During the studying of your A-Levels, many students believe that mock exams aren’t that important. After all, they aren’t the real thing, right? Mocks are often seen in this way, meaning that students don’t try as hard for them and may even not revise at all! However, mock exams have more than one purpose, which you may not be aware of. They are not used to stress you out and are certainly not used to make your teachers shout at you! I get it, mock exams can seem useless and you may be thinking that they just add unnecessary stress. However, they have many useful purposes.
Mock exams have many purposes. They let your teacher know what grade you are working at. They can also serve as useful revision aids for students. Mock exams can also be used to determine your predicted grades, which are an essential component in your university application.
If you are still thinking that mocks are pointless or are still unsure about their exact uses, check out this article and you will see how important mock exams really are.
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How important are your A-Level mock exams?
As already stated, A-Level mock exams are extremely useful, due to their many functions. However, the most important one is that they help to determine your predicted grades. Your predicted grades are used in your UCAS application, for applying to university.
Universities will then base part of their offer on your predicted grades. Therefore, you need to make sure they are good so that you will get plenty of university offers!
Mock exams are also useful for your teachers. It enables them to see which parts of the specification you are struggling on. This allows you to get specific help, to tackle your weakest areas, so that you will be ready for the exam.
Mock exams can also be used for revision. This is because they help you to become more familiar with the exam and answer even more exam questions! Also, without mock exams, you may not be prepared for the real exam because you won’t know the procedure for proper examinations.
If you write your candidate number in the wrong place for example, the marking of your paper could go horribly wrong! Therefore, mock exams offer a great preparation opportunity.
If you want to discover even more benefits of taking mock exams, check out this article from the Student Navigator.
Do universities look at your A-Level mock results?
Universities do not tend to look at your raw mock exam grades. However, to some extent, universities technically look at your mock results because they help determine your predicted grades.
Therefore, universities can’t see the scores and grades you got for each individual mock you have ever done; however they do see your predicted grades. Most of your predicted grades are based on your mock results.
Therefore, universities technically do view them. However, your predicted grades take other factors into account. For example, part of the grade may be based on in class tests or pieces of homework.
This is because if you have done awful on one mock exam but always do well on tests in the classroom, it wouldn’t be fair to only base your predicted grades on your mock exams.
What happens if you fail your A-Level mock exams?
Failing your mock exams is not the end of the world. It is always good to get a great grade because it can give you a confidence boost. However, they are not the be-all and end-all.
Of course, mock exam grades can be used to formulate your predicted grades. Therefore, if you have done bad in your mocks, you may be worrying about how your predicted grades will be affected.
However, do not panic! If you have done really badly, then the best thing you can do is try harder on your next set of mock exams. If you don’t have any left, then try your hardest on tests in the classroom and show your teacher that you are trying.
Mock exams are used to help you learn how to revise better and show you which elements of your subjects you are weakest at. Your teachers know this. As a result, if your mock results are that bad, they probably won’t base your predicted grades solely on them.
Talk to your teachers if you are worried and they can give you tips with revision and discuss what can be done about your predicted grades. If you did badly because of exam stress, time management and panic, tell a teacher and they will be sure to help you.
If you are finding timing an issue during your exams, check out this article from Think Student for some tips. To find out more about what to do if you fail your mock exams, check out this article from The Uni Guide.
Can you retake your A-Level mock exams?
This question depends on which school you go to. Most teachers will let you retake mock exams. However, it depends on whether this is really essential or not.
For example, if your predicted grades have already been sent off and you know why you got a bad grade in a mock exam, then you don’t really need to retake it. However, if your predicted grades have still not been decided and you think that your mock exam grades do not reflect your true potential, it is something you should discuss with your teacher.
If you are really struggling with A-Levels, check out this article from Think Student to discover tips about what to do if you think you are failing.
As already stated, they are not the real exams. Therefore, it is not essential to retake them if you do badly. However, if you miss a mock exam, you will probably be expected to still complete it. Check out this article from Think Student to see what you should do if you miss a mock exam.