5 Hacks For Better Grades

Better grades are possible, for every student.

I was not always the best student in school.

My school reports constantly said “could work harder” or “goes too fast”. But at some point, it began to click.

The final 4 months of my Leaving Cert were incredible. I went from achieving 420 points in my mocks to the much better grades of 625 points in my Leaving Cert. I learned to hack my way through school. Sounds strange right?

I’ve been teaching for over 12 years now. I’ve taught 625 point students, students with dyscalculia and students with Autism. So today, I’ve got some hacks to share with YOU so that you can achieve better grades!

But first, some context on why better grades are important.

The Importance of Being Earnest Clever.

Roll back the years with me here. School performance, for many years, was divided into roughly 3 categories. You’ve got:

• Smart Students (The SWOTS)
• Students middling around, getting by.
• Students really struggling

And society allows for that. Because we are always told that “we all find our own way“.

That’s true. We do all find our way. But some find their way quicker than others. Some find their way much higher in society than others. Finding your way early in life leads to increased levels of satisfaction, financial success and health benefits.

Here’s the reality. Your child will spend, give or take, around 20 years in education (Primary, Secondary and 3rd level). Do you want your child to just pass their time in school? Will you ignore poor results because, eventually, they will “find their way”?

Own Up To Better Grades, Just like Taylor.

Succeeding in school, to your best ability, is the statistically proven way of increasing your child’s chances in life.

It starts with the student. Take the Taylor Swift approach to taking responsibility.

School is a game, and a very important game. Like any game, their are rules to it, as Adam Robinson showed in his New York Times bestseller: What Smart Students Know.

Let’s be clear here. School will not deliver better grades. Paying €12,000 a year for private school is not the solution. Individual teachers do not deliver better grades.

Think long term here. Clever students play exams and study like a game: they have set rules, the input the effort, they get the results. Fall in love with the game. Hack your way to results!

Clever students play exams and study like a game: they have set rules, they put in the effort, and they get the results.

My 5 Hacks For Better Grades

1. The 20 Minute Study Rule
2. Think In Ink
3. Outsmart The Examiner
4. Quit the “pin the blame” on the teacher game.
5. Plan ahead to save yourself a lifetime of pain, 5 minutes before bed.

TJ— CEO of Breakthrough Maths.

Need help in Maths? Contact the Breakthrough Maths team here.