The Irish leaving certificate or ‘leaving cert’ program allows students to develop their knowledge across a multitude of different subjects. Students will even be offered a degree of choice in what they study, though they will need to study the core subjects of Irish, English and maths.
Your leaving cert education builds on some core topics which students will be familiar with from the junior cert course while introducing new facets of the respective subject. This results in the engaging syllabus which students are so fond of.
Students will pick up some invaluable skills through learning about important research, comprehension or problem-solving skills as well as developing some core competencies necessary both in life and career progression.
There are a variety of subjects that can kickstart a career path in engineering, science, teaching, translating as well as a carpenter or electrician. The leaving cert is for everyone and will provide value for students no matter what they want to pursue after they finish up at secondary school
The potential and opportunity that surface for students who complete their leaving cert education is something that continues to grow exponentially as industries follow an upward trajectory and education practices continue to evolve.
If you are looking to maximise the amount of points that you achieve in your leaving certificate exams, then you have come to the right place!
In this article, I will go through some tactics that you can employ within your own study routine as well as some tips on how to squeeze some extra marks in your leaving cert exams.
Have a look at this guide to the leaving cert course.

Improving your LC Grades
If you are serious about achieving your potential in the leaving cert exams and getting as much points as you can, then your subject choice matters!
You wouldn’t rush your choice of university, degree, or apprenticeship would you? So why cut corners when it comes to selecting suitable subjects to study as part of your leaving certificate education?
Choosing to study subjects that you have a genuine interest and a knack for will dramatically improve your experience studying over the two years. Believe me, this will matter when the going gets tough during the months leading up to the exams.
It is important that students studying the subject are aware that the associated learnings of the course extend far beyond the exam. You should also study your leaving cert timetable carefully so that you are well equipped to perform in advance.
Your study at school should be exam focused if you are going to achieve a high score. Make sure to reach out for some help with your studying if you need it. It will save you time when preparing for the exams and will likely have a positive effect on your test score.
If you review past exam questions it will help you to practise the time that you can write all of the information within a test environment. Try your best to employ these tips and use them when you are studying so you get as much points as you can!
When applying for a job after university, many companies look for information about you. Having the best exam and test scores is a great way to improve the review of your application.
Have a scroll through this article on filling out your CAO application.
Deciding on your elective subjects
Many of the elective courses will help students build a useful learning portfolio through their content, activities, or experiments.
So it also helps if you decide on subjects that you wish to continue studying after graduating from secondary school. That way you will accomplish much more then a high grade in the exam and your hard work will be rewarded even further!
The combination of both learnings and skills which students develop in the process of completing the leaving cert program is often applicable across other career paths outside of school as well as in everyday life.
Depending on the choice of subjects, students will also have the opportunity to employ their learnings within the wood work room, science lab, home economics kitchen or the music room on a multitude of occasions throughout the program.
The chance for students to work together, either as a class or in pairs, in applying the relevant content alongside their classmates and spice up their learning is one that they frequently enjoy.
The majority of subjects will thereafter demand a report on the learning experience to be submitted as a component of the curriculum for that particular subject.
The leaving cert program involves students in the subject matter using a variety of learning techniques, including in-class discussions, reading from books, and other methods.
Seeing the changes that will be made to the exams of your elective subjects in the 2024 leaving cert amendments will enhance your preparation.
If you are looking to get the best score that you can and get more points in the leaving cert exam then you will need to prepare for the tests. Getting high scores on the tests will give you more points so that you can study at university. Your test scores might also help you to find work after you are finished studying at university.
For students who may be unsure as to which subjects they would like to study for the leaving cert, this is certainly a promising option for consideration. Click here to learn more about the decision-making process.
Here is some information that will help you to form your leaving cert study plan.

Studying to get the maximum number of points
The greatest advice I can provide leaving certificate students who are starting their leaving certificate exam preparations is to not get fixated on taking shortcuts and wasting money on extra resources.
in order for these supplemental materials to be valuable. The course material must first be thoroughly understood by the pupils.
It's really easy; you should start with the fundamentals and then add to your knowledge by using more resources. Students frequently make the mistake of spending hundreds of euros on online courses and grinds before consulting the most important tool: your leaving cert books.
It's crucial for students to read through their leaving cert textbooks and assess their understanding by answering the questions that correspond to each chapter. This will help the student identify their areas of weakness and better focus their future learning while ensuring that they are familiar with the chapter's content.
The textbook for the leaving cert is a dependable source that covers all curricular components that can be tested. I advise students to start their studies by reading through the material in their textbooks.
On the strength of this, students might benefit from maintaining a hardcover for their leaving-certificate notes. This is a fantastic technique to update the material that would have been introduced throughout the reading of the material. The benefits of this workout are numerous, First off, jotting down the notes aids in helping students recall the information.
The hardback book will prove to be a valuable resource for knowledge, especially in the run-up to the test, and will probably save pupils a ton of time when they are revising.
Last but not least, because chapters must be condensed into 3-5 pages of notes, students will need to be cautious about the information they choose to include. This will help them get familiar with the most crucial details from each chapter.
This blog will help you to decide what subjects you choose to study.

How to jump up a few grades
A common trap which students tend to fall into year after year is to focus solely on preparing the leaving cert material without familiarising themselves with the exam format or conditions.
Considering the amount of work that is associated with the course, it is important that you put yourself in the best position to showcase the work that you have done over the two years.
An understanding of the marking breakdown for each of the three sections that feature on the paper will give students a sense of where they should allocate their time in order to maximise their results under exam conditions.
If you really want to maximise your leaving cert points, then I would advise students to practice working through leaving cert solutions under exam conditions in order to put any nerves to rest on the big day.
Students studying for the leaving cert should also constantly review and consult the notes they have made during the year. While you could be certain of your grasp of a particular course segment, as you move on to new material, you'll probably see a drop in your understanding of earlier sections.
It is essential that you review this material privately as the class moves further in the course. Long-term, this will benefit you and lessen the amount of work you have to do on your own in the program's final stages.
Outside of their review of the course material, students' attention to timekeeping may be one of their top priorities. You may avoid putting yourself under undue strain to finish the exam by giving yourself 10 minutes, in the end, to rapidly review your paper. This will also give students the chance to answer any questions they may have missed.
You might even discover that some sections allow students to save time for finishing the rest of the assignment. If there is a question that you do not know the solution to right away, move on and don't waste too much time attempting to figure it out in order to manage your time.
If you employ some of this advice in your study regime, it will go a long way in helping you to achieve the maximum amount of points in your leaving cert exams!