagine what your chances of success in these fields would be if you did not receive instruction on how to make changes and improvements to your performance?
Sports people, musicians, writers, and actors are constantly looking at ways to make their performance better. Success in any of these fields of activity rarely happens without making adjustments and changes to training if needed. Study is no different.
As a first step in training yourself to get better at studying, it is well worthwhile taking time out to look critically and honestly at the precise way you go about studying and rate your study performance as it now stands. Many companies also realise the importance of this approach in business.
The most successful companies and organisations spend a sizeable amount of their budget exploring ways that their workforce can be more efficient. This involves workers and managers working together and looking closely at how they go about their work. The improvement in ‘work practice’ that results brings benefits both to the business and to the staff.
Good Study Habits
The following habits are central to improving your study skills
1. Decide what to study (reasonable task) and how long or how many (chapters, pages, problems, etc.). Set and stick to deadlines.
2. Do difficult tasks first. To avoid procrastination, start off with an interesting aspect of the project.
3. Have special places to study. Take into consideration lighting, temperature, and availability of materials.
4. Study 50 minutes, and then take a 10 minute break. Stretch, relax, have an energy snack.
5. Allow longer, "massed" time periods for organising relationships and concepts, outlining and writing papers. Use shorter, "spaced" time intervals for rote memorisation, review, and self-testing. Use odd moments for recall / review.
6. If you get tired or bored, switch task / activity, subject or environment. Stop studying when you are no longer being productive.
7. Do rote memory tasks and review, especially details, just before you fall asleep.
8. Study with a friend. Quiz each other, compare notes and predict test questions.
Study Traps
| 1 | "I Don't Know Where To Begin" |
| Take Control. Make a list of all the things you have to do. Break your workload down into manageable chunks. Prioritise! Schedule your time realistically. | |
| 2 | I've Got So Much To Study . . . And So Little Time" |
| Preview. Survey your syllabus, reading material, and notes. Identify the most important topics emphasised, and areas still not understood. Organise and focus in on the main topics. Adapt this method to your own style and study material. | |
| 3 | "This Stuff Is So Dry, I Can't Even Stay Awake Reading It" |
| Get actively involved with the text as you read. Ask yourself, "What is important to remember about this section?" Take notes or underline key concepts. Discuss the material with others in your class. Study together. Stay on the offensive, especially with material that you don't find interesting, rather than reading passively and missing important points. | |
| 4 | "I Read It. I Understand It. But I Just Can't Get It To Sink In" |
| Elaborate. We remember best the things that are most meaningful to us. As you are reading, try to elaborate upon new information with your own examples. Try to integrate what you're studying with what you already know. You will be able to better remember new material if you can link it to something that's already meaningful to you. | |
| 5 | "I Think I Understand It" |
| Test yourself. Make up questions about key sections in notes or reading. Keep in mind what the lecturer has stressed in the course. Examine the relationships between concepts and sections. Often, simply by changing section headings you can generate many effective questions. | |
| 6 | "There's Too Much To Remember" |
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Organise. Information is recalled well if it is represented in an organised framework that will make retrieval more systematic. There are many techniques that can help you organise new information, including: • Write chapter outlines or summaries; emphasise relationships between sections. |
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| 7 | "I Knew It A Minute Ago" |
| Review. After reading a section, try to recall the information contained in it. Try answering the questions you made up for that section. If you cannot recall enough, re-read portions you had trouble remembering. The more time you spend studying, the more you tend to recall. Even after the point where information can be perfectly recalled, further study makes the material less likely to be forgotten entirely. In other words, you can't over-study. However, how you organise and integrate new information is still more important than how much time you spend studying. | |
| 8 | "I'm Gonna Stay Up All Night Until I Get This" |
| Avoid Mental Exhaustion. Take short breaks often when studying. When you take a study break, and just before you go to sleep at night, don't think about study. Relax and unwind, mentally and physically. |
Source: NUIM Study Skills Module
Leaving Cert Exam Tips
1. Get to know your exam timetable
Print off a copy of the exam timetable and highlight all of your exams. Some days you may have more than one exam or you may have several days between exams. This should help you prioritise your final days of study. Note the dates and start times to ensure that you don’t miss an exam or arrive late.
