Updated 6 min read
Why mock tests matter
Topic practice tells you whether you know a subject. A mock test tells you whether you can perform: switch between topics, manage time and hold concentration for the length of a real paper. Those are different skills, and only timed papers train them.
When to start
Take one early mock as a baseline, even before you feel ready. It shows where the biggest gaps are. After that, sit one every week or two during preparation, and more often in the final month.
Sit it like the real thing
- Use the full time, in one sitting
- No notes, no phone and no pausing
- Answer in order, flagging questions to revisit
- Submit when the timer ends, not before you have checked flagged questions
Review is where the value is
Spend at least as long reviewing a mock as sitting it. For every wrong or guessed answer, read the explanation and write down the concept. Then group your mistakes by subject and topic: the largest group is next week's priority.
Track more than the score
- Accuracy per subject
- Questions left unanswered
- Average time per question
- Mistakes caused by misreading the question
Avoid these traps
- Repeating the same mock until you remember the answers
- Leaving all mocks until the last week
- Only looking at the final percentage