Your education questions answered

I recently completed my mocks and am taking my Leaving Certificate in June. I am beginning to panic, as I found that in the exam hall I was unable to remember material I studied only weeks beforehand. How can I avoid this happening in June?

Effective study methods are the key to maximising a student's performance in any given examination. I will list a few tips to help you in your preparation for June.

- Reading material without recording it in some form of graphic visualisation is next to useless, as your brain will have forgotten 90 per cent of what you read within 24 hours.

- Always summarise a topic on an index card, in a form that you can read again in 30 seconds.

- Never study a topic for more that 40 minutes before taking a five to 10-minute break for air or a cup of tea.

- Change subjects each time, so as to keep your brain fresh.

- Three hours is the maximum time a student should study before taking a break of at least an hour.

- Eat healthy food, take plenty of exercise and get enough sleep over the next three months. Exhausting late-night study sessions only undermine your ability to learn the following day.

- As you build up a store of index cards with various topics summarised on them, take them out regularly and read them. In this way you are constantly revising without having to reread the original material.

I am currently in fifth year and considering my options for next year. As a result of my disability I have missed quite a lot of school and I am worried that I won't be able to get the required points for the course I want. Do you know of any way that I can be accommodated?

Firstly, if you get an opportunity to look at a CAO form you will see that there is a question asking if you have a disability/specific learning difficulty and asking you to tick the box if this is the case. Although you don't have to tick this box, doing so is a means of letting an institution know that you are interested in attending and giving them an opportunity to consider any support needs you may have.

I feel it is really important to stress that indicating that you have a disability or specific learning difficulty will not impact negatively on your application. Institutions may take your disability or specific learning difficulty into account if they operate what's known as an alternative entry system. Each institution applies its own criteria concerning alternative admission, in essence it is a means taking into account any medical evidence that may mean that you have been educationally disadvantaged as a result of your disability.

You should contact the institutions you are interested in applying to directly to find out the exact nature of their alternative entry procedure. I am delighted to see that you are doing your research while you are still in fifth year. Research and preparation are essential, especially for students with disabilities. For further information on accessing third-level education if you have a disability contact AHEAD, the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability at (01) 475 2386.

Brian Mooney is president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. E-mail questions to bmooney@irish-times.ie