How to Analyse Mock Tests With an Error Log Template

Analyse a mock test by reviewing incorrect, guessed and unattempted questions, identifying why each went wrong, and assigning a specific repair task. Then retest the same skill with a fresh question. A score tells you how that attempt went; the error log tells you what to study next.

Download the mock-test error log CSV. It works in Excel and Google Sheets without an account or formulas. The workflow below is a practical example, not a validated scoring prediction.

Start with three numbers

Record the questions available, questions attempted and correct answers. Separate these measures:

• Attempt rate: attempted questions divided by total questions.
• Attempt accuracy: correct answers divided by attempted questions.
• Overall correct proportion: correct answers divided by total questions.

For an example test with 100 questions, 80 attempts and 60 correct answers, the attempt rate is 80%, attempt accuracy is 75%, and overall correct proportion is 60%. These describe different things. If you attempted no questions, attempt accuracy is undefined rather than zero.

Calculate the actual score with the official marking rules for your test. A percentage of correct answers is not automatically your exam score, percentile or predicted rank. Scaled scores and negative marking require their own treatment.

Review more than the wrong answers

A guessed correct answer may hide a knowledge gap. An unattempted question may show a pacing problem or an unfamiliar topic. Review those alongside incorrect answers, using the official answer key or a reliable explanation where available.

Try solving the problem again before reading the solution. If you can solve it untimed but not during the paper, the repair differs from a question whose underlying concept you do not understand.

Classify the cause, then prescribe a repair

Avoid using “careless” as the final explanation. “Used the increased value as the original base” gives you a repairable cause; “careless mistake” does not.

A worked entry in the error log

Imagine question 12 asks for an original price before a percentage rise. You multiply the final price by 0.8 even though reversing a 20% increase requires dividing by 1.2.

Record the topic as reverse percentages, the cause as a wrong multiplier and the repair as: “Solve three new reverse percentage questions and explain the base value.” After completing that task, choose a later date to retest with a different problem. Mark the retest result rather than declaring the topic fixed immediately after reading the explanation.

Do not copy a full copyrighted paper into a public spreadsheet. For personal tracking, the test name, question number and a brief description of your mistake are normally enough to locate the original question in your materials.

Choose the next three study tasks

Group repeated errors by underlying skill. If five questions share one misunderstood concept, one focused repair session may be more useful than five separate calendar entries.

Pick a manageable number of actions for the next available sessions. For example: repair reverse percentages, practise one timed reading set, and revisit two failed recall prompts. Record the estimated time so these tasks compete honestly with the rest of your plan.

The two-hour timetable includes a daily error-review block. If the repairs exceed your available hours, use the catch-up calculation to choose replacements.

When should you retest?

Retest after an interval, with new questions that require the same skill. The exact interval depends on difficulty, your recall and time until the exam. The revision timetable guide explains how to make that decision.

Research by Roediger and Karpicke supports retrieval practice for delayed retention in the tasks they studied. It does not validate a specific error-log format or promise a fixed increase in mock scores.

Compare later attempts only when content and difficulty are reasonably comparable. A higher score on an easier paper is not by itself evidence that every weak topic improved. In MyStudyPlanner, combine completion tracking with the actual results of your practice, or keep the same records in our free templates.