Have you ever heard the saying ‘practice makes perfect’? It means that if you practice well and for long enough, you can make yourself perfect at anything you want. This phrase holds true most when it comes to exam preparation. If you put your head in the game and practice hard, you will certainly be able to achieve your goals. 

Mock tests are an invaluable and indispensable part of any exam preparation. Irrespective of which exam you are taking, be it at school, university or at the competitive level, you cannot neglect taking mock tests from time to time. 

Do I need to take mock tests

Everyone needs mock tests and there is no substitute for it. Furthermore, there is no way around it. For example, suppose you take an exam but fail to crack it. So, when you start preparing for the exam again for the next cycle, you will have a certain amount of experience and learning from previous mistakes that you can use to get ahead and avoid repeating your mistakes.

Taking mock tests is a lot like that. Even if this is your first attempt, you can still take a practice test to see how you're scoring. This will give you a good idea of where you stand in terms of preparation. As a result, you can proceed with your study plan accordingly.

Mock tests for exam preparation: benefits

Before you do anything, it is always better to understand how that particular act or exercise will benefit you. Since we have been nattering on and on about the indispensability of mock tests, it is now time to understand what makes them so.

• Firstly, mock tests help you understand the level of the exam, i.e., the kind of questions you can expect in your exam as well.
• You can understand the exam pattern in detail
• You can revise the entire syllabus in one sitting
• Enables you to understand your overall preparation
• Gauge your preparation section-by-section
• Identify your weaknesses and strengths
• Draw a sense of the real exam
• The more recently-made mock tests you take, the better you will be able to understand the latest exam question trend and so on
• Eliminate examination anxiety
• You must time yourself and therefore, work on your speed
• Understand which topics are more important than others for each subject
• Practice more questions on subjectively difficult topics

What if I don’t take mock tests

Be rest assured that your peers are certainly taking mock tests to hone their preparation. Therefore, if you do not want to be overrun by your fellow aspirants, you must squeeze mock tests into your timetable.

Common subjects

Please keep in mind that several subjects are common for many competitive exams. For example, if you are preparing for one or more bank exams, you will be tested on Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, English and General Awareness in most of the Prelims or Phase 1 papers. Therefore, even if you take exam-specific mock tests, say for SBI PO or IBPS PO, you will essentially be preparing for more than 1 exam at a time. 

The same applies to cross-sector or cross-industry exams as well. Preparing these subjects will also help you in other exams, for example, insurance exams. 

When should I take practice tests

Ideally, you should always begin your exam preparation with a full-length mock test whenever you decide to begin preparation for an(y) exam. This way, you get an unfiltered and real picture of where you stand at present and the kind of time and effort that you need to put in, in order to reach your goal. 

Therefore, when and once you have taken your first mock test, you must take into account the results obtained when you draw your preparation strategy.

Are online mock tests good

Now, that the trend for exam preparation has largely moved online, there is no reason why you will not be able to get the best-quality mock tests online. In fact, there are several websites and edtech startups that offer top-quality mock tests based on the exact exam pattern and question trends that allow aspirants to prepare fruitfully for their exams.