Mock Exams: Do They Really Matter?

Mock Exams are often seen as the only obstacle between you and your final exams. Here is an unfiltered and unbiased opinion about their utility, from the perspective of an IB graduate.

Perhaps a controversial opinion, but I think Mock Exams matter both a great deal and very little.

Why Mock Exams Matter

Mock Exams are incredibly important because the setting will be remarkably similar to your real exams. You’ll probably be seated in the same examination room, taking old past papers, and following a similar schedule to the actual exams. This allows you to establish a routine.

I recommend that you see Mock Exams as a trial run for the real thing and try to establish a coherent routine that you can then use in May. While you have little control over what happens in the examination room, you can attempt to control the circumstances around exams.

There was something extremely comforting knowing I had a routine approaching May exams based on what I learned during Mock Exams. Specifically, I tried to establish a routine with regards to the following: eating, sleeping, exercise, and how I would study for my exams. I reflected on the simple, everyday things that I could do to make the exam process easier:

• Should I drink coffee before an exam?
• Should I study in the morning if I have an afternoon exam, or try to relax?
• When I come home from a full day of exams, should I take a few hours to relax or study immediately?

Why Mock Exams Are Irrelevant (for predictions)

In terms of predicting your actual IB grade, Mock Exams can be irrelevant. While some of you may be relying on your Mock Exams for predicted grades, I urge caution. For example, my prediction after Mock Exams was 30; I ended up getting 42 points.

Most students forget that there is a tremendous amount of time between Mock Exams and the real exams. There is still time to improve. Likewise, however, if you don’t make use of the time between Mocks and the real exams, you might see your results turn on you unfavorably. Thus, mock exams are invaluable in terms of knowing how your real exams will operate practically. However, they are not always a fruitful indicator of the actual mark you’ll be getting in July.

How to Best Prepare for Mock Exams

When looking forward to mock exams, how should you best prepare? You can best prepare by scheduling some intense revision sessions where you try to review the key information in your subjects. Do not fret if you are unable to review all your topics! The most important thing is that you attempt to review some.

Secondly, I would recommend that you take a ‘learner style’ test before Mock Exams. Learner Style tests are an easy way to see if you are studying in ways which play to your strengths. All you do is answer a few questions about how you tend to learn. Then you’ll get an answer about how you should study to get the best results. Knowing how you learn best will allow you to make your revision for Mock Exams more productive as you’ll begin to utilize your strengths. To take a learner style test, click here.

Good luck revising, I know you can do it!