The CAO: if you listened to everyone– parents, teachers, friends, family, the media – you’d think your whole future and personal worth was being decided by the numbers printed on a small, plain-looking sheet of paper produced in the late summer. In reality a greater importance should be attached to the preparatory work for your Leaving Cert exams. If you manage to do that, then following some simple rules when filling out your form correctly and sending it on time should be easy in comparison.

The first place to start is with the CAO handbook. This weighty tome has everything you need to ensure you complete the CAO form correctly and send everything to the right place at the right time. Most applications are fairly straightforward, but it’s very useful to have the handbook around to check things, just in case. Get yourself a copy from your school, or print it off the CAO web site, and keep it handy.