Exam Technique

Exam Script Viewing and Exam Appeals – Key Facts, Dates and Resources for Leaving Cert 2019 SummaryAll Leaving Cert students are entitled to view their exam scripts free of charge.   There are set dates and times to apply for this, and set dates and times for viewing (see below for…

UPDATED ADVICE FROM 8th June 2019 Summary: Leaving Cert maths students can continue to use pencil for diagrams, graphs and constructions, but it is strongly recommended by the SEC that they use black or blue ink (not gel pens) for other parts of their maths exam. Notwithstanding this recommendation, we…

  Click HERE for a printable PDF of this post! Warning: long post ahead, but students and parents really need to read this! Should I stay in higher or drop to “pass” maths?  Not an easy choice, but the key thing is to make an informed decision, not a snap…

It is easy to get flustered in an exam, especially when things aren’t falling into place: you know that the answer should be a whole number, and you are getting a screen-load of digits. You will very well know at this point that to do well in an exam you need to keep a cool head. Is this a problem for you? Have you ever been able to just move on to a different question without fixating on the previous one and blaming yourself for not being prepared?

This will give you the approximate number of minutes to spend on a given question, and will also give you about 15 to 20 minutes of a “cushion”, for checking, over-runs etc.

So that’s our Top Ten on getting it all down on paper and maximising your maths grade on the day!  

Here’s our top tips that will save you a lot of marks and could even save your grade:

1. Be careful with minus signs – the single most common source of error.

2. Don’t try to do too much in one step – break it down into smaller steps.