Tips to improve mock scores?

Question

Granted I've only just started mocks, but my scores are pretty bad, scoring quite low compared to the benchmark on the study planner. Any tips from the senior people here on how to improve?My plan is just to continue attempting mocks and hope scores go up but if there are any killer tips that would help! Specifically I also have a few questions:Should I leave the CFA Institute mock for last or go for it at the start?Any 'definitely recommended' providers that I should get their mock exams?How thorough should I be with marking and revision of my mock exams?

hairyfairy · Answer

Answers to all three of your questions depend on individual preferences. I'll share mine:Leave it to about 2 weeks before - aim for a sweet spot where you're happy with your curriculum coverage but still have time to fit in more practice.I used Wiley/Elan for my L1 and they were excellent. I think they used to be cheaper though.I went through all the answers, including the ones I got right but wasn't sure about. I didn't read up on weak topics because of time constraints but that would have helped a lot.

policedog · Answer

Check if you're scoring low because you're running out of time, or because you need more revision, and treat accordingly.Practice skipping questions if you're unsure and get back to them later.Pay attention to the actual question. You can get easily confused with what the question wants - there are many times I knew the subject material but answered for e.g. most likely rather than what the question actually asked (least likely )I'd take the CFAI paper after trying out 1-2 other practice papers.Schweser is fine for practice papers. I'm sure there are better ones but I haven't tried them.Take the practice papers under timed conditions. sit down for 3 hours and get them done just like the exam.Good luck!