Never before have mock exams been more crucial. Due to the recent lockdowns and confusion around exams, schools are placing more focus on providing evidence of grades. That means mocks are here, with greater frequency and larger emphasis on doing well. Proof is needed to support predicted grades as a backup in case the exams are cancelled or adapted this summer. So how do you prepare for mock exams? How can you give yourself the greatest possible chance of doing well?
Read our guide to tips for parents and students when preparing for mock exams. Follow our advice for exam success!
For Parents:
You want your child to do well in their mocks. You want to help them but you’re not sure how. Well here are the top 3 things you can do to support your child when preparing for mock exams:
1. Provide them with the right environment to study
It may sound obvious but I’ve tutored many students who didn’t even have a desk to study at. I know the kitchen table does the job, however if you really want them to get down to some serious studying then they’ll need the right environment to do so. A desk, in a quiet area with no distractions around. If you’re worried about going to all the effort for them not to use it, make the workspace extra inviting. (I always had a chocolate stash in my desk drawer when I was at school which helped keep me studying!). Ensure there is time available in the evenings and weekends for them to study in peace! It’s also beneficial to make sure they eat and sleep well during exam periods, even mocks, so encourage them to have breakfast and rest the night before an exam.
2. Teach them how to work better not harder
There is nothing that makes a teenager want to study less than being nagged by a parent. I know, you want them to work hard and get good grades so you remind them of the work they should be doing. The problem is that most teenagers then immediately want to do the complete opposite. Instead of prodding them to study more, spend time teaching them how to study efficiently. Breaking revision into smaller, more manageable chunks makes studying easier, quicker and more effective. Time management is a crucial skill, yet most students aren’t taught this! (Note our experienced tutors at Learnly can help you with this!)
3. Study with them
Almost every subject has facts and definitions that need to be remembered. Putting these onto revision cards is a great way to learn them. You’d be surprised how many students make the revision cards and then leave them in a pile without ever looking at them again! Ask for revision cards, or help your child to make them, and then spend time testing them on the information on the cards. This is an easy way to show an interest, monitor progress and actively help them to revise. Best of all, it only takes 10 minutes! Another way to help when preparing for mock exams is to offer to mark practice papers for them. This way they’ll get an idea of how they’re doing and where they can improve. Even if you’re not confident in the subject, mark schemes are comprehensive enough that you’ll be able to mark a paper even if you have no idea what it’s about!
For students:
Approaching mock exams? Feeling nervous? Not sure how best to revise? Here are our top three tips for preparing for mock exam success!
1. Little but often
Revising regularly in small bitesize amounts of time is much more productive than spending hours on end starting at a textbook. As you cover topics in class create revision cards and summary posters to revise from. Then use these to revise in little pockets of time throughout the day. Put revision posters up in places you’ll see them. For example, on the mirror in the bathroom, by the kettle in the kitchen, next to your hairbrush. The key is to spend less than five minutes at a time looking at the poster every single day. This will help to improve your knowledge for the exams without putting too much effort in, how amazing is that?!
2. Practice makes perfect
Don’t spend too much time learning everything you need to know to then fail to apply it to questions in the exam. Practice questions and past papers are the only way to ensure you can apply what you have learned to unfamiliar situations. They’ll also help you with timing in the exam and knowing what to expect, both of which are crucial to exam success. Past papers are also a great way to gauge the level you’re at and identify any knowledge gaps or problem areas before you enter the exam, giving you time to brush up on these and hopefully grab some extra marks!
3. Look after yourself
Even preparing for mock exams can be stressful, think of it as practice stress for the real thing. So create yourself a healthy exam time routine to make sure you’re looking after yourself. Eat breakfast, get a good 8 to 9 hours sleep, do some exercise and drink plenty of water. It’s boring, I know, but when you’re feeling refreshed and raring to go on exam day you’ll be thankful for it. Even better, turn it into a ritual for exams that you go to bed at a certain time, wake up at a certain time, have a particular breakfast and so on. It’s the exact same thing professional athletes do to get their head in the right place for competing and it will help you to get your head in exam mode.
There you have it, our top tips for preparing for mock exam success. Even better, by putting these steps in place now you’ll be prepared in plenty of time for the real thing!
To all students taking mock exams, and their parents, good luck!
If you’re worried about mock exams or how best to support your child’s exam preparation then send our experienced tutors a message. At Learnly we’re only too happy to help!
If you need some support organising your revision then have a read of our blog on creating an effective revision timetable.
Need a hand finding some practice questions for revision? We recommend using papers published by your exam board. Physics and Maths Tutor also has excellent revision materials across a range of subjects too.