Practice makes a man perfect, and practising is the nexus for any exam preparation. Assessing your exam preparation is pertinent to getting the best result, and what better than working out mock tests could be for this?
Every year, lakhs of aspirants appear for the most coveted UPSC exam, but only a few manage to crack and make it to their dream of being an IAS Officer. Students follow different strategies to clear the exam, but there are a few basic things that each aspirant must observe regularly. Out of various strategies that each aspirant can stick to, mock tests can play a lead role in getting closer to their dream career.
Mock tests, as sample papers, are replicas of the question papers for the IAS exams. It exactly follows the pattern of the Civil Services Test. If you want to self-assess your knowledge for all the learnings collated day in and day out, mock tests are your go-to. These test series help one view scores and percentiles, identify weak areas and compare their performance to judge and where they stand in the crowd with that level of preparation. For the least, mock tests help you get acquainted with the ideal exam scenario, where the clock is ticking, and pressure is mounting.
With so many advantages that mock tests carry, we are here to help you out with the tricks that can assist you to improve your scores in the mock test and finally in the actual exam.
5 Ways Mock Results Can Help in Increasing Final Exam Score
Analysis of mock tests is critical to improving your overall performance at these tests. Hence, once you have finished a test, analyse your performance based on the following pointers to help improve your score with each new test and gradually in the final examination.
- Evaluate your performance and the result – Focus on analysing your moves in the test rather than completely turning a blind eye to the percentile acquired. Find answers to the questions, such as silly mistakes or errors made in familiar topics, incorrect answers for the questions that were guessed, questions that took most of your time to answer, and questions for which you answered in a blink of an eye, which questions you comprehended correctly and vice versa and identifying the questions that can be a skip or can be a calculated risk in the exam. Take appropriate measures towards making these right, and half of your job is accomplished with this.
- Skim through correct answers – Highlight and recheck your correct responses. Look out for options to polish them further, find a better approach to answer those questions in less time and check if there is a probability of cracking the same question with fewer steps or a new strategy.
- Channelise your time and effort on the unattempted questions– This is why mock tests are a great resource, it provides students with the facility to review unattempted questions. Go through the unattempted question, and this time, you need to revamp your actions. It can definitely be an untimed action. Put it in your best effort and crack these questions with all the knowledge you have. If you could not attempt it due to lack of time, then you would probably end up answering it now; otherwise, concepts have to be revisited and relearned.
- Add on to the frequency – Gradually keep on increasing the number of mock tests you take. Revision and practice sessions must be coupled with at least one mock test every day when starting out. Analyse the performance of each mock test and move on to the next one. With time, this frequency must increase. Remember: before taking the next mock paper, it is pertinent to identify the mistakes, learn from them and bridge the gap before starting with a new test. Else, all your effort will be baseless.
- Experimenting can help you scale – Do not limit yourself from trying out different techniques and strategies to solve a question. Learning various methods to solve a type of question will help you gain accuracy and confidence. And all that matters in the examination is the correct answer marked regardless of the modus operandi.
The Civil Services Exam cannot be cracked in a matter of days; it demands time and rigorous practice. Hence, you need to identify gaps by taking regular mock tests, work on improving before attempting the next and polish your strengths. Mock tests are an excellent metric to gauge your performance and hence, extract the most out of it. Remember to revisit concepts to check if you have missed out on gaining important insights on topics or for conceptual clarity, and then get back to taking up mock tests. To keep yourself updated with the Current Affairs 2022, visit the linked page.
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