📚 How to Use Official Free Computer-Based Familiarisation Tests | 官方免费机考模拟考试 Familiarisation Test 的使用方法
Computer-delivered exams are now part of everyday life for A Level and IGCSE candidates. Whether you are sitting an on-screen board paper, an admissions test, or a language test, the awarding bodies publish free familiarisation tests so that you can meet the interface before you meet the examiner. This guide shows you exactly how to extract maximum value from those free tools instead of clicking through them once and forgetting them.
机考已经成为 A Level 与 IGCSE 考生的日常。无论你面对的是考试局的上机试卷、大学入学笔试，还是语言类机考，各考试机构都会发布免费的 familiarisation test（熟悉测试），让你在见到考官之前先见到界面。本文说明如何从这些免费工具中榨取最大价值，而不是点一遍就抛之脑后。
1. What a Familiarisation Test Really Is | 熟悉测试究竟是什么
A familiarisation test is not a past paper with a new coat of paint. It is a deliberately short, often unscored demo whose purpose is to teach you the delivery platform: how questions appear, how the clock behaves, how you move forward, and what happens when the connection drops. Its content is usually generic, and its difficulty is deliberately moderate.
熟悉测试并不是“换了皮肤的真题”。它通常是一个刻意做短的、往往不计分的演示程序，目的是教你熟悉交付平台：题目如何呈现、计时器如何运行、如何翻页，以及断网时会发生什么。它的内容通常较为通用，难度也刻意控制在中等水平。
There are three distinct layers you should separate in your head.
你应该在脑中区分三个不同的层次。
- Platform layer: navigation, highlight, flag, calculator, notepad, review screen.
- Platform layer 中文：导航、高亮、标记、计算器、记事本、检查页。
- Content layer: the actual physics, maths or economics being assessed.
- Content layer 中文：真正被考查的物理、数学或经济学科内容。
- Condition layer: timing pressure, screen glare, keyboard feel, noise-cancelling headphones.
- Condition layer 中文：时间压力、屏幕反光、键盘手感、降噪耳机。
Most students rehearse the content layer and ignore the other two. The familiarisation test exists precisely to fix that imbalance.
大多数学生只练“内容层”，忽略另外两层。熟悉测试存在的意义，正是修正这种失衡。
2. Where to Find the Official Free Tests | 在哪里找到官方免费测试
Always start from the awarding body or test provider itself, never from a third-party site that has re-uploaded a copy. Official pages also carry the technical requirements, which matter more than the questions.
请始终从考试局或测试主办方官网入手，绝不要用第三方转载版本。官方页面还会附带技术规格要求，而这些比题目本身更重要。
| Provider 机构 | Typical free resource 常见免费资源 | What to practise 练什么 |
| Cambridge International | Digital exam demo and on-screen test platform guides | Toolbar, answer entry, review flags |
| Pearson Edexcel | On-screen assessment practice materials and platform walkthroughs | Drag-and-drop, formula entry |
| AQA / OCR | On-screen test demos for the subjects that offer them | Keyboard shortcuts, split-screen layout |
| Admissions testing providers | Free familiarisation test at the test centre or online | Section timing, on-screen calculator, review grid |
| Language test providers | Free full-length computer-delivered sample test | Typing speed, headset check, speaking recorder |
Check the official page on the day you use it. Platforms are updated between sessions, and a screenshot from two years ago will teach you the wrong toolbar.
使用当天请再核对官方页面。平台会在考季之间更新，两年前的截图会教你错误的工具栏。
3. Before You Start: Device, Browser and Environment Checks | 开始之前：设备、浏览器与环境检查
Run the system check before you run the test. A familiarisation attempt ruined by a frozen tab teaches you nothing about the exam and a great deal about your laptop.
先做系统检查，再做测试。一次被卡死标签页毁掉的熟悉测试，教会你的不是考试，而是你笔记本的问题。
- Use the same device type you will use on the day, ideally wired internet rather than shared Wi-Fi.
- 请使用与考试当天同类型的设备，最好用有线网络而不是共享 Wi-Fi。
- Disable pop-up blockers, VPNs and notification sync before the timer starts.
- 在计时开始前关闭弹窗拦截、VPN 与通知同步。
- Sit at a desk with the screen at eye level; replicate the real lighting rather than a dark bedroom.
- 坐在桌前，屏幕与视线齐平；模拟真实光照条件，而不是昏暗卧室。
- Prepare scrap paper and a pen; most on-screen exams still allow them.
- 准备草稿纸和笔；大多数机考仍然允许使用。
If the paper uses a permitted calculator, have the physical model ready, not a phone app.
如果该考试允许使用计算器，请准备允许型号的实物计算器，而不是手机应用。
4. The First Run: Explore Without Scoring | 首轮体验：重在探索，不要计分
Your first attempt should be deliberately slow and unscored. The goal is to map the interface, not to prove your ability.
