How to use past papers properly (and when to start)

29 October 2026 · 2 min read

Past papers are the closest thing you'll get to the real exam, which makes them valuable. They're also easy to waste. If you do a paper, glance at the score and move on, you've used up a paper and learned very little. Here's how to get the most from each one.

When to start

You don't need to wait until the last month, but you shouldn't throw full papers at a topic you haven't learned yet.

• Early on: use individual questions on topics you've just revised. These are quick and keep revision focused.
• Mid-way: try small sections of papers, timed.
• Closer to the exams: sit full papers under exam conditions.

Where to find them

Exam boards publish past papers and mark schemes free on their websites. Check which board each of your subjects uses (your teacher will know), then look at AQA, Pearson Edexcel or OCR. Your teacher may also have papers that match your specification exactly.

Save some papers

There's a limited number of papers for each course. Do the older ones first, and keep the most recent for nearer the exam as your final "dress rehearsal".

Do them properly

1. Time yourself. Use the real time limit, with no phone and no notes.
2. Write like it's real. Full sentences, working shown, units included.
3. Don't look anything up while you're writing. If you're stuck, make your best attempt and move on.
4. Mark it straight away while the paper is fresh.

Marking is where the learning happens

Use the mark scheme, line by line. Mark in a different colour so you can see the lost marks clearly. Then, for each lost mark, ask why: didn't know it, misunderstood, or didn't write what the mark scheme wanted. This is the same sorting method as in our guide on learning from a marked test.

Examiner reports, where the exam board publishes them, are especially useful. They explain what students commonly got wrong and what top answers look like.

Fix, then retest

After marking, do three things:

• Rewrite the answers you got wrong.
• Make flashcards for the facts you missed.
• Re-attempt similar questions a few days later.

Don't chase the percentage

It's tempting to treat each paper as a score to beat. A better question is "what did this paper teach me?" A low mark early on is useful because there's still time to fix things. A paper you did badly on and learned from is worth more than one you did well on and ignored.

A good rhythm

For most students, one paper in a subject per week in the final couple of months, properly marked and followed up, beats five papers skimmed in a weekend.