Generally, in schools and colleges, examinations are held periodically to check how much a student has learned. It also checks whether a student has learned enough to have no problem studying for the next higher grade.

In schools and colleges, examinations are held to check whether students learned enough to have no problem studying for the next higher grade
Photo by Pew Nguyen

Some exams assess a student’s capability to learn and focus on the approach required to enhance his capacity and how he can achieve the intended learning outcomes.

One such examination is ICAS (or International Competition and Assessment for Schools) developed and run by https://www.icasassessments.com/. They not only measure a student’s ability to learn introductory textbooks but also assess the changes in approach required by the teacher to guide students better. Thus, they also help make the teachers and parents aware of their role in improving the child’s abilities.

The ways past papers contribute towards success in exams

It is a general practice that students go through the past papers while preparing for any exam, especially in competitive examinations where past papers help reveal the pattern of questions that are often asked. This practice gives a student an idea about the exam and helps increase his confidence in his ability to solve them. 

In the case of most competitive exams, model or sample papers based on past papers are made available by their conductors or other publishers. These questions are selected by experts with relevance to the current year. The past papers contribute to success in examinations in the following ways:

Help in learning the standard and style of the questions expected

By going through the old questions, a candidate gets an idea about the standard of the knowledge required to solve them. It also helps him understand the language and style used to ask the questions. He gets the knowledge of the exact demand of the question and thus can practice answering them pointwise and concisely.

Teachers and parents should explain to the student how to write comprehensive answers in brief. This practice saves a lot of time during answering and helps the examiner understand the student’s capacity.

Solving past papers bring out the knowledge gaps

When a candidate solves or attempts to solve old questions, he faces problems with specific questions. He often finds that either he has no knowledge of the topic or his understanding of that topic is poor.

Thus past papers help a candidate find out the gaps in his knowledge. By concentrating on those topics or taking the help of teachers for those particular topics, a candidate can overcome his lacunae and do better in the exams.

Solving past papers boosts the confidence of a candidate

In all exams that a candidate undertakes, be it a regular class test or a highly competitive exam like TEFL, a candidate doubts his ability to succeed in the exam. Moreover, peer pressure and parental expectations might further affect a student’s morale and self-belief.

When a candidate successfully and efficiently solves the old questions, his fear of the exam diminishes. He trusts his ability and knowledge to clear the examination, and that too with flying colours.

Conclusion

Like in all other aspects of life, practising makes a candidate perfect, and past papers help one to practice. Other than practice, as described above, solving past papers also boosts a candidate’s overall knowledge level. It also gives an insight into the thought process of the person who sets the question paper.

However, one must be aware that only practising past questions is one of the many ways a student can get good marks. Moreover, education and knowledge advance each day, and patterns of questions also change over time. Thus, one should be aware of the latest trends of questions before one actually attempts the examination.