第一轮应当刻意放慢、并且不计分。目标是绘制界面地图，而不是证明你的能力。
Use a fixed exploration protocol.
请使用固定的探索流程。
- Minute 0-3: click every button on the toolbar and note what each does.
- 第 0-3 分钟：点击工具栏上每一个按钮，记录各自功能。
- Minute 3-10: answer three questions of different formats - multiple choice, numeric entry, extended writing.
- 第 3-10 分钟：各答一道不同题型的题——选择题、数值输入题、长文字作答题。
- Minute 10-15: deliberately use the review or flag function, then jump back to a flagged question.
- 第 10-15 分钟：刻意使用检查/标记功能，再跳回被标记的题目。
- Minute 15-20: close the test early and note every moment you hesitated.
- 第 15-20 分钟：提前关闭测试，记录每一次你犹豫的瞬间。
Write those hesitation points down. They are your personal interface weaknesses and they are worth more than a score.
把犹豫点写下来。这些就是你个人的界面弱点，它们比分数更有价值。
5. Decoding the On-Screen Toolbar and Navigation | 解读屏幕上的工具栏与导航
Almost every platform offers the same family of tools under different names. Learn the function, not the label.
几乎所有平台都提供同一族工具，只是名称不同。要记功能，不要记名字。
- Flag / Mark for review: do not use it as a bookmark for hard questions only; use it for any question you answered faster than 20 seconds.
- 标记/待复看：不要只用来标记难题；凡是你少于 20 秒就作答的题也要标记。
- Highlight / Strikethrough: essential in long prose questions; strike out wrong options to reduce rereading.
- 高亮/划线：在长文本题中至关重要；划掉错误选项可减少重复阅读。
- Review grid: the single most underused screen. Learn to read it as a status board.
- 检查网格：最被低估的一个界面。要学会把它当状态板来读。
- On-screen calculator: practise with a keyboard-only or mouse-only calculator, because that is what you get.
- 屏幕计算器：练习用纯键盘或纯鼠标操作计算器，因为考场给你的就是这样。
Rule of thumb: if you cannot describe a toolbar button in one sentence, you have not finished the familiarisation.
经验法则：如果某个工具栏按钮你无法用一句话说清，那你的熟悉过程还没完成。
6. Typing Maths, Science and Symbols On Screen | 在屏幕上输入数学与科学符号
The highest-risk part of any computer-based paper is answer entry in technical subjects. Getting the chemistry right and the notation wrong still loses marks.
任何机考中风险最高的环节，都是理科与数学的答案输入。化学算对了、符号写错了，照样失分。
Know which notation your platform expects.
你必须清楚平台期望哪种书写形式。
f(x) = 3x² + 7x − 4 → f′(x) = 6x + 7
Cu²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Cu ; N₂ + 3H₂ ⇌ 2NH₃ ΔH = −92 kJ mol⁻¹
- Practise superscripts, subscripts and negative powers until they are muscle memory, not a search.
- 练习上标、下标与负指数，直到成为肌肉记忆，而不是现查现找。
- Learn the platform's fraction rule: most demand 3/4, not a stacked fraction.
- 弄清平台的分数规则：多数要求写成 3/4，而不是上下叠放的分式。
- Confirm whether units are pre-filled and whether you must include them.
- 确认单位是否已预填，以及你是否必须自己加单位。
- Test how the system behaves with a trailing space or a comma decimal separator.
- 测试系统对末尾空格或逗号小数点的处理方式。
7. Timing, Pacing and the On-Screen Clock | 时间管理与屏幕时钟
On paper you control the clock. On screen the clock controls you: it sits in the corner, counts down, and changes colour. Rehearse under that pressure deliberately.
纸笔考试里你掌控时间；机考里时间掌控你——它就在角落，倒数，还会变色。你必须刻意在这种压力下演练。
Build a checkpoint system rather than a vague target.
建立检查点制度，而不是模糊的目标。
Checkpoint time = Total minutes × (Questions completed ÷ Total questions)
- Write three checkpoints on your scrap paper before the test begins.
- 测试开始前在草稿纸上写下三个检查点。
- If you are more than two minutes behind at a checkpoint, skip the next hardest question immediately.
- 若在某个检查点落后超过两分钟，立刻跳过下一道最难的题。
- Reserve the final 8-10 per cent of the time for flagged questions only.
- 把最后 8%-10% 的时间只留给被标记的题目。
Never look at the clock after every question; that burns reading time. Look at it at checkpoints.
不要每答一题就看一次时钟，那会消耗阅读时间。只在检查点看。
8. A Four-Week Familiarisation Schedule | 四周熟悉测试计划
One sitting is not familiarisation; it is curiosity. Spread the work across four weeks so skills consolidate.
