Mock exams are an important time of year for any student working towards their exams in the summer. They are quite often used to make decisions about what tier students should sit for the real thing, and in extreme cases can be used to help decide a student’s grade, should they be ill when they are due to sit their summer exams. It can be a real wake up call for students who have been dragging their heels with revision up until now, and if students are to get the most out of the experience, they need to approach them in the right way. Here’s our top three tips to make the most of mocks:
Treat it like a dress rehearsal – The exam season in June and July is a tiring, grueling time for most students. The relentlessness for some students of taking up to 30 different exams, with up to three being taken on the same day, should not be underestimated. Students need to take these mock exams as seriously as they can. It is their only opportunity to practice and experience what this situation feels like. This means practice being organized, practice being prepared with the right equipment etc, and practice at being resilient when it’s tough and they’re tired out. The parent who allows their child to stay off school and miss mocks because of tiredness, or because they have a sniffle, is really not preparing them well for what’s ahead in the summer. Would they be allowed to miss the real thing for this same reason?
Revise in moderation – Revision is important and should be done well in advance. We all know that last minute cramming on the night before (or day of) an exam doesn’t work and increases stress. Get started with revision early, and once exams start, a bit of last minute flicking through revision cards is great, but not staying up til 1am stressing out! Being awake and well rested is far more important than revision.
Look after yourself – The body and brain need to be fueled properly to perform well in exams. Nobody is suggesting for a moment that when revising, students are not going to be snacking on biscuits and sweets. So long as this is in moderation, no harm is done. Energy drinks and caffeine based drinks as a way of keeping going and studying late can have catastrophic consequences, as any fans of the inbetweeners will be only too aware of! In general try and eat slow release energy foods such as oats and pulses, with plenty of fruit and vegetables at meal time to get those vitamins in. Avoid too much sugar if you can. Flapjacks can make a good revision treat. On top of this, your brain does not function properly if it is dehydrated,so plenty of water, and plenty of sleep too if you can! On the morning of exams, no rolling out of bed at 8:00 for an 8:30 exam. Get up early, wake up and feel prepared!
Once the mocks are done, remember that they are formative exams. The idea of them is to learn from the experience, and identify topics to work on. Students who do this effectively are giving themselves a great headstart for their revision for the real thing. Now is a great time to do an inventory of strengths and weaknesses, and make a plan for what should be prioritized when revising for the summer exams. It might be a good idea for students to write a short piece about how the exam period made them feel, what went well and what could be improved next time. You can then refer back to this as a start point for the summer exams, and how to get the most out of them.