How to practise for mock exams
With mock exams just around the corner, it is time for GCSE students to start revising and making a long-term revision plan for the summer. Here are some of our top tips for practising for mock exams and making sure everything goes as smoothly as possible…
Identify areas that need work
The Tassomai Tree is a great tool for parents, students and teachers to make a plan for revision. The Tree is a visual representation of a child’s knowledge and understanding based on their Tassomai usage and the questions they’ve answered.
A learner’s tree grows over time, and can be used to identify topics they are strongest in, and those that need more work. Every learner has a separate tree for each subject they’re studying on Tassomai – the greener the leaves, the better they’re doing!
You can see at a glance exactly where their weaker areas are, and use this to plan focused revision, extra reading and practice.
Left to their own devices, students tend to revise the topics where they feel more confident, rather than those they find more difficult. Tassomai’s algorithm is designed specifically to ensure that quizzing practice tackles problem areas, helping students to improve and expand their knowledge. For work outside the app, look at a student’s Tree with them and help them identify which areas would most benefit from extra revision.
Be prepared
Help students to make a plan before they start revising, that way you can leave them to have ownership of their own revision, while knowing that they’re on the right path. Giving them a clear framework will enable them to take ownership of their work, which will be a great skill to have as they head towards exams.
Try a variety of revision techniques – whether that’s condensing notes onto revision cards, self-quizzing on Tassomai or answering and marking practice papers – interleaving approaches, as well as topics and subjects, is a sure way to make learning more memorable..
Little and often
There’s a fundamental piece of education research referred to as the Ebbinhaus Forgetting Curve which describes exactly how, if you don’t think about or practise something regularly, your likelihood of remembering it later diminishes over time. Although that seems obvious, it’s amazing to see how few people keep that practice going and keep every plate spinning.
A few minutes’ quizzing each day can have a colossal effect, not only on refreshing knowledge, but on making it ‘stick’ for longer. If students follow this measured, sustainable approach, they will head into mocks and any future exams with the right mindset, ready to do their best.