What to Do If Mock Test Scores Are Low? Step-by-Step Guide

The result of scoring low at a practice test on the IIM Bangalore Undergraduate Admissions Test can be depressing, but it’s not a final result. Instead, you should interpret it as an opportunity to learn and see exactly where you make mistakes and how you can improve.

The main parameter used to shortlist candidates into the B.Sc. (Hons) programmes in Economics and Data Science is the IIMB UG Admissions Test. This test accounts for 60% of the total selection procedure, and the remaining 40% is assigned to the Personal Interview. The best way to ensure admission to these prestigious programmes at this stage is to optimise the test-taking technique.

How to Analyze Mock Tests When Marks Are Low

The final aggregate score must be replaced with an in-depth analysis of the attempted items, the rate of correctness, and the time spent, if the performance scores were low. See, what went wrong. There could be several factors which led to low mock score such as:

Poor Time Management: It is one of the most common reasons due to which students often end up with low scores. To correct this, try to solve easiest questions first and quickly leave the question which is out of your comfort zone or taking too much time while solving.

Lack of Knowledge: If you lack the conceptual knowledge about the question then we would recommend you to go to the concept videos and revise them again. Also, don’t forget to solve a couple of questions to further strengthen the topic.

Stress or Anxiety: Some students can end up scoring less in the mock due to the fear of taking IIMB UG mock test due to which they become anxious. The only way to get over with it is by giving more and more mocks and analyzing them later.

At IIMB, the Undergraduate Admission Test is a computerized test that consists of 60 multiple choice questions to be taken within a span of two hours. Such a time constraint makes the management of every minute to be wisely spent, insufficient scores are often made by poor timing instead of just lack of knowledge.

The key metrics should be assessed in order to identify the strategic shortcomings:

The existence of a negative marking penalty implies that an attempt to take too many questions of low confidence has a very negative effect on the final score. It should not be on the maximization of attempts, but the maximization of high-accuracy attempts. When your score is low, it is likely that you used a high number of incorrect answers, not because you did not attempt them.

Also Read, IIMB UG Sample Papers 2025, Exam Pattern, Download PDF

How to Improve Mock Test Results for IIMB UG

The first step to improve mock test results for IIMB UG involves the creation of a quality system which will prevent repeating mistakes and unify the knowledge that is already known. Also, do not learn new things that may disorient you during the last stage.

Short-term measures offer immediate control and score improvement:

• Adopt an Error Log: Have a "Mistake Book" in which all the inaccurate and sloppy errors are recorded, the subject matter, the cause of the error. This is a log that is personal to your revision.
  
  
• Review Before Each Test: Go through your error log just before you take the next mock test. This eliminates instant repeat mistakes of failure.
  
  
• Correct Careless errors initially: Attack the silly errors - those that you had been able to do but had lost count or got wrong. These are the fastest wins, and they pay out the fastest in time spent and instantly boost your percentage of accuracy.
  
  
• The Re-attempt Rule: Once the mock has been analyzed, re-attempt all questions that are incorrect. When it is conceptually incorrect, then revise the theory. In case it was a slip, do not hurry and do it carefully. It is this repetition that makes the right way stick.
  
  
• Master Strategic Skipping: This is the ability to learn to skip problems that are too long in the first 30 seconds. Do not become obsessed over hard questions; they waste time and confidence, and the -1/3 penalty is that one incorrect question will reduce the accuracy rate of your total score.

Also Read, IIMB UG Study Material 2026, Download Free PDF

Section-Wise Strategy to Improve After Poor Mock Scores

The IIMB UG Admissions Test is skewed towards quantitative capabilities. You want to set your time aside depending on the weightage you have in sections: Quantitative and Data Interpretation (QDI) section requires 50% of your attention.

Quantitative / Data Interpretation (30 Questions / 50% Weightage)

This section takes half of the paper, and so, it is the most important score booster or killer of the score.

• Concentrate on the Fundamentals: Strong knowledge in Arithmetic (Ratios, Percentages, Profit-Loss) and Algebra (Linear and Quadratic Equations) skills. These ideas support the complicated issues.
  
  
• Prioritize Data Interpretation (DI): Spend every day on Data Interpretation sets- Tables, Bar graphs, and Pie charts. B.Sc. (Hons) in Economics and Data Science programs will all need high proficiency in DI.
  
  
• Enhance Calculating Speed: Quant is heavy in calculating. Strict timing practice. Be as accurate as possible, even by only trying a smaller number of questions.

Logical Reasoning (15 questions/ 25% weightage)

Rational ability is very applicable in interpreting data structures and implementing economic structures, which is necessary in the two degrees.

• Central Topic Mastery: Analytical puzzles, seating arrangements, syllogisms and coding-decoding.
  
  
• Strategy: Think of understanding the key logic of the problem instead of learning a shortcut solution. Identify which types of logic puzzles you are always finding to be incoherent with the use of mock test errors, and by practicing them every day you can get used to them.

English Comprehension (15 Questions / 25% Weightage)

This section evaluates the critical reading skill required to study the advanced academic material.

• Active Reading: Read high-quality and difficult materials, such as editorials or opinion columns in economics, regularly. This develops the pace and reading ability of long passages in Reading Comprehension (RC).
  
  
• RC Focus: Practice inference and tone based questions. Strive to effectively solve every RC passage and hopefully do it in 10 or less minutes.
  
  
• Grammar Review: Learn basics of grammar such as subject-verb agreement and correcting sentences.

Also Read, IIMB UG 2025 Most Expected Questions with Solutions PDF

How to Analyze Mistakes After Every Mock Test

Analysis aims at classifying failures in an efficient manner. You have to determine whether this mistake was caused by ignorance or concentration failure or a strategic failure.

All the errors should be categorized into three:

Begin with the analysis of all the questions which were skipped. When you failed at easy problems due to time constraints, your failure was purely strategic. Then consider your conceptual mistakes, these need long-term correction. Follow such types of errors in 3-4 mocks, and in case a trend is observed, then take specific effort in correcting that weakness.

Common Mistakes Leading to Low Mock Scores

Low scores on the mock test are usually a result of behavioral tendencies during pressure, which lead to inadequate preparation. Repairing these patterns provides short-term, quantifiable benefits.

The most severe mistakes that need to be tackled are:

• Over-Guessing: When you can do away with one choice, but not the other two, ignoring the 1/3rd negative mark and guessing the answer anyway. This is the easiest way to lose the marks.
  
  
• Insufficient Quant Time Allocation: Quant has 50% weightage; it is not necessary to spend 4-5 minutes on a single complex problem. This is to the disadvantage of possibly three easier questions elsewhere.
  
• Passive Testing: Completing mock tests without simulating the full conditions of the distraction-free 120 minutes test. There is compulsory realistic practice.
  
• Disregard of the Error Log: The inability to study the last mock and make the same conceptual or careless mistake in the next test.
  
  
• Weak Foundation: This is based on the assumption that everyone has acquired basic Class X-XII subjects. Basic Arithmetic and Algebra are essential to complex problems; poor foundations lead to stalls and errors under pressure.

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What to Do If Mock Test Scores Are Low: Conclusion

To improve your performance in the IIMB UG Admissions Test, it is crucial to analyze your mock test results thoroughly. Key factors such as time management, concept mastery, and strategic skipping play a significant role in optimizing your score. Regularly revisiting your error log, correcting silly mistakes, and focusing on the most crucial sections can lead to substantial improvements. By following these strategies, you can increase your accuracy and attempt more high-confidence questions, giving you a much better chance at securing a seat in the B.Sc. (Hons) programs at IIM Bangalore.