By Niamh Dwyer, Chairperson of the Kerry Branch of Guidance Counsellors

As we head into the Easter holidays, Leaving Cert students are undertaking a busy and stressful week of oral exams and music practicals.

You are bound to feel exhausted at this point in the year so it’s all about pacing and priorities for the last stretch. Once you return to school after the break, you will have six and half weeks to the beginning of the exams on June 8. Before that you will have graduation to look forward to but it is very important that you make the best use of the class and study time you have left.

Priorities - rest, recharge and revision!

The orals, music practicals and any outstanding project work you need to complete should take priority for the first week of the holidays. Towards the end of the week, make out a revision plan to run from Easter Monday for the remainder of the holidays. You will definitely need to take a couple of days to recharge after a very busy term so take a breather over the Easter weekend, get some rest and enjoy some time with family and friends. Make a priority list of topics you want to revise in each subject and assign those topics to particular times on each of your study days. You will have learnt a lot from doing the mock exams about the structure of the paper, marking schemes and what the examiner is looking for. Build this into your revision from now on. Always finish your study sessions by looking at an exam question on the topic you have revised. It is also useful to look at exemplar answers. www.studyclix.ie is a real help for this.

Return to career research

The CAO Change of Mind facility will open on May 5 at 12pm and will remain open until July 1 at 5pm, so there is still plenty of time to finalise your choices and to look at alternative pathways. Your attention in the lead up to the exams and for a lot of June will be focused on performing as best you can in the Leaving Cert, so it can be difficult to find the time to focus on career choices. I highly recommend that you take some time over the Easter break to review your CAO course choices, making sure that you have placed them in order of preference. Explore all the options available in colleges for further education, many of which will allow you to progress onto higher education through CAO in subsequent years. Check out apprenticeship options which continue to expand across a variety of career sectors. Some study abroad options are still available for those who are interested. For students who need more of a supported transition into education, training or the workplace, check out the National Learning Network.

Go néirí libh in the orals and practicals. The end is in sight now so make the best of the Easter break and you will reap the rewards in June and on results day!

Niamh Dwyer is the chairperson of Kerry Branch of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. She is also the founder of My Career Plan, a careers advisory service for teenagers and adults. See www.mycareerplan.ie for details or follow @mycareerplan on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.