Mock tests are an important chance to practise for the real deal. But what should your mock test preparation look like? And how can you learn from your mocks to improve your performance for the real thing?
Here, we’ll show you how to leverage your mock exam preparation and results to get you where you need to be.
Psst! Anxious about preparing for your mocks? You don’t have to do it alone. Our handpicked tutors are here to help build your confidence and unlock your full potential.
What is a mock test?
A mock test is a practice exam designed to help you get ready for the real thing.
Mock tests are often used when you’re preparing for your GCSEs or A Levels. But they can also help you prepare for lots of other educational milestones – such as the 11 Plus, entrance exams and even vocational music exams.
Ultimately, the aim is to simulate real exam conditions. That way, you can get a feel for what the exams will feel like and get an accurate picture of where you’re at in your learning.
How should you approach your mock tests?
You should approach your mock tests as if they were the real thing.
Why?
Well, even though your mock test results won’t contribute towards your grade, they’re a lot more important than you might think.
For instance, they’ll give you a chance to…
- Experience real exam conditions
- Try out different exam preparation and revision techniques
- Hone your exam technique and time management skills
- Pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses
- Build your confidence
If you’re preparing for your GCSEs or A Levels, your mock test results will also help your teachers to decide on your predicted grades. These are often used by sixth form colleges and universities when they’re deciding which students to offer places to.
With all this in mind, approaching your mock tests as if they were the real thing will give you the best chance of success in the long run.
Head over to our blog on why mock exams matter to learn more.
What should your mock test preparation look like?
So, how should you prepare for a mock test?
Well, you should do all the same preparation that you would plan to do for the real thing.
Not only will this help you to perform at your best, but it will also give you valuable practise at exam preparation and revision techniques.
Remember, a mock test is a chance to try things out in a controlled environment. So, if there’s anything that doesn’t quite click – or you realise that you don’t feel as prepared as you’d hoped – you can learn from your mistakes and adjust your exam preparation before the real deal.
Here’s what we recommend.
1. Create a revision timetable
If you’ve got several mock exams to prepare for, it can be hard to plan your time to make sure you’re giving each subject the attention it deserves.
In this case, creating a revision timetable is a must.
- Get a diary or planner (or just use your online calendar!)
- List all your subjects and target grades
- Enter your other regular commitments
- Set out times to allocate to studying (making sure to include regular breaks)
- Decide which topics you need to spend the most time on
- Allocate the time you have available between subjects and topics
It’s important to try and stick to your revision timetable, but don’t beat yourself up if things slip a little. Sometimes, topics will take longer than you thought, so you’ll need to be flexible and regularly reassess how you can best use the time you have remaining.
Plus, be careful not to overstretch yourself. A realistic revision timetable that leaves room for regular breaks will be much easier to stick to and will prevent you from burning out.
“I would say don’t cram. Take 20-minute study sessions then take a break.”
– Katherine R, GCSE English tutor
2. Set up your study space
Next, it’s time to set up your study space.
Whatever kind of learner you are, creating an environment that allows you to focus and be productive is essential.
- Get rid of clutter
- Remove distractions
- Get comfy
- Get the lighting levels right
- Set your noise levels
- Personalise it
- Make sure there’s a clock in-sight (instead of constantly checking your phone!)
- Keep your revision supplies within reach (stationery, snacks etc.)
The important thing is recognising what works best for you, and setting your revision space up around that.
For instance, some students will work best in a bustling coffee shop with consistent background noise – while others will prefer total silence. Neither is wrong!
Just remember that the goal of creating your study space is to actually do some revision. So, don’t let this become a form of procrastination. Instead, get things how you want them and then use your time wisely!
3. Try different revision techniques
No two learners are the same. So, the revision techniques that work best for your friend might not work best for you.
Luckily, mock test preparation is the perfect time to try out a range of different revision techniques to find which ones you click with.
Here are just a few that you could have a go at:
- Draw out mind maps
- Record your revision notes and listen to them on the go
- Make revision cards
- Stick up post-it notes
- Get together with a study group
- Make up rhymes and songs
- Reorganise your school notes
- Use revision tools and resources
Just make sure that you regularly ask yourself whether a specific technique is working for you – if it’s not, there’s no need to continue with it!
Remember, the goal is to find the best revision methods for you, to help information stick and make sure you feel fully prepared for your mocks.
4. Try practice papers
As you start to get nearer to your mock exams, you’ll want to crack out the past papers and practice papers.
Answering these under timed conditions will give you a chance to hone your exam technique and time management skills.
For instance, you’ll be able to get a feel for how much time you have to spend on each part of the paper – and it’ll push you to decide when to move on from a question you’re stuck on.
Honing these skills are often just as key to exam success as memorising the content.
