When we study for a test, our aim is to get maximum marks in the exam. The more time we spend on this, the more confident we feel about the exam.
The most common way to study for an exam is by attempting mock tests. Mock tests help us assess our preparation. In other words, if you attempt enough mock tests, you can evaluate how prepared you are for the actual exam.
The best strategy is to attempt mock tests under simulation conditions as much as possible. For example, if you have an exam that has 3 hours duration, then you should attempt at least 3 hours long mock test prior to your actual exam.
But Why is it important to analyze the mistakes of attempted mock tests?
So, you attempted a mock test and you got some answers wrong. You might be wondering why this is important and how it can help you.
In fact, analyzing your mistakes on a mock test is a very important part of the preparation for an exam. It doesn’t matter how many questions you manage to attempt correctly in a mock test, it’s the number of errors that matters!
Let me explain why:
When we take our mock tests, we should do so to identify our weaknesses and to find out what areas we need to focus on in order to improve our scores.
We should analyze all the wrong answers in order to understand where we went wrong. This will allow us to eliminate those incorrect answers in real exams, which is really helpful when it comes to saving time.
The best way to analyze your mock test mistakes is to identify the type of mistakes that you made.
The biggest mistake made by aspirants is not analyzing their performance after attempting a mock test. They tend to ignore the mistakes and move on without analyzing them. This leads to more mistakes in the actual exam, thereby reducing the chances of achieving a good band score.
Look for these common types of error:
Time Wasting – There are many students who attempt a lot of questions in mock tests rather than focusing on quality. This leads them to run out of time in the actual exam. So, be cautious about time management.
Wrong Answer – It is the most common mistake people make in mock tests. And this is the most important factor to check in order to find out how well we have prepared for our exams. Most of the time we attempt a question wrong just because we guessed it or we read it too fast. So, one should go through each question that they attempted incorrectly and fix their errors so as to avoid making similar mistakes again in future exams.
Your Weak Areas – After the attempt of a Mock Test, keep a diary and note down all the questions that are recurring in your mock tests. This will help you to concentrate on your weak areas in order to get rid of them.
Improvement – Make a list of topics that you aim to target in the coming mock tests. This must include the previously mistaken topics along with other factors explained above like time management, etc.
Conclusion:
Mock Tests are similar to live tests as they give an idea of what to expect in the ensuing exam. Hence, it becomes very important to analyze mistakes properly and attempt to rectify the common blunders. Hopefully, this article should help candidates attempt mock tests with more confidence.
