IB Physics Mock Exam: 7 Reasons Why You Should Complete ANOTHER Mock Exam at Home
I know what you're thinking.....
WHY WOULD I WANT TO COMPLETE ANOTHER MOCK EXAM
WHEN I'VE ALREADY DONE ONE AT SCHOOL?
You may not believe this but...
Mock exams are not some evil construction of teachers brains to torture you.
Here are 7 reasons that you should take initiative and set yourself mock exams at home:
Reason 1: Using an unseen MOCK EXAM is the only way to accurately assess your current IB Physics Grade
Let's say you're aiming for a 7 in IB Physics (why not - eh??!) and you've been getting 5's or 6's in school work. If you add in your Internal Assessment to boost your grade - you may start to believe that a 7 is within reach. However, what if your exam technique doesn't stack up and you actually only perform to a low 5 under exam conditions? You can totally fix that problem really quickly, but you'd need to assess you exam technique (under exam conditions first).
The point is that....
You don't really know what your current IB Physics grade is unless you assess it under exam conditions.
Reason 2: You can get a reality check on how effective your preparation is.
Let's say you're revising for 8 hours a week on Physics. You'd really hope that all that work transposes into a real and tangible increase in your IB Physics grade.
(P.S. If you study strategically, I GUARANTEE you only need to do one hour per week in IB Physics. More information on this here.)
WHAT IF:
- You're taking notes on the wrong topics
- You're using the wrong types of questions to revise
- Your study method of memorising the textbook will bring you zero marks in the exam.
The only way to know if your study methods are effective for the final exam is to take a practice run using a mock exam.
If your results in the mock exam are not as you'd hoped, then you need to revise your study methods.
Reason 3: Familiarise yourself with the pattern of the actual exam - then practice using this knowledge
How helpful is it to know:
- The first question in Paper 1 is usually about uncertainty combination
- Paper 1 follows the structure of the syllabus but doesn't get any harder as you progress
- The first question of Paper 2 is probably going to be a long one about Mechanics
- You can complete section A of Paper 3 by ONLY studying Topic 1......
You only start to understand these patterns by studying past papers. However, it's all very well knowing these things - but you have to put this knowledge into practice.
That's where the mock exam comes in.
You can use the mock exam to familiarise yourself with the pattern of the final exam.
Reason 4: Develop a clear plan on which concepts to focus on for future revision
Once you've completed a mock exam and marked it with a markscheme - the work does not stop there.
At GradePod we recommend something called the magic marking grid. Here's an example:
You can use this magic marking grid to create a pattern of your errors. It's all explained here.
I won't lie - it's depressing
It’s pretty depressing to look at all the stuff that you got incorrect, but it’s essential to analyse your mistakes and work on them.
Using this magic marking grid means that your weakness are laid out directly in front of you and it becomes clear how to focus your future revision.
Reason 5: Get an idea of how fast or slow you are under exam conditions
So here's a secret.....
The IB Physics exams are designed to be hard and it's probable that you won't finish it UNLESS you practice under exam conditions.
All you have to do is look at the examiner reports. You can see that the blank responses increase at the end of the paper.
You need to get an idea of how much of the paper you can expect to complete under exam conditions. You need to do that BEFORE the exam! You'll obviously have a chance in your school mock exams, but they tend to be 3-4 months before the final exam. A lot can change in those key months before the exam.
I'd really recommend another mock exam around one month before the final exam.
SOME schools offer it, but not many.
If you'd like to give yourself a mock exam at home, you can us eat eGradePod mock exam
Reason 6: Improve your confidence - simple.
There's so many things you might be telling yourself about your ability in IB Physics.
- I haven't studied hard enough - I know nothing
- There's so much I don't know
- I know some of the concepts but I just can't answer the exam questions
- I just freeze whenever I get into the exam
- Only really clever people get 7's anyway - why bother
- How do you know any of these things are true?
THE TRUTH IS that your brain is probably exaggerating this stuff and you are better than you think.
To eliminate a self-limiting belief, you need to tackle that belief head on.
All of these self-limiting beliefs above can be eliminated by getting stuck into a mock exam and getting an objective picture of where your grade actually is. I am willing to bet that it's better than you think. That's why I believe that taking a mock exam will IMPROVE your confidence in IB Physics.
Reason 7: Taking an extra mock exam will actually REDUCE your workload
If you're like most people who have read this far, you're starting to see the positives of sitting another mock exam but you're probably imaging all the effort needed and are just wondering,
"Is it worth it?!"
Can I be bothered with the extra work?
Perhaps you are so daunted and intimidated that you'd rather avoid mock exams altogether and would prefer to stay busy and distracted using your current studying methods.
But here's the truth:
MOCK EXAMS WILL REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF REVISION YOU NEED TO DO FOR THE FINAL EXAM
Once you've identified your areas of weakness under exam conditions, you can adopt a strategic approach to your revision for the final exams.
It becomes as simple as revising your areas of weakness. Nothing else.
SUMMARY
Mock exams are designed to give you constructive feedback on your understanding of the specification AND to accurately assess your current grade in IB Physics. They are a positive experience that can help shape your future revision to be more effective and efficient.
Don't shy away.
Set yourself the challenge of mock exams and work productively towards maximum marks in IB Physics.
