Helping you prepare for exams

There's lots of information on the OCR website to help students and teachers prepare for exams.

Exam preparation material - in the form of past papers, examiner reports and mark schemes - is available for GCSEs, AS/A Levels and vocational qualifications across more than 50 subject areas.

To help you find the exam preparation material you want quickly, go to the past paper page. Simply type in your subject and qualification, and the relevant past papers, examiner reports and mark schemes will be displayed. Alternatively, visit the specific page of the qualification you are interested in, and scroll down to find the documents displayed at the bottom of each page. A choice of exam preparation material from the last few years is available up to, and including, 2014. In addition, teachers can access exam preparation material from the 2015 summer exams via OCR’ s secure website, Interchange.

To help students and teachers of brand new qualifications that began in 2015, who are taking AS exams or mock exams this year, take a look at the sample papers and mark schemes that OCR provides on the individual qualification pages, by scrolling down to 'assessment materials' at the bottom of each page.

Revision guidance

You may also like The OCR Guide to Revision which has some general skills and techniques to help you prepare for any exam, from using mind maps to planning a revision timetable.

Revision tips

And lastly, here are some personal tips from OCR’s Subject Specialists (and former teachers) for successful revision:

Preparation
"Get organised – make a revision plan and stick to it. Do plan some down time as well as revision time so you don’t get burnt out.

Use your teacher and get their feedback. No teacher will ever complain about a student doing extra independent study and will happily give you feedback on your work.

Complete as many past papers as you can and be strict with the timing. Make your practice as realistic as possible."
Ed Stokes, Subject Specialist - English and Creative

Break it up
"Are you going to organise your revision space and snacks? This has the potential to help you think more clearly and hopefully take in more information.

Have you thought about your revision space having lots of natural light and fresh air (open the window).

Don’t forget to take breaks, drink plenty of water and get some healthy snacks – this is all food for thought!"
Shelley Monk, Subject Specialist – Geography

Revision aids
"Why not use your smart phone if you have one? You can record things you want to remember and listen back to them. The Recordium app is a useful way to record and share notes with friends.

You could also write information you want to learn on a sheet of paper and take a picture of it with your phone, then set it as a background on the phone so it’s visible every time you look at it.

Try making some revision place mats: on a sheet of paper, write down key things to memorise, laminate your list and use it as a place mat at dinner or a mouse mat for your computer."
Darren Macey, Subject Specialist – Maths

General advice
Remember to eat well, get enough sleep, take regular breaks and get some exercise when you can. Breathing exercises and meditation are both good ways to help you to stay calm and focus.