Objectives

 If you are in 2nd year or just starting third year, the Junior Cert probably seems like it is miles away. In fact, there are about 230 days between the start of third year and the start of the State Exams. But time is your most valuable resource, and how you use that time will determine your grades.

Long-term Objectives

Your long-term objectives include what you want to achieve in the Christmas exams, the mocks, or indeed the Junior Cert itself. Try to be optimistic, but stay realistic at the same time. Look at your previous test scores in each subject, and from there, make a prediction of what you think you may get. Push yourself - set yourself goals that are higher than those you got before. Don't settle for getting the same results.

Short-term Objectives

 I found that these were very important to me. Short-term objectives include what you want to achieve each week, each month, or indeed each day that you study. Before studying, students should have a clear plan in place of what they want to achieve. Get a piece of paper, write down what topics/subjects you want to cover, and how long you want to spend studying each subject.

Be specific. Instead of writing down 'study English for 30 minutes' , write: 'English - Merchant of Venice Act 4 scene 1 notes (30 minutes)'.

Keep records of what you have studied. This way, at the end of a term, at the end of the week, or coming up to exams, you will know what you have covered, or more importantly, what you need to cover.