Many people hire tutors for the entire leaving cert course, and even throughout the summer months. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this, it's just not perhaps the most cost-efficient way about hiring a tutor for less well-off families. Also, not every student needs that much out-of-school tuition.
In this article, we are going to take a look at why waiting until after you've sat your mock exams to hire a tutor might be the more cost-efficient and academically beneficial move to your studies.
"I believe that people make their own luck by great preparation and good strategy."
- Jack Canfield
What Are The Mocks and Why Are They Important?
Basically, the mocks are similar in style, standard and layout to the State Exams (Leaving Cert and Junior Cert).
They are normally taken by JC and LC students in early February in preparation for the State exams in June. They act as a checkpoint for teachers and students in their preparation for the high-stake State (SEC) exams in June.
The three key reasons why mock exams are important in a young person’s preparation for the State Exams in June are:
- Practice in exam conditions - For students who wish to maximise their results in the State exams in June, practising in exam conditions is essential. Students will gain first-hand experience with the importance of timing each question and it will give them a realistic understanding of how much work they need to do.
- Feedback for the learners - The mocks can be quite a shock for some students. They help students to identify areas they should focus their learning on in preparation for the real exam and they can help to build students’ confidence. They are a milestone in the student's preparation for the actual Leaving Cert Exams and provide an objective record of their progress at that point.
- The mocks allow students to regain focus - As well as highlighting a student’s strengths, the mocks allow students to identify the areas that they need to improve on before the final exam. What students do after the mocks is just as important as actually sitting them. There are several months before the final exams, so students should aim to spend this time revising areas where they may have struggled in the mocks. Teachers will also be able to see whether there are areas where many pupils performed poorly and can advise them where they need to study extra or whether they should seek a tutor's help.
How To Create A Revision Timetable
If your teachers think you're ok to continue studying alone, we highly recommend creating a study timetable. It means that your whole day isn't taken up with school work, but that you also fit the most important things in, as well as taking care of yourself.
Have a little look below for our quick guide to setting up a timetable:
- Buy a Diary or Create a Spread Sheet
- First, fill in your regular school timetable as well as your exam timetable. Enter your other regular commitments such as social events, sports, and work.
- Calculate how much time you have available and divide the time among your subjects.
- From there on we recommend to do is to break up your day into half an hour at a time. It’s better to go for half an hour instead of hourly sessions because it will make you feel like you’ve done more. Another useful tip is to Colour code your template. If you give each subject a different Colour, then you can see at a glance what you’re doing and keeps the overview nice and clear.
- Allocate time for breaks, dinner, and unexpected events. About every 90 minutes take 30 off, this is important. You need to look after your nutrition, and hydration as well as your physical and mental health. So even if you just use this time to text some friends and grab a snack and cup of tea or listen to some music and go for a run, make sure you take the break.
Finding a Tutor After Your Mocks
"When a plan or strategy fails, people are tempted to assume it was the wrong vision. Plans and strategies can always be changed and improved. But vision doesn't change. Visions are simply refined with time."
- Andy Stanley
As previously mentioned the mocks allow students to identify the areas that they need to improve on before the final exam. With this knowledge in hand, and advise from their teachers, students can now make the well informed decision on not just what subjects the might need tuition for, but, what specific areas they are struggling with.
By hiring a tutor after your mock exams, you only hire them to focus on you problem areas.
Sometimes, especially when it's a topic you struggle with it can be really hard to focus. Tutors help students build academic skills and by using your own notes, they can break them down even further and make them understandable to you.
If you think you would benefit from some guided study with a tutor, why don't you check out Superprof.ie.
Most of the tutors at Superprof offer you the option to take in-home or online lessons. This means you can learn whichever way is more comfortable for you, in your own space, at your own pace and at whatever time suits you.
Lessons at Superprof are around €15-€25 per session which is still cheaper than average. Oh and and I haven't even mentioned the best part yet, most tutors offer your first lesson for free!
However you decide to study, we wish you the best of luck with you exams, and remember, a Superprof Tutor is only a few clicks away.
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