Your Timetable

During your exams, your timetable becomes a very important piece of paper.

I would advise making several copies of it.

It is really important that your parent, or guardian, has a copy and that you ask them to double check each day for you. In this way, you can know that you do not have to shoulder the responsibility of this all by yourself.

It is a good idea to put your timetable somewhere where several people in your family could see it. I don't advise sticking it on the fridge as it can sometimes not be conducive to eating!

The most common mistake is not getting the day wrong, but the time wrong. It has been known that a student arrives at 2.00pm for an exam that took place at 9.30 that day.

Get someone really responsible to take on the job of double checking for you each day and then you don't have to worry.

A website which has a copy of the timetable and really good exam hints is: http://www.esbexampass.ie/

Have a look.

http://www.career-guidance-ireland.com/

Remembering all the Bits and Pieces

I once heard the story of a pupil who finished an exam but accidently took a piece of her answer sheet out of the hall with her after the exam.

If you are doing a subject which requires you to hand up several different sheets of paper, make very sure to check that you hand them all up and not take them out with you with your exam paper. I am thinking specifically of papers such as Geography. It only takes a second to check but might save you much worry later on.

Having a Spare

In a previous blog we looked at having a spare pen but you may need spares in many departments.

One of the most obvious is glasses. If you do wear glasses, make sure that you have a spare pair - just in case. They don't need to be too pretty - they just need to allow you see an exam paper!

Also stock up on extra pairs of contact lenses and contact lens solution.

If you have a hearing impairment, make sure you remember batteries.

You might plan to bring in water with you as the weather at this time of year can be very warm.

you mgiht

www.career-guidance-ireland.com

Breathing is the best way to Relax

Coming up to your exams it is very normal that you may feel pressure. Most people say: "Just relax and breathe" What they don't tell you is how to do that, or why you should do it.

Let's start with the "Why" .

Thousands of years ago the Yogis made a scientific study of the brain. They found out one exciting fact: The slower you breathe, the more your mind slows down.

If you observe yourself when you get stressed, your mind starts racing. It hops from one thought to the other until you feel overwhelmed. Your mind speeds up and suddenly you are stressed. This can be slowed within a few minutes and you instantly feel calmer.

Here comes the HOW!

Focus on your in-breath and your out-breath. Normally you breathe out for far longer than you breathe in - try it and see! Count both your breaths. If you breathe in for 4, you will normally breathe out for 8.

We are going to change this:

Focus on your in-breath.

If you inhale for 4, exhale for 4 too.

This will mean at the start that you will have to force your breath out a bit, but don't worry.

Do this 12 times.

Don't worry if after a while you start breathing in for 5 or more that just means you are relaxing. Stick to the same rule:

Inhale for 6(or whatever time feels comfortable) Exhale for 6.

When you are finished you will feel much calmer . Easy peasy - now you can calm yourself!

Study Breaks

It is generally agreed that you study better over short periods of time. The brain will be happier not having to focus on one topic for too long.

It is a good idea to change topic every 30- 40 mins . In this way you will minimise boredom.

It is also important to take short breaks at least every 90 mins. Regular short breaks seem to work better than cramming for a long time and then taking a longer break. In this scenario, you get so tired, you do not want to go back to study at all.

When you take your break, make sure it involves physical movement. Moving your body will refresh your brain.

And, yes, dancing around your bedroom to your favourite music qualifies here.

Enjoy!

Some interesting exam tips on this site - worth a look!
http://www.mocks.ie/index/examtips


http://www.career-guidance-ireland.com/

The Pen- The Tool of your Trade

Because writing is going to be so important to you during the month of June, it is essential that you are comfortable with your pen.

Now is the time to look into this. Make sure to buy your pen in plenty of time so that you can practice with it and be completely comfortable using it.

Firstly, find a pen with which you can write easily. Secondly, choose a pen which will make your writing really clear.

Don't forget that a poor examiner has to read pages and pages of your writing! Don't make the experience frustrating for him or her by making your writing unclear.

Experiment with different pens now. See how comfortable they are. Then show your writing to different people at home and ask which writing they find the clearest.

Once your choose your pen, buy at least three or four of them, just in case you lose one or one runs out.

