SBL mock exam and debrief video

Doing a mock exam is an important part of your exam preparation. It helps focus your studies, gives you an important snapshot of your knowledge, and it can help you overcome exam-day nerves.

Introduction of pre-seen materials in SBL

From the September 2023 exam session, some changes are being introduced to the Strategic Business Leader (SBL) exam. This will include students having access to pre-seen material 2 weeks ahead of the exam.

To get the best out of your question practice and make sure you are fully prepared for the live exam, it's important to take time to read and understand the pre-seen material before attempting your mock exam. The mock exam pre-seen information is released two weeks before the mock exam is available to replicate the live exam experience. Please factor this in your study plans. 

Pre-seen tip - mock exams

Question practice and mock exams are key to exam success. Don't let the pre-seen for the real exam distract you away from this vital activity.

The pre-seen sets the scene for your exam but to be ready to tackle the tasks on exam day you must practice past exam questions and new mock exams. Make sure you create space in your study plan for both familiarising yourself with the pre-seen as well as undertaking question practice 

Mock exam benefits

Identify your strengths and weaknesses

Sitting a mock exam, and then debriefing it gives you an incredible insight into how prepared you are for an exam. You can find out where you are performing well but, more importantly, you can identify any gaps in your knowledge. And because you have taken the mock exam in advance of the real thing, you can take action to fill in any gaps before your exam.

Get focussed

Going through the process of preparing for and taking a mock exam can get you into a great studying mindset. Structure your studies and set a realistic target date. Then work towards doing the mock under full exam conditions – to time and with no notes! Don’t forget to plan time to debrief the mock to get the full benefit. The Compass planner tool can really help with this activity.

Fight stress

Exam-day nerves are completely natural but the more practice you have the better you will get at overcoming them. Doing your mock in exam conditions will help become familiar with the process, which will then help you overcome the stress of exam day and make the real exam less daunting.

Do then debrief

  • Pre-June mocks released - 13 May
  • Mock exam debrief videos released - 17 May