2. Time Keeping
Time can be an enemy in exams for many candidates. Getting your time management under control will be key to doing well. It is a good idea to work out how much time you can afford to allocate to each question or section. Consider the weighting of marks given to each question and allocate the time accordingly. Try to stick as closely as possible to your timings. Even if you don’t get the question finished - move on. The few extra marks you garner in finishing a question may be worth sacrificing to pick up many more marks going for a new question. Have a watch on the table to help you here.
3. Be strategic
Be Strategic about how you go about deciding what order to answer the questions in. They do not have to be done in chronological order. Read the exam paper in its entirety first. Select the questions that you will answer and then begin with your strongest area. This will give you confidence and get you off to a good start. Leave your least knowledgeable sections to last. Pay attention to the questions that have most marks and do not waste too much time on short questions. Pay attention to the action words in the question. If you are asked to ‘List’ then do exactly that, do not waste time with a paragraph. On the other hand, if you are asked to ‘Explain’ or ‘Describe’ then likewise, spend the time doing that as there will be more marks for these types of questions. Finally, try to avoid doing extra questions unless you have loads of extra time left over. Do your best with the required ones you have chosen and develop the answers as much as you can.
4. Ensure you have all the necessary equipment
Some essentials you should bring with you to the exam.
- Comfortable writing pens: There will be lots of writing, so use your favourite kind and have a few of them.
- Highlighters: Useful for highlighting keywords/quotes on the exam paper.
- Pencil and colouring pencils: Useful for sketching diagrams required in some exams e.g. biology and geography.
- Scientific Calculator: You may need this for a number of exams. Make sure it is permitted and don’t forget to check the batteries.
- Fresh masks: You may feel that you would like to change your mask if you have been wearing it for a while. Keep a couple of fresh ones nearby.
- Have the right clothing: Try to wear comfortable clothing during the exam. The exam halls will also have to be well ventilated this year so make sure that you have enough layers in case it gets cold.
- Water: Sipping water keeps you hydrated and maintains your concentration levels. Sipping water can also help to steady nerves. Try not to drink too much as you don’t want to waste precious time going to the bathroom. A 500ml bottle is plenty.
- Snack: Ideally you will have eaten well before your exam. If you haven’t then a banana/some nuts or a cereal bar could help keep hunger away. Avoid any noise or distraction that might disturb the other candidates.
- Watch: Your exam centre should have a clock, however, you may place your watch on the table to keep a closer eye on time. Smart watches are not permitted into your exam centre
5. The Night Before the Exam
Many students can be nervous and anxious the day before the exams start. However, these nerves tend to calm down significantly and students get into the swing of it once the exams are under way. A good night’s sleep is very important to ensure your energy and focus levels are high. Rather than study right up until bedtime the night before, focus a little on relaxing yourself.
Finish your studying in the early evening and do something that will help you to wind down, relax and sleep better. Go for a walk, swim or cycle. Kick a ball around for an hour and get some fresh air. This will help you sleep better and is great preparation.
6. Prepare properly on the days of your Exams
Allow plenty of time to get ready and get to your exam centre. The hard work is done so it should just be about last minute looking over key words/notes/formulas.
Eat a decent breakfast, you will need the fuel to give you energy and help maintain your focus. Arrive to your exam centre in plenty of time to avoid being flustered at the start of your exam. Everyone is different when it comes to the time immediately before exams. Some students like the company of their friends, for others this can heighten anxiety. Be selfish here and do what is best for you. A walk in the fresh air alone or with a sole companion may be more beneficial.
7. Trust yourself. You’ve got this!
You have been working towards these exams for almost two years now and you have gained a lot of knowledge during that time. All of that time and effort will pay off. Give the exams your very best shot and show the examiner just how much you know about these subjects. Think positively and be confident!
Finally, one thing is for certain, The Leaving Certificate, although important, will not define your life. If things do not work out with your exams or you do not get into your first choice, do not worry as there are so many other pathways that will get you to where you want to go. In a couple of months this will all be behind you and you will be forging a new exciting path for yourself. You will look back and wonder what all the fuss was about!
