GCSE Mock Exams: Everything You Need to Know

What are GCSE mock exams?

GCSE Mock exams are practice exams set by your school to mimic the actual GCSE exams set by the exam boards.  Mock exams are normally sat a few months before the actual GCSE exams to allow lots of time for improvement and further preparation. 

GCSE mock exams are put together by your teachers, normally using past paper exam questions in the same format as your actual GCSE exams. 

For example, the Edexcel GCSE Physics Paper 1 exam is 1 hour 45 minutes and is worth 100 marks. The assessment contains 10 questions on the topics of motion and forces, conservation of energy, waves, light and the electromagnetic spectrum, radioactivity and astronomy. Students must answer all questions included in the paper; short answer, multiple choice, calculations and extended open response questions. An Edexcel GCSE Physics Paper 1 mock exam will normally follow this same format and include a range of these types of questions on all the relevant content. 

Most teachers will use past paper questions or even portions of past exam papers to create GCSE mock exams that will be informative and helpful for students. At the time you sit your mock exams, it’s likely you’ll have covered all the content required for your course. If not, bear in mind that teachers are unlikely to test you on content you have not yet covered.

Why are mock exams important?

You experience real exam conditions

Sitting exams can be challenging for many reasons. These include having to sit still, be silent, write and concentrate for a long time at your own individual desk, often in a room with many other students. The more you practise performing in this type of environment, the easier and more familiar it will be when taking your actual GCSE exams. 

It can take time to develop an exam technique that works for you. Examples of skills to develop include considering the order in which you will answer the questions on the paper, how you will arrange your desk, how you will keep track of time, how you will take a break and whether you will use the bathroom. The more mock and actual exams you sit, the more you will learn about the best techniques for you.

You can assess your subject knowledge

During your exam, you will get a feel for how well you know your subject content and how well you can interpret exam questions. This will be essential in informing your actual GCSE exam preparation so that you can create a more specific study plan. 

It will also provide an opportunity for you to reassess your future study goals. If you have done well in your mock GCSE exams, then it is likely you will also do well in your actual exams, so can look at future opportunities that require the grades you may achieve. 

Following your mock GCSE exams, you will be able to identify gaps you have in your knowledge, while you still have several months to address these. This is also the perfect time to consider your exam technique and how this can be improved. 

Mock exams can inform your predicted grade

Predicted grades are normally used for college or sixth form applications because they reflect your performance in exam conditions.

In rare and extreme situations, such as severe illness or the death of a family member, some students may not be able to sit their actual GCSE examinations. When this happens, the exam boards may ask their teachers to provide a predicted grade. Teachers will consider class performance, homework, test scores and the most informative factor, the mock exam grade. 

How to revise for GCSE mock exams

Use the same methods as for your actual GCSE exams

Flashcards for keyword understanding, practice exam questions to test your knowledge, and then past exam papers to bring all of your skills together. Save My Exams has everything you need to enable you to do this effectively, and our resources are tailored to your specific exam board. 

How mock exams affect your final grades

Mock exams themselves have no direct effect on your final grades unless needed in an emergency situation. They do not form part of your final GCSE grade. They do, however, inform you of where you are in your knowledge, so you can make a helpful revision plan for your final few months of preparation prior to your actual GCSE exams.

What happens after mock exams?

It will take some time for your class teachers to mark your mock exam papers. Once they have, they will share them with you so you can see which questions you got right and where you lost marks. 

Taking time to go through this thoroughly is one of the best preparation tasks you can do for your actual GCSE exams. You should use this to identify exactly what you do and do not know in your course content, in addition to analysing how well you were able to understand the requirements of the question. From this, you can create a long-term study plan. 

Frequently asked questions

Are mock exams easier than end of year GCSE exams?

Mock exams are normally set using past exam paper questions, so their level of difficulty is the same as it would be in your actual GCSE exams. Your mock exams are ideally a few months before your actual exams, so you may not have covered all the course content in class. Teachers often remove any content not yet covered. It may be that teachers do not include some of the hardest questions in the mock exam because you are still learning and preparing.

Do your GCSE mocks matter?

Your GCSE mocks matter a lot. They should be taken very seriously, and you should approach them like they are your actual GCSE exams. Taking your GCSE mock exams are one of the best forms of preparation for your actual GCSE exams, so the more effort and time you put into preparing for them, the greater the benefit you will get out of them. Preparing well will result in having informative details about your performance afterwards. This will result in more successful preparation for your actual GCSE exams.

What dates are GCSE mock exams?

The exact dates of your mock exams will be determined by your school, but most schools have students sit their mock GCSE exams after Christmas. Mock exam dates are normally issued well in advance and can be found on a school calendar.

Is it okay if you fail your mocks?

Students fail exams for many reasons. All GCSE exams are an opportunity for you to show what you know to future employers and places of study. GCSE exams are set so that the majority of students are able to pass. GCSE mock exams are an opportunity for you to practise exam preparation and performance, and this should be done to the best of your ability. If, after preparing well and trying your best, you do fail a mock exam, then you shouldn’t panic, as you still have time to improve your understanding and skills before your actual GCSE examination. 

How many hours a day should you revise for GCSE mocks?

All students study differently and consequently should prepare differently for their exams. Working with your friends, teachers, parents and tutors, you should put together a realistic schedule for managing your revision time. 

For most students, it is better to organise their time into smaller chunks with frequent breaks. Using methods such as the Pomodoro technique can help with time allocation. It can be easy to spend hours revising, but this is not recommended as your brain becomes tired, and you are less likely to retain information and can make yourself confused.

When should you start revising for GCSE mocks?

Obviously, the earlier you start your revision, the more time you have to gain knowledge, so the more confident you will feel about your mock exams! You should aim to revise in such a way that your knowledge is secured in your long-term memory for use in the future. This means you should start revising as far in advance as you are able. 

For most schools, mock exams are scheduled after the Christmas holidays in year 11, so starting your revision schedule at the beginning of year 11 is a good time. You can learn more about when to start your GCSE revision in this guide to when to start your GCSE revision.

Ace your GCSE mocks with Save My Exams

Save My Exams is the ideal place to meet all your exam revision needs. Use our revision notes written by an expert team of teachers and examiners, which are tailored to your individual exam board. The revision notes ensure you have all the content you could be assessed on, but only what you actually need. 

Practice makes perfect, so hone your exam skills with our extensive range of exam questions. Get your answers marked in real time and receive effective, helpful feedback with our new Smart Mark tool on selected GCSE courses. And get exam ready by practising with past papers under exam conditions. 

Here at Save My Exams, we’ve done all the hard work so you don’t have to. Take the hassle and worry out of your revision with our trusted, expertly crafted content. 

Explore Our GCSE Revision Resources

References

Edexcel GCSE Physics specification

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