Why Are My Mock Test Scores Fluctuating?

‘Sometimes I score 300, sometimes I score 650. I can never predict how much I’m going score next, and so I don’t know if I will be able to crack NEET’

This is a very common problem that we hear from NEET aspirants. Not knowing where you stand in the race is very scary. Especially when you are competing with 25 lakh other aspirants. 

It is very important to understand your preparation level and work according to it. If you are not getting a steady score, you will not be able to understand the feedback that mock tests give. This makes mock tests pretty much useless. 

Also, if you are not understanding why your scores are fluctuating, there is a high chance that you are not analysing your mock tests correctly. 

Let’s understand how you are going to understand the reasons behind this unsteady score and how you are going to deal with it. 

Analyzing the Difficulty Level

The most probable reason behind a score fluctuation can be a fluctuation in the difficulty levels of the tests. Most kids attempt coaching class mock tests on the weekend and some other mock tests at home during the weekdays. Some mock tests given in coaching centres may be much more difficult than the NEET level. Coaching classes are not wrong for setting a difficult paper, they are trying to prepare you for the worst. But, not everyone will be able to solve such difficult papers. Instead, they will lose out on the chances of solving a good NEET level paper confidently too. 

So, it becomes important to identify when you have reached your limits. If you feel like you are unable to solve mock tests that are of the JEE level, then admit it. There is no shame in that. If you do not admit it and make a change, to score 5-10 extra marks you will be losing out on a safe 620-650 score. 

How to make the difficulty level steady? 

You can approach your class teachers and talk to them about your problem. Tell them that the difficulty level is not working out for you and that you would prefer a NEET level mock test for yourself. I know this sounds impractical, most classes are too rigid to make this change. But remember that you are paying them to guide you through NEET, you can give feedback and expect changes. 

If they still do not change the difficulty levels, then stop attempting class mock tests. Refer to other mock tests available online or order a mock test book. You can also join mock tests on online education apps. Any mock test that is at par with the NEET level can be used for practice, you do not have to feel like you will be missing out on anything. 

Additionally, there are a few mock tests available on the NTA website. These are released by NTA and are thus the best mock tests available, you can also attempt them. 

Guesswork

Another reason for an unsteady mock test score is lots of guesswork. There are chances that your average score is 200, which accounts for 50 right questions. Then, you tend to guess the rest of the 130 questions. Some days, when you get lucky, you get a very high number of right answers and the score is around 500-600. Somedays, if you get really unlucky, there are chances that you might even get a 100-200 score. 

Ideally when you are analysing mock tests, you must compare your rough work with the solution. Any guesswork gets eliminated in this process. But when you are not analysing your mock tests properly, and just calculating your score based on the OMR sheets, you tend to neglect such guesses. 

How to avoid this guesswork

Answer: By not guessing answers. What a vague answer right? 

‘If I don’t guess the answers, I will score very low, I don’t want to score so low.’

Well, let me tell you. Progress has only one route, through pain. Take the pain of getting low scores, feel bad about your score and work on it. You cannot let your future depend on guesswork. You cannot just rely on your luck on the NEET exam day. 

I’m not asking you to stop guessing entirely, there is a way to try to arrive at an answer in the exam by guesswork. But, ideally you should never guess in mock tests. 

Try it out. The next time you give a mock test, do not guess any answer, just solve what you know. Over time, you will reach a steady score (probably much lower than your current score). 

Silly Mistakes

Silly mistakes can also be the culprit behind an unsteady score. What happens is, sometimes you get a lengthy paper and sometimes it is relatively easier to complete a paper within 3:20 hours. While solving lengthy papers if you do not manage your time properly, you rush through the paper. This makes you prone to silly mistakes. These silly mistakes might be more in the lengthier papers leading to an unsteady score. 

It is also probable that some mocks have a greater number of questions that require calculations. If you are not good at calculations, you might score less in such mock tests. 