There are specialist pen shops which are fun to visit. Try:

http://maps.google.ie/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=the+pen+shop+dublin&fb=1&gl=ie&hq=the+pen+shop&hnear=dublin&view=text&ei=icTzS5SrENXI_gbHgsiEDQ&sa=X&oi=local_group&ct=more-results&resnum=1&ved=0CCEQtQMwAA

However, in the end, keep things simple and above all, keep your writing clear!

www.career-guidance-ireland.com

Natural Smells can Make you Feel Better!

When you are studying you can sometimes feel stressed or tired.

A very simple way to change your mood is to use smell.

All your need is an oil burner, a night light, some water and some essential oils.

For example, if you were very anxious put 3 drops of Ylang Ylang and 3 drops of Lavender into a little water in the oil burner and heat with the night light. Your room will smell great and you will feel much calmer.

(Guys might prefer to substitute the Ylang Ylang with Sandlewood)

If you are feeling tired and finding it hard to study, use 3 drops of Rosemary and 3 drops of Lavender. This should make you feel refreshed.

To find other uses for oils click: http://www.healingtherapies.info/Aromatherapy.htm

They are easy to find in any health store. To find the one nearest to you see:
http://www.irishhealthstores.com/member_list.php


However, if you are down Enniscorthy way, a real treat is Evolv Health Store. Here you can find anything and everything and get expert advice from Proprietors, Nuala and Mat Ronan. See:
http://www.evolv.ie/

Using natural oils is simple to do and the effects are almost instant.

www.career-guidance-ireland.com

Time off is Just as Important

Just as study is important, so is your time off. The problem is that sometimes if you take time off a month before your exams, you might tend to feel guilty. You spend this time thinking of what you should be at home studying.

If, on the other hand, you do not take time off, you may begin to feel tired, bored and resentful that you are not getting some fun time.

The solution is to do both. It is important that your free time is included in your timetable. So, for example, if you plan to take Saturday afternoon completely off, this is written up on your timetable. 2.00pm - 5.30 pm Town ( You can write this is a bright colour!)

You will also plan how you will spend Saturday morning - how much study will you do?

Having worked on Saturday morning and having earned your time off, you will actually enjoy your free time and not feel guilty that you are not studying.

You can have fun, come home feeling a lot better and get some constructive study done afterwards.

By planning both your time off and your study time, you can enjoy both worlds and cut down on the guilt!

You can find some useful study hints on www.skool.ie

www.career-guidance-ireland.com

You Have Lots of Time!

From today you have almost a month to your exam - much work can be done in a month!

So even if you feel that you have not done enough work up to now, you still have the opportunity to do much more, so don't worry.

One of the tricks to working well is to stay calm. You will study far better and remember what you read if you are not stressed.

Focus on studying one topic only, and keep your mind there. Do not let it wander on to how much you have to do. What happens then is that you are not really reading in the moment and you will not remember it in the future.

Choose a topic, study it and congratulate yourself when you have it finished - one less thing to do!

A good idea at this stage is to play relaxation Cd's. These can be played just before you go to sleep. Your mind will then drift into sleep in a restful state and you will awake refreshed.

One CD which I often recommend is Exam Buster, designed by Mags Corbett. Many students have used it just before exams and found it so helpful. It is only 9.99 and well worth the investment!

You can buy it at http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Rathgar-Ireland/Exam-Buster/134001418235

It works for Mums and Dads too!

Don't forget to send any questions you may have and I will answer them as soon as I can.

Have a great day!

www.career-guidance-ireland.com

Steps to the Leaving Certificate

Welcome to my blog on the Leaving Certificate!

Every day, from now until the 9th of June, I will be posting a blog.



If you have any questions or you would like me to deal with a particular topic, please do contact me. I would love to have your feedback!



It is for all of you who are facing this exam - whether you are a student, parent, relation or friend.

Each day there will be a little helpful hint to make this journey a little easier.

Keeping your Body Happy

The year of the Leaving Certificate can be seen as a long distance run. It starts at the start of September and keeps going until almost the end of June. It is pretty much work all the way.

In order the keep your energy up, it is important to look after your body.

Now is the time to start taking a multi-vitamin. You have almost a month to your exam and, if you take this every day, it will make a significant difference to your energy by the time you are ready to sit down and take your exam.

Which one should you take? I would advise taking one which has worked well for you in the past - now is not the time for experimentation!

If you are not sure, do consult your doctor. Explain that you are sitting the Leaving Cert and that you need a vitamin boost to make sure that you are on top form.

Do this today - and you will really notice the difference in a little while!

http://www.career-guidance-ireland.com/