Two candidates with identical knowledge can score twenty marks apart. The difference is almost always test practice and revision method. This article explains how to make both systematic.
Test frequency across the year
- Months 1–4: weekly topic tests of thirty minutes.
- Months 5–8: sectional subject tests plus a monthly full-length paper.
- Months 9–12: one full-length paper every week in exam conditions.
How to analyse a mock properly
Spend at least as long analysing as writing. Sort every incorrect question into one of four categories: concept not known, concept known but misapplied, calculation error, or careless reading. Each category has a different fix, and lumping them together is why repeated mocks sometimes produce no improvement.
The error log
- One line per mistake: topic, cause, correct approach.
- Review the log every Sunday and before every subsequent test.
- A mistake that appears three times becomes a full revision topic.
Attempt strategy under negative marking
Practise a two-pass approach. In the first pass answer only questions you are confident about; in the second, attempt those where you can eliminate options credibly. Skip the rest. Decide your personal elimination threshold in mocks, not on exam day.
The final month
- No new material.
- Rotate revision across all subjects so nothing goes cold.
- Revise formula registers daily.
- Sleep and exam-time simulation matter as much as study hours in the last week.