Plus, practice papers will give you a really clear idea of what you can expect to face in your mock exams – it’s essentially like giving yourself a mock test in preparation for your mock test (just without the exam hall and atmosphere!).
In this way, it can help to build your confidence and reduce your exam fear on the big day, as you shouldn’t come across any nasty surprises!
5. Ask for help
Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness!
And it’s especially important if you come across any topics in your revision that you’re unsure about or can’t quite get your head around.
After all, the last thing you want is to go into your mock tests feeling like you don’t understand all of the content that’s likely to come up!
As you go through your mock test preparation, make sure to flag any problem areas and ask for clarification on them from a teacher or a tutor.
Finding a tutor that you click with can be an especially useful resource during your mock test preparation, as they’ll be able to give you the one-on-one attention you often won’t get at school or college.
In this way, they can zero in on the areas you need the most help with so that you can reach your full potential in your mock exams and beyond.
Browse expert, vetted tutors, message free, and book instantly.
How can you use your mocks to prepare for the real deal?
As important as it is to take your mock exams seriously, don’t forget that they’re not the real thing – rather, they’re a chance to practise and learn from your mistakes before the real test day rolls around.
Here’s how you can leverage your mock tests to make sure you reach your potential in the long run.
Ask for feedback
First things first, mock tests are a valuable opportunity for you to get feedback on where you’re at in your learning.
After your test, ask your teachers and tutors what they think you need to improve on for next time.
It’s always useful to get a professional’s opinion on where you’re at and how ready they feel you are for the real thing.
If they feel that you’re not as ready as you should be, make sure you come away with an action plan for how you can change things and get to where you need to be in the time you have available.
Identify your strengths and weaknesses
Go through your mock exam papers and identify the areas where you performed well. Then, give yourself a pat on the back!
These are areas where your hard work clearly paid off and you can be confident that you’re on the right track.
Then, take a look at the areas where you lost marks. Do they come as a surprise? Can you spot any common patterns?
These are the areas you’ll likely need to spend the most time on between now and the real thing.
Use this information to adjust your revision timetable, ask for help and reassess what revision techniques you use. Which brings us onto…
Assess your preparation methods
Take a detailed look at how you prepared for your mock tests and ask yourself where there’s room for improvement.
- How prepared did you feel for the mock tests?
- Did the hard work pay off?
- Which revision techniques worked best for you?
Then, consider what you’d like to keep the same and what you’d like to do differently next time.
For instance, if you didn’t feel prepared enough, it might be because you didn’t start your revision early enough.
Or, if you felt prepared but your grades didn’t reflect the work you put in, it might be that your revision techniques aren’t working for you as well as you thought.
If you’re not sure where to go from here, don’t worry – you don’t have to do it alone.
Our handpicked tutors can create a tailored plan for you, to help you get where you need to be before the real exam.
Evaluate your exam technique
Likewise, it might be that your mock test preparation was spot on but your execution on the day could do with a bit of work.
For instance…
- Did you run out of time?
- Did you fail to complete the whole paper?
- Did you read and interpret the questions accurately?
Don’t beat yourself up over any of this – this is exactly why we do mock tests! They’re there to give you a chance to experience the time constraints and pressures you’re likely to face in the real thing, and you’re not necessarily going to ace it all on your first try.
However, it’s important to pinpoint where things went wrong so you can put strategies in place to ensure it doesn’t happen again in the real thing.
For instance, it might be a good idea to plan out your time differently next time, so you can reach the end of the paper without rushing the last sections.
Similarly, we always advise students to read each question at least twice so that you don’t make any silly mistakes.
Everyone’s coping strategies will be different, but it’s all about learning from what went wrong so that you can go into the real thing feeling confident and empowered.
Find a tutor to help with your mock exam preparation
As you can see, mock exams are way more important than you might think.
So, it’s important to give them the attention they deserve.
But don’t worry, you don’t have to do it alone.
Our handpicked tutors are experts at bringing every subject to life and can create tailored lesson plans that take into account your strengths, weaknesses and learning style.
In this way, a tutor that you click with can help you reach your full potential in your mocks – and beyond!
Browse expert, vetted tutors, message free, and book instantly.
FAQs
How can I prepare for a mock test?
You should prepare for a mock test as if it was the real thing. However, it’s also a great chance to try a range of revision techniques to see what works best for you.
How can I pass my mock?
Passing your mock requires just as much hard work and dedication as passing your real test. Create a revision timetable, set up a study space where you can be productive and ask for help if there’s anything you don’t understand.
How do I score better in mocks?
Our handpicked tutors can help you score better in your mocks – it takes on average just 8 hours of tutoring to move up one GCSE grade.
Are mock tests harder than the actual exam?
No, mock tests are designed to simulate the actual exam – so, they should be as similar as possible in terms of difficulty. That said, students often perform better in the actual exam as they’ll be able to learn from their performance in the mock to improve their results.
