How to succeed in the exams

1 Know the schedule and ensure that students are always in time for each examination.

2 Ensure that there is as much calm as possible around the house over the next two weeks. Students need to recharge their batteries very quickly after each day's exam papers.

3 A parent's most important role is that of listener. Avoid post-mortems on completed papers; they achieve nothing, and can create frustration regarding what should have been written. Students should be allowed and encouraged to tell you the story of their day. This will help them move on to the following day's examination.

4 It can be useful to review the paper or papers immediately ahead. Simple questions - such as, What's up next? Are there any compulsory sections? Are there any predictable questions that are intrinsic to the structure of the paper in question? - can be useful in helping a student focus on the evening's study ahead.

5 Without being overbearing, parents can ensure that students maintain a balance between study and rest. Remember that what is most effective is a three- to four-hour session, in which notes on examination questions are reviewed, followed by an hour's break. It is often better to finish up, and spend an hour in the early morning reviewing the coming day's papers than to study late into the night.

6 Nutrition and exercise will be vital parts of every student's life over the next two weeks. At times of stress, it is very tempting to over indulge in junk food. Avoid this as much as possible by ensuring regular light meals are available.

7 Peer support can be helpful around examination times. Group preparation sessions can be effective. Again, an adult presence at a discrete distance can often ensure the appropriate level of work is done.

8 A final check each morning, prior to heading out to the examination centre, of pens, rulers, erasers, calculators, log tables, reading glasses, bottled water etc., can be a very useful exercise, and can help to ensure maximum calm.

9 Students should remind themselves that many questions are predictable, if not in exact content, then certainly within very narrow parameters. Know the structure of every paper you are facing, and if there are formulas that regularly come up, list them on a revision card, read it carefully outside the examination hall, and write them quickly into the roughwork section of your answer book as soon as you are given access to it.

10 Never succumb to the temptation to bring notes into the examination hall. The stress induced by such conduct will hugely affect your capacity to perform well, quite apart from the fact that you are likely to be caught and have your entire paper cancelled.

11 Always read the paper fully before attempting to answer any question. Decide which questions you are going to attempt, and map out the structure of your answer on the rough-work page of your answer book. Only then should you attempt the question you feel most comfortable with. As you answer each question, missing pieces of your mapped-out answers will pop into your mind. Simply write them into your roughwork page and continue with the question in hand.

12 Never leave the examination hall before the examination is over. Re-read each answer if you are finished. There will always be additional information you can add. Over the period of the entire Leaving Certificate, such a strategy can be worth an additional 15 to 20 points.

• Brian Mooney is president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors