Why Reviewing Past Questions Is As Important As Taking Practice Tests
When children practise for the OC test, most of the attention goes to one thing.
How many questions did they get right?
That’s understandable. Scores are easy to see, easy to track, and easy to worry about. But focusing only on taking more practice tests misses something just as important.
Regularly reviewing questions from past tests matters just as much as sitting the tests themselves.
Taking tests shows performance. Reviewing questions builds understanding.
Practice tests tell you what happened.
Reviewing past questions explains why it happened, and what to do next time.
Both matter. But they do different jobs.
Without review, practice stays shallow. With review, it becomes cumulative.
The OC test rewards familiarity, not surprise
The OC test isn’t trying to trick children with completely new ideas.
Many questions follow familiar patterns. What changes is the wording, the context, or the way information is presented.
Children who improve steadily tend to build a response like this:
When I see this type of question, this is the thinking process I follow.
That level of familiarity doesn’t come from rushing through new questions. It comes from seeing similar questions again, understanding their structure, and internalising the reasoning.
Why explanations matter even when the answer is right
It’s easy to skip review when a question was answered correctly. But this is where a lot of learning is lost.
Looking at the explanation for a correct answer helps to:
- Confirm the reasoning was sound
- See whether there's a more efficient way to solve the question
- Lock in a repeatable thinking process
Sometimes children get the right answer for the wrong reason, or with unnecessary steps. Reviewing explanations helps refine that thinking.
Why explanations matter even more when the answer is wrong
When a question is answered incorrectly, the explanation becomes critical.
A good explanation shows:
- How the question should be broken down
- Where the thinking went off track
- How to approach a similar question next time
The goal isn’t just to know the correct answer. It’s to understand the method well enough to apply it again. If a child can read an explanation and genuinely follow the logic, that’s a strong sign they really understand the concept.
What “good review” actually looks like
Reviewing past questions doesn’t mean redoing everything.
It usually means:
- Looking closely at a small number of questions
- Reading the explanations carefully
- Talking through the reasoning
- Asking, “What should I do when I see this again?”
This kind of review improves question familiarity and builds confidence at the same time.
Why this needs to happen regularly, not occasionally
Reviewing once in a while isn’t enough.
The biggest gains come when children regularly revisit questions from previous tests, especially ones that slowed them down or led to mistakes.
Over time, patterns start to stick. Questions feel less unfamiliar. Thinking becomes faster and more automatic.
That’s when improvement starts to show up in scores.
Why we built OC Test Prep this way
This belief is built into OC Test Prep by design.
Practice tests are only one part of the process. Equal emphasis is placed on:
- Reviewing questions from previous tests
- Providing clear explanations for every question
- Revisiting similar question types over time
- Helping children understand the reasoning, not just the answer
The aim isn’t to keep moving forward at all costs. It’s to make sure each test actually improves the next one.
A common misunderstanding parents have
Many parents worry that spending time reviewing past questions means their child is doing less practice.
In reality, it often leads to better results with fewer tests.
Children who understand explanations deeply tend to:
- Recognise question types more quickly
- Make fewer repeated mistakes
- Feel more confident approaching unfamiliar questions
They’re not practising more. They’re practising smarter.
Why review is non-negotiable
Taking practice tests matters.
But regularly reviewing questions from past tests matters just as much.
That’s where children build familiarity. When they see a similar question again, they’re not starting from scratch. They recognise the structure and know the thinking process to follow.
Explanations are central to this. Even when an answer was correct, reading the explanation helps lock in the most efficient approach. When an answer was wrong, it shows how to solve it properly next time.
When children can read an explanation and truly understand the reasoning, that’s a sign the learning has stuck.
If you want support with structured practice and regular review built in, OC Test Prep offers a one-week free trial, so you can see how this approach works for your child.