The whole nation is rooting for you in the Leaving. You've had a tough year. Now its over.
Most students say that the exams are never as bad as anticipated. Remember that and don't panic.
Today
Do not focus on what you don't know. You probably know more than you realise - focus on what do you know and make the most of it.
Do not worry that you won't remember. People your age have remarkable memories. Help your memory today and in the coming weeks by drawing mind-maps, diagrams and spidograms as summary cues.
Don't worry about time. Everyone has the same time. It is what you write, not how much, that is important. Keep sentences simple, short and salient. Concentrate now on choosing your points. When the exam comes, you will draw your mind-maps and diagrams on rough work and the examiner will know the points you wanted to make.
Over the next days and weeks, if you have not already decided on a colour to associate with each subject, decide now - blue for French, green for Irish, whatever colour appeals to you.
Keeping your final revision notes and maps on subjects associate with a particular colour helps the filing system in the brain. It is not too late to do this. Get felt pens and surround key points.
Don't leave things until tomorrow. Get out everything you need-fully equipped pencil case -energy sweets, everything you need for the exam. (Sorry, the textbooks aren't allowed!) Get out the clothes you will wear so that you have no stress looking for socks at the last minute.
Ask everyone to be nice to you at home. You are the important one in the family tomorrow. Warn them that you may be cranky, irritable.
Get out the exam papers and the revision notes you have made and go over them calmly. If you haven't drawn mind-maps or spidograms as part of your revision, jot a few down as you gently go over what you know. Mentally jotting down the important points in this way often eases your mind today, and eases retrieval of the information tomorrow.
It's normal to worry and be a bit uptight. Have a short walk tonight, a hot bath; warm milk has a sedative effect. Some people put a few drops of lavender on the pillow to help relax.
Tomorrow
Get up early tomorrow. A shower can help refresh.
Be there extra early so you can find a quiet place to go over your notes.
Don't panic when you read exam questions. Read them a few times. THIS IS TIME WELL SPENT. At first you might think that you have not studied a question, then you realise you know it - it is just the question is asked differently to the way you expected.
If there is a question you can't answer at all, do your best on the ones you do know, leaving the problem question until last - and while you are doing the other questions some ideas may hit you.
Prepare some nice generic sentences that would sound impressive in any essay or text piece. Pick some interesting words to weave into answers - words like "procrastination", which you might have personally experienced this year! Read back over your work. Choose important link words - for example, also, additionally, furthermore. It helps coherence.
It can't be said too often: READ THE QUESTIONS, mark out WHAT the questions are asking. Underline the key words, e.g. discuss, choose one, compare, define, describe, outline. These words tell you what to do and you'll get marks for doing just that, not something else.
When you finish an exam put everything from that subject in a big box and take it AWAY from where you are studying. Getting rid of the physical clutter from the room helps to get rid of mental clutter as well.
Finally, get it all in perspective. There is far more to you than your result on the Leaving Certificate.
Clinical psychologist and author Marie Murray is Director of Psychology at St Vincent's Hospital Fairview and St Joseph's Adolescent Services, Fairview. Dublin.
