Online Mock Tests with Negative Marking: How PrepExami Tracks Your Practice

A mock-test score is useful only if you understand what went into it. Did wrong answers reduce your marks? Were questions left unanswered? And are you comparing this attempt with another test that used the same rules?

PrepExami's online Mock Test lets you choose a question count, a time limit, an exam target, and a negative-marking rule. After the test, you can review your answers, available explanations, and score history. The Exam Readiness Index brings several recent attempts together into one practice measure.

Quick answer: the index uses up to five qualifying tests from the past 30 days, drawn from your latest 20 results. Tests must contain at least 20 questions and share the same exam target and marking rule. You need three qualifying tests before an index appears. It is a practice indicator, not a prediction of passing an exam.

Open the PrepExami Mock Test to see the setup screen after signing in.

How to set up an online mock test

Open Mock Test and choose Set up mock test. You can select:

• Question count: from 1 to 100 questions.
• Time limit: from 1 to 180 minutes.
• Exam target: a personal goal label used to group comparable results.
• Negative marking: no penalty, or a deduction of one-quarter, one-third, one-half, or one mark for each wrong answer.

Each correct answer earns one mark; unanswered questions earn zero. Settings are fixed when the attempt starts. Check your actual exam's scoring rules before choosing a penalty. If its marks per question or other rules differ, this setup may not reproduce the full scoring scheme.

Questions are drawn from the available approved question bank across subjects. Short tests include a random subset of subjects. The exam target does not apply an official syllabus, select only exam-specific questions, or automatically set official marking rules.

What happens while the timer runs?

The timer starts when the test is ready and cannot be paused or restarted. Answers save as you select them. During an active attempt, you can move between questions, change a saved answer, or clear it before time runs out.

Submit when you finish, or let the attempt finish at its deadline. Submission ends the attempt and locks your answers. If a connection problem occurs, the timer keeps running: check that an answer is confirmed as saved rather than assuming the selection reached the server.

Choose a time window you can complete without interruptions. A shorter test can be useful for a quick practice session, even when it does not qualify for the readiness index.

How negative marking changes your net score

Your correct-answer count and net score answer different questions. The first says how many answers were right. The second also accounts for the selected penalty.

Net score = correct answers − (wrong answers × penalty per wrong answer).

For example, imagine a 20-question test with 12 correct answers, four incorrect answers, and four unanswered questions. With a one-quarter-mark penalty, your net score is:

12 − (4 × 0.25) = 11 out of 20, or 55%.

With no negative marking, the same answers would score 12 out of 20, or 60%. Leaving a question blank and answering it incorrectly therefore have different effects when a penalty is selected.

Use the breakdown to decide what to review. Wrong answers may point to a knowledge gap, a calculation error, or a misread question. Unanswered questions may reflect a deliberate skip or a time problem. The score alone cannot tell you which explanation is right.

What is the Exam Readiness Index?

The Exam Readiness Index is a question-weighted net percentage across recent qualifying attempts. The current rules are:

1. Start with the latest 20 completed results available in your history.
2. Keep tests finished within the past 30 days, with at least 20 questions each.
3. Keep only tests with the selected exam target and marking rule.
4. Use the most recent five qualifying tests, or fewer if only three or four qualify.
5. Add their net scores, divide by their combined question count, and multiply by 100.

The displayed index is rounded to a whole percentage and limited to the range 0–100. Until there are at least three qualifying tests, the page shows Building your baseline, along with your progress towards that minimum.

Why the index is question-weighted

Suppose three qualifying tests have net scores of 12 out of 20, 24 out of 40, and 8 out of 20. Their combined net score is 44 across 80 questions, giving an index of 55%.

This is not the simple average of the three test percentages. The 40-question attempt contributes twice as many questions as either 20-question attempt. That weighting makes the calculation transparent, but it does not make question difficulty identical across tests.

What the index does not tell you

A higher index means a higher combined net percentage for the included practice attempts. It does not establish complete syllabus coverage, predict an official score, or certify readiness in a particular subject.

The page marks 90% and above as a green practice target. This is a product threshold, not an exam cutoff or a probability of passing. One test can still change the index, especially when your baseline is small or a previous attempt leaves the five-test or 30-day window.

Use the index as a prompt to review your work alongside topic coverage and the difficulty of the questions you attempted.

How to read the results table

Your history shows the latest 20 completed tests, including the completion time, exam target, marking rule, net score, percentage, change, and time used.

Change compares a test's net percentage with the previous available test for the same target and marking rule. It is shown in percentage points, abbreviated to pp. A move from 60% to 55% is −5 pp, not a 5% relative decrease.

The comparison is separate from the readiness index: a short test can appear in history even if it does not meet the index's 20-question minimum. Question mixes can also differ. A falling percentage is a reason to inspect the attempt, not proof that you have become worse at the subject.

Review answers after completing the test

Once the attempt is complete, you can revisit its questions and compare your selected answers with the correct answers. Where the question includes an explanation, it appears in the review panel.

Explanations are not shown immediately after each answer during the timed attempt. This keeps answer feedback separate from the active test.

For each mistake, write down the part you need to fix: the concept, the method, the reading of the question, or the time spent. Check guessed correct answers too. Then use fresh questions to see whether the correction holds up.

Our speed maths guide and reasoning guide provide worked examples for some common calculation and logic methods.

A practical routine for using mock tests

• Keep comparisons consistent. Use the same target and marking rule when you want a comparable sequence of results. A changing question mix remains a limitation even then.
• Use 20 or more questions when building your index. Choose a smaller session when that better fits a focused practice goal; it can still be useful.
• Leave time for review. The next test is more informative after you have worked on the gaps from the previous one.
• Choose a sustainable schedule. There is no fixed weekly or daily rule built into the index. Pick a frequency that fits your preparation and gives you time to learn between attempts.
• Practise outside the mock test too. Use topic work, your syllabus, and official sample material to cover areas a random selection may miss.

For a broader plan, see how to study for exams. If you want to prepare revision material first, open PrepStudio to work with your notes and documents.

Common questions

Do I need an account to take a mock test?

Yes. The production Mock Test page requires sign-in, and completed results are saved to your account. If you are signed out, the page directs you to sign in.

A developer-only local test mode may show a shared test learner and locally stored results. That mode is for testing the application; it is not anonymous personal-account storage on the public site.

Why does my index still say Building your baseline?

Check whether you have at least three qualifying tests for the currently selected target and marking rule. Each must contain at least 20 questions and fall within the past 30 days, among the latest 20 completed results. Tests under a different target or penalty do not contribute to that selected index.

Does choosing an exam target give me that exam's official paper?

No. The target is a personal goal label and a way to group results. The question bank remains mixed across available subjects. Use exam-specific guidance and suitable official practice material alongside these attempts.

Can I pause the timer or change answers after submitting?

No. The timer cannot be paused, and submission locks the attempt. You can review the completed attempt, but you cannot change its saved answers.

Are short tests useful if they do not count towards the index?

They can be. A short session may help you practise when time is limited. The 20-question threshold is an eligibility rule for this product's index, not a universal minimum for useful learning.

Start with one attempt you have time to review

Choose a manageable question count, a realistic time limit, and a marking rule you understand. Complete the attempt, review the mistakes, and decide what to practise before the next one.

Set up a mock test, or browse subject and topic practice if you want to focus your preparation first.