How to use past papers to prepare for your board exams

The short answer

Past papers show you how the questions are asked, how marks are given and how much time you have. Use them in three stages: learn the pattern, practise by chapter, and then sit full papers under exam conditions. Always mark your answers and write down what went wrong.

Stage 1: Learn the pattern

1. Pick the last four or five papers of your board, class and subject. Questions and style change slowly, so recent papers are the best guide.
2. Look at the structure: how many questions, how many marks each, and the time for each part.
3. Make a list of the chapters that appear most often, and the type of question for each, such as short answers, numericals or essays.

Stage 2: Practise by chapter

1. After you finish a chapter, find the questions on it in the past papers and answer them from memory.
2. Compare your answers with the textbook and your notes. Mark the points that you missed.
3. Write the missed points on a revision card and look at the card again after two days and after a week.

Stage 3: Full papers under exam conditions

1. Choose a quiet place, set a timer for the full time and put your books away.
2. Read the whole paper for the first few minutes and plan the time for each question by its marks.
3. Answer all the questions. Do not stop to check your notes.
4. Mark the paper with the marking scheme or with a teacher, and be strict about the steps that earn marks.

Review what went wrong

• Did not know the topic: go back to the notes and practise questions on it.
• Knew it but forgot a step or a formula: add it to your formula sheet.
• Misread the question: underline the key words before you answer.
• Ran out of time: practise with a timer and leave the long question for the end if it is worth fewer marks.

Mistakes to avoid

• Reading the answers without trying the questions first.
• Doing only the chapters that you like.
• Leaving all the past papers to the last week.
• Using papers that are very old, when the syllabus may have changed.
• Not marking your own work.

Where this comes from

• The past papers and the marking schemes of your own board. Always check the current syllabus and the date sheet that your board publishes.