Establish a comparable baseline
Use a representative paper or question sample with a marking scheme. Match the exam's permitted resources and timing as closely as practical. A score from an easy untimed quiz should not be compared directly with a demanding timed final; record the conditions alongside the number.
Identify recoverable marks
Group lost marks by the skill required to earn them: definitions, method selection, reasoning, calculation or structure. Combine recurring gaps with official assessment weights. Focus on tasks you can realistically improve in the remaining time, without assuming repeated past-paper topics are guaranteed to recur.
Check progress on unseen work
After repair, use a different but comparable question set and apply the same rubric. Keep the target provisional if your sample is small. A good plan can make priorities explicit, but cannot guarantee a final grade or accurately infer exam readiness from lesson completion alone.
Worked example
An illustrative baseline is 58/100 and the target is 75. Reviewing the paper finds 8 lost marks from missing definitions, 10 from method selection and 24 from other issues. The next sessions target definitions and method choice because they match current gaps, not because recovering exactly 18 marks is assured. A fresh sample checks whether the repair transfers.
Before you finish
- Baseline and target use the same scoring scale.
- Every priority names a skill and a representative task.
- Progress is checked on unseen questions with a consistent rubric.