Review method
How to Maintain a Mock-Test Mistake Log
Create a short mistake log that turns wrong answers into repeated revision actions instead of dead notes.
Audience: All mock-test users. This guide is public preparation material written to help students review mock-test results and choose a focused next study action.
What belongs in a mistake log?
A mistake log should record the topic, cause and correction. It should not become a storage place for entire questions. A useful entry looks like: percentage comparison, wrong base chosen, write original value before applying percentage change. The correction matters more than the question text.
How often should it be reviewed?
Review the log before each new mock. If the same correction appears again, the student has not repaired the habit. Weekly review should remove fixed issues and highlight repeated ones. A mistake log that only grows larger becomes discouraging.
How does a report help?
A report provides the raw material for the log: wrong questions, skipped questions, topics and timing. The student's job is to convert that material into two or three actions. Without action, a detailed report becomes another scorecard.
Worked review: turning one error into an action
A weak entry says 'percentage question wrong.' A useful entry says 'used the original base for the second percentage change; redo five successive-change questions using 100 as the starting value by Thursday.' The second entry includes question type, cause, correction and review date. A mistake log should not become a copy of the paper. It should be a queue of small repairs. Repeated causes deserve priority; isolated slips can remain brief unless they return.
Diagnose the pattern before adding more practice
| What you notice | Likely cause | Targeted repair |
|---|---|---|
| The log is long but rarely reopened. | Whole questions and explanations are being copied. | Keep only trigger, cause, correction and next review date. |
| Entries say careless or revise more. | The cause has not been made observable. | Name the missed unit, step, qualifier, fact pair or time decision. |
| The same error returns without escalation. | Every mistake is treated as equal. | Add a repeat count and change the drill after the second recurrence. |
Your next focused session
- Rewrite five vague entries using question type, cause, correction and date.
- Group entries by repeated cause rather than subject alone.
- Choose the top two repeated causes for repair drills.
- Archive resolved items only after they stay absent in two timed attempts.
How to check whether the repair worked
Use a short set that contains Review method but is not identical to the examples you just reviewed. Compare accuracy, time and the reason for every error with the previous attempt. One correct answer is not enough evidence; look for the same method to hold across several items. If the original error returns, narrow the drill further. If accuracy is stable but time remains high, keep the method and shorten the timer gradually.
Next step: open the sample question explanations to see how a correct answer should be reviewed, or return to the study guide library.