About this video

• Video Title: I did 200 past papers || answering your questions
• Channel: PCFGSTUDY
• Speakers: Speaker 1 (implied to be the creator of the video)
• Duration: 11:23

Overview

This video addresses common questions and misconceptions about using past papers for exam preparation, particularly in response to a viral video where the speaker claimed to have completed 52 past papers. The speaker shares their personal experience and strategies for effectively utilizing past papers to improve exam performance across multiple subjects.

Key takeaways

• Effective Past Paper Strategy: Simply doing and marking past papers isn't enough. Improvement comes from active correction, identifying patterns in questions, and timed practice under exam conditions.
• The "200 Past Papers" Explained: The large number of past papers was accumulated over a long period, becoming more efficient with practice, and eventually turned into a game of speed and accuracy rather than a chore.
• Balancing Multiple Subjects: Facing multiple demanding subjects was challenging and involved an "exposure first, mastery later" approach, starting with topic-based questions before full past papers.
• Finding Past Papers: Resources include exam board websites, sites like Physics and Math Tutor and Papa Cambridge, and even asking teachers or online study groups.
• Studying for Exams vs. Studying Past Papers: The speaker emphasizes that learning how to approach and answer exam questions is a distinct skill that can be learned through practice, even before mastering all the content.
• Topic-Based Questions: These are crucial for identifying weak areas and understanding specific concepts before tackling full past papers, especially for subjects like physics.
• Learning Process: The core study method involves doing questions, immediately reviewing mistakes (and correct answers if guessed), and redoing similar questions until concepts click.
• Time Management: Techniques like the "2357 method" (two subjects daily, three-hour blocks, consistency over burnout, seven past papers per subject weekly) are suggested.

Students can typically find past papers from:

• Exam board websites: These are the official sources.
• Websites like Physics and Math Tutor and Papa Cambridge: These platforms aggregate past papers.
• The syllabus itself: Sometimes past papers can be found by referencing the syllabus.
• Teachers: They may have a log of past papers or know where to find them.
• Online study groups and forums: Other students might share them.
• Bookshops: Some bookshops sell collections of past papers, often covering several years.