做一次不叫熟悉，那叫好奇。把训练摊到四周，技能才会固化。
| Week 周 | Focus 重点 | Sessions 次数 | Output 产出 |
| 1 | Interface mapping, no timing | 2 × 25 min | Toolbar glossary |
| 2 | Answer entry in your weakest format | 3 × 30 min | Symbol cheat sheet |
| 3 | Timed mini-sections | 2 × 40 min | Checkpoint log |
| 4 | Full timed run plus review | 1 × full + 1 × 20 min | Error log and action list |
Keep every session on the same device and the same browser. Variation is the enemy of familiarity.
每次训练都用同一台设备和同一个浏览器。变化是熟悉感的敌人。
9. Turning Every Attempt Into Diagnostic Data | 把每次尝试变成诊断数据
A familiarisation test you do not analyse is entertainment. The analysis takes ten minutes and is the highest-yield part of the whole process.
不做分析的熟悉测试只是娱乐。分析只需十分钟，却是整个流程中收益最高的环节。
Log errors by cause, not by topic.
请按“原因”而不是按“章节”记录错误。
| Cause 原因 | Symptom 表现 | Fix 对策 |
| Interface | Lost time finding a button | Repeat section 5 drill |
| Entry | Right answer, wrong notation | Typing practice |
| Pacing | Last five questions guessed | Checkpoint discipline |
| Reading | Misread on-screen stem | Highlight and strikethrough |
| Content | Genuine knowledge gap | Back to the textbook |
Only the last row belongs to your subject teacher. The other four you can fix alone, this week.
只有最后一行需要找学科老师。其余四行你本周就能自己解决。
10. Common Mistakes That Waste a Familiarisation Test | 浪费熟悉测试的常见错误
Most candidates repeat the same five errors. Recognising them in advance saves an entire cycle of practice.
大多数考生会重复同样的五个错误。提前识别，可以省下一整轮训练。
- Treating the demo as a mock and chasing a high score.
- 把演示当成模考，追求高分。
- Skipping the system check because "it worked last time".
- 因为“上次能用”而跳过系统检查。
- Doing it once, on a phone, in bed.
- 只做一次，用手机，躺在床上。
- Ignoring the extended-writing question type because it feels slow.
- 因为觉得慢，就跳过长文字作答题型。
- Never testing what happens when you run out of time.
- 从不测试时间耗尽时会发生什么。
One deliberate, uncomfortable session beats five casual ones.
一次刻意而不适的训练，胜过一次敷衍的五次。
11. Accessibility, Extra Time and Special Arrangements | 无障碍、延时与特殊安排
If you are entitled to access arrangements, the familiarisation test is where you rehearse the mechanics of using them, not just the entitlement itself.
如果你有资格获得考试便利安排，熟悉测试正是演练“如何使用这些安排”的场合，而不只是拥有资格。
- Check whether extra time is applied automatically by the platform or by the invigilator.
- 确认加时是由系统自动添加，还是由监考人员操作。
- Practise with the actual assistive tool you will use: screen reader, coloured overlay, enlarged font.
- 用你真正会用到的辅助工具练习：读屏软件、彩色滤光片、放大字号。
- Test the noise-cancelling headphones model available at your centre if permitted.
- 如允许，测试考点提供的降噪耳机型号。
- Confirm rest-break rules, since a stopped clock changes your pacing plan.
- 确认休息规则，因为时钟暂停会改变你的配速计划。
Raise any mismatch with your exams officer at least four weeks before the test date.
如发现任何不匹配，请至少在考试日期前四周告知学校考试官。
12. From Screen to Exam Hall: Transfer and Final Checklist | 从屏幕到考场：迁移与最终清单
The final stage is transfer. The interface you rehearsed must become invisible so that only the subject remains.
最后一步是迁移。你练熟的界面必须变得“隐形”，考场上只剩下学科内容。
- Run one full timed familiarisation test in the week before the real one, same time of day.
- 在正式考试前一周，按相同时间段做一次完整限时熟悉测试。
- Write your checkpoint plan on paper and memorise it.
- 把检查点计划写在纸上并背下来。
- Sleep normally; a familiarisation test is not a cramming tool.
- 保持正常作息；熟悉测试不是临时抱佛脚的工具。
- On the day, spend the first 60 seconds confirming the toolbar matches your rehearsal.
- 考试当天，用前 60 秒确认工具栏与你演练的一致。
Do this, and the computer stops being an obstacle and becomes what it should have been all along: a neutral surface for your knowledge.
做到这些，电脑就不再是障碍，而会回归它本该有的角色：承载你知识的中性界面。
Published by TutorHao | A Level & IGCSE Exam Skills Revision Series | aleveler.com
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