Are you getting ready to sit State or college examinations this summer? Brian Mooney, guidance expert, offers key tips on making the most of the forthcoming Easter break

For those sitting State examinations this summer, be they Junior or Leaving Certificate candidates or even third-level students, the arrival of Easter represents the sound of the bell at the beginning of the last lap of their particular race. It is a time to take stock, evaluate how preparations for the task ahead are going and make whatever adjustments are necessary to achieve the best possible result in the forthcoming tests.

Some of us may imagine that we know how the students must be feeling, but in truth unless one has been through a major set of examinations within the last 12 months, one's mind may retain memories of the sheer terror of the experience, but one's gut has long forgotten.

The first piece of advice I would give to any parent with a young person doing State or college examinations is not to set yourself up as the expert, doling out advice, attempting to console them with words of comfort and lists of dos and don'ts. What they really need is someone to listen to them without criticism. In such an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance they may find the courage to tell you what it feels like to be facing the exams this summer.

Having given them the precious gift of your listening ear, you can then ask them whether there is anything that you could do to help them to maximise their performance in the exams. It may be as simple as being at home more to ensure a calm, quiet atmosphere in which they can study.

Parents should be mindful that hours of unfocused study that go on late into the night are worse than useless and are in fact reducing the capacity of the student to learn anything at school or in study the following day. With three months to go to the exams, all study should be focused on possible examination questions. Material should be prepared in a format that makes it easy to revise and return to from time to time over the next two months and revision cards should be studied regularly from the time of writing them until the day of the examination.

Students should now place a master study timetable on their bedroom wall. Write it out on large sheets of poster paper and show all major themes in every subject to be taken. As the summary revision sheets are prepared on each possible question, the item can be crossed off the poster sheet. This enables the student to see at a glance the progress they are making. Individual periods of study should not exceed 40 minutes per subject, with a five- to 10-minute break between subjects. Periods of study that last for over four hours are counterproductive.

Parents must remember that performance on the day of the examination is determined by a student's physical, psychological and emotional well-being as well as by his or her level of preparation in the subject material.

Physical well-being is determined by diet and exercise. Students under the stressful conditions of examinations need regular physical exercise, be it through sport, walking, jogging, swimming etc. As at all times, they need to avoid alcohol and drugs. They need to maintain a healthy well-balanced

diet, avoiding excessive sugar and junk food.

Psychological and emotional well-being is determined by the quality of relationships. Students give each other incredible support through these difficult times. The most

important support comes from within the

family, where a gentle hug, an encouraging word or an unexpected treat can make all the difference. Most important of all is to communicate the message that a young person is valued not for what he or she achieves in any exam but for himself or herself. With that confidence, the students of 2005 will sail through the forthcoming examination season without too much difficulty.

Having said all that, a plan of action is crucial for eventual success. Depending on the examination about to be taken, the time remaining is between six weeks for college students and 10 weeks for Leaving and Junior Certificate candidates. No matter which examination is pending, the following steps are crucial for each student:

1 Write up a simple diary for every aspect of the examinations ahead of you. This will include the times and dates of each subject and the individual papers within those subjects. It will also include and orals, practicals and portfolios of work that have to be submitted by particular dates. This process will enable you to draft a study plan to cover the remaining time available.

2 Identify the time available to you to prepare for each aspect of the process, written paper or otherwise. You will have to exclude time spent in school or lectures, eating, sleeping, relaxing or taking exercise. At the end of this simple process you will have a diary of all aspects of the examination process and a body of time to prepare for the.

3 Honestly evaluate your level of preparation for each paper - oral, practical or portfolio. For those who have recently received mock examination results, an honest evaluation of their implications, with the help of teachers and parents will be invaluable.

4 Having completed this evaluation, identify the areas of weakness that you need to address in the time remaining to you and determine what course of action remedying those weaknesses might involve. Such an evaluation should be based on past papers of previous examinations, so that you know exactly what will be expected of you on the day in question.

5 List the areas of work within each subject that need to be addressed. Don't forget that you need continuously to revise the materials already prepared by taking out your study cards for each question for a short period of a minute or so on an ongoing basis.

6 Identify how you are going to deal with each item on your list. If a particular subject or paper represents a number of identified items on your to-do list, you might consider seeking particular support in that subject from your teacher or lecturer or, given the short period of time remaining, through an intensive grind.

7 Before deciding whether or not you are going to arrange a grind, remember that you only have the block of free time that you have just identified. Do not get panicked into concentrating all your efforts into a single area of identified weakness, while letting the areas that you are up to speed with slide backwards over the final weeks.

8 As you approach each element of the examination give yourself time to pull all aspects of that subject together so that you will be able to give time in the day before the exam to read over all the revision cards and mind maps that you have created.

9 It is often very useful to outline verbally how you would approach a particular topic, as this process consolidates your understanding of the question itself. This can be done within a group of fellow students, with each person taking a different topic. For second-level students, a parental presence while such peer support in taking place ensures the necessary conditions for success are adhered too.

10 Finally, ensure that you maintain a balanced approach to nutrition, exercise and sleep over the coming weeks so that you will be in the best shape possible for the exams. Good luck. All your hard work will definitely pay off.