Practice Papers are a huge part of study from Year 11 to the end of the HSC. They are incredibly significant in a student’s preparation for their exams since timed practice is key to success in exams.
Firstly, the most important part of using practice exams in the lead up to a test is putting your phone away. Phones are very distracting and websites / apps like tiktok and instagram are consuming and causing procrastination. Once a student’s phone has been placed in a secure location or locked they can attempt a practice paper with a timer on their computer.
Secondly, timing the paper makes sure there is some sort of increased pressure that is intended to replicate an actual exam setting. The careful and precise use of the time is key, optimising the reading time to read and scan the entire paper before possibly creating answers to initial questions. Further, the timing of the paper should help student’s plan out the paper and provide an aim of what should be done by certain time periods. For example, in a chemistry HSC paper, the multiple choice should be finished within 20-25 minutes for a good start to the paper for a student who has studied hard. This decrease in time spent from the 35 minutes recommended to 20 – 25 means more time is able to be allocated to harder questions that require more understanding and brainstorming.
Lastly, there is importance placed on finishing the paper in the allocated time and not continuing to edit the paper or the test. Once completed, marking each question fairly and then producing a score shows where a student stands in preparation. Further, the marking should point a student in the direction of their areas of improvement, showing them the questions they should practise before attempting another paper.
Andrew Tan