The worst of all is the bubbling error. If you are not alert enough, you might be bubbling the wrong answers in the OMR sheet during some mock tests. OMR bubbling also depends on your paper attempting strategy. Poor strategy leads to a lot of bubbling errors. 

How to fix silly mistakes? 

Silly mistakes can be fixed by devising a very good paper attempting strategy, managing your time very well and also making sure that you are alert during the paper practice. Alertness is the most important aspect.

It is also advised to practise papers during the NEET exam hours, that is, 2pm-5:20pm IST. This will make sure that you are alert during these hours even on the NEET exam day. All these small considerations can make or break our preparation. 

Also work on your paper attempting strategy. a good paper attempting strategy will automatically result in good time management while attempting papers. These are all overlooked aspects that aspirants only focus on during the last month. But a good paper strategy can offer an extra edge in your NEET preparation, if you have worked on it for a long time. 

Inadequate Mock Test Analysis

This is the most common mistake made by NEET aspirants. As I said, asking the question about fluctuating marks in itself is an analysis problem. You should always know where you are losing your marks. Then, you ask about how you fix these weak points. You cannot ask someone else about what you are lacking in your preparation. That is to be decided on your own, using tools like analysis and review. 

So what importance does analysis hold? 

It will tell you exactly where you are losing your marks in the NEET mock tests. Are you making silly mistakes? Are you making conceptual mistakes? Is it guesswork? Is it a time management problem? Or are the questions straight out of a JEE advanced paper? All these questions can be answered by thorough analysis. 

You should first analyse your previous few mock tests, in which you have received a wide range of marks. Then, compare the analysis of all these mock tests. You will see a commonality and will be able to understand the reason for your fluctuating marks.

You can use my tally register method to analyse your mock tests. Click here. 

Additional Factors Contributing to Score Variability

Psychological Factors

Mostly, people experience fluctuating marks in the start of their preparation and towards the end of their preparation. Start is due to a poor understanding of the syllabus, the fluctuation towards the end is due to anxiety.

Anxiety makes you prone to making silly mistakes. You might leave out questions that you know the answer to, because anxiety makes you feel under confident. It can also make you feel like you are forgetting everything. This will also affect your performance adversely and you might see a drop in scores. I have another blog for the students who are facing a drop in score during the last months on NEET preparation. Please read it. 

The complete opposite of this can be overconfidence. Overconfidence can also lead to silly mistakes and guesswork. This can lead to good marks sometimes and a bad score other times. 

These are some factors that you may consider if none of the above given reasons are working for you. 

Preparation Inconsistencies

If you are not consistent with your preparation and revision, you might face a fluctuating score. 

• If the mock test location is full of distractions, it will become difficult to focus. This can lead to a low score during festivals and programs. 
• Bad health and sickness or lethargy can also affect your performance and lead to a bad score on some days. 
• Other habits such as sleeping for a very short time, poor eating habits and excessive caffeine can all lead to a bad score too. 
• If you are giving a test online and you face network issues or technical problems, then you can get a bad score too. 

Consider all these factors. They might seem small but affect your score largely. Focus is everything. 

Strategies for Stabilizing Mock Test Scores

As mentioned above, to make sure that you get a consistent score in NEET mock tests, follow these steps

1. Be alert during mock tests, do not make a lot of silly mistakes. 
2. Do not guess answers during mock tests. 
3. Try to keep the difficulty level of your mock tests constant
4. Eat well and sleep for at least 6 hours to concentrate during mock tests. 
5. Use a good paper attempting strategy. 
6. Take a break if you are stressed or humble yourself with a difficult mock test if you feel overconfident. 
7. Try to keep your mock test space distraction-free.
8. Keep revising to avoid drops in score. 
9. ALWAYS ANALYSE YOUR MOCK TESTS. 

Conclusion

I hope that you can understand and work on the reason for your fluctuating mock test scores. You can comment below if this blog helped you. Feel free to reach out to us if it did not, we can talk and understand the reason behind your fluctuating scores. 

Most importantly, keep giving mock tests regardless of your scores. We trust you. 

All the best.