How to analyse a mock test, question by question
You have just finished a mock test and you have a score. The next hour decides whether that mock was worth the time. This article gives a method for analysing a mock that takes under an hour and ends with a short, specific list of what to study.
It fits into a larger routine, described in how to use mock tests: test, analyse, improve, repeat. This is the analyse step in detail.
Start with three numbers, not the score
Before you look at a single question, note three numbers for each section:
- Attempted: how many questions you answered.
- Accuracy: right answers out of attempted.
- Marks lost to wrong answers: the number of wrong answers multiplied by the penalty.
These three tell you what kind of problem you have. Low attempts with high accuracy means you are too slow or too cautious. High attempts with low accuracy means you are guessing too much or rushing. Both low means the section needs real study.
Take SSC CGL Tier-I as an example. Each section has 25 questions, a right answer earns 2 marks and a wrong one costs 0.5. If you attempt 20 in Reasoning and get 15 right, you score 30 − 2.5 = 27.5, and you know that the 5 wrong answers cost 2.5 marks directly and 10 more in marks you could have earned.
Then sort every question into one of five boxes
Go through every question you got wrong or did not attempt, and put it in one box:
- Did not know: you did not know the concept, rule or fact.
- Knew, but slipped: a calculation mistake, a wrong option clicked, a sign dropped.
- Misread: you answered a different question from the one asked ("which is NOT…").
- Ran out of time: you never reached it, or rushed it at the end.
- Should have skipped: you spent too long on it and it cost you time for others.
Also look at the questions you got right but slowly. A right answer that took three minutes in a paper that gives you about 36 seconds a question is a problem too.
Each box has a different fix
| Box | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Did not know | A gap in the syllabus | Study the topic, then practise a set of 10 to 20 questions on it |
| Slipped | Careless working | Write steps on rough paper; check the units and the sign before you click |
| Misread | Reading too fast | Underline NOT, EXCEPT and similar words in your head; read the last line first |
| Ran out of time | Pacing | Set time checkpoints for the paper; move on after a minute |
| Should have skipped | Choosing badly | Practise the first-pass habit: answer the quick ones, mark the rest |
If most of your losses sit in one box, that is your main job for the week, whatever the subject.
Group the "did not know" questions by topic
For the questions in the first box, write down the topic of each: percentages, time and work, synonyms, coding-decoding, static GK and so on. Count marks lost per topic and pick the top two or three. Those are what you practise before the next mock.
Resist the urge to study every topic that appeared. A long list never gets done. Two or three topics, done properly, will show up as marks in the next mock.
Keep a mistake notebook
Copy every question from the "slipped" and "misread" boxes into a notebook, or save it, with one line on what went wrong. Read the notebook before each mock. Most students repeat the same five or six kinds of mistake, and seeing them written down is often enough to stop them.
Compare with the last mock
Finally, put this mock beside the previous one. Did the topics you practised last week lose fewer marks this time? If yes, move to the next topics on your list. If not, practise them a different way. This check is what turns a series of mocks into steady improvement.
On Mockrooms
Every result on Mockrooms shows attempts, accuracy and marks lost per section and topic, and lets you tag each wrong answer with its reason in one tap. It then picks the topics that cost you the most and gives you a practice set for each. Try it on SSC CGL, IBPS PO, SBI PO or any exam in the full list.