How Teachers Can Use Save My Exams to Save Hours of Prep Time

It's Sunday evening, and you're staring at a week’s worth of lesson plans that need writing. Sure, teaching is rewarding, but the prep work always eats into your evenings and weekends. 

Take it from me: I was a teacher for eight years, and I found that the real drain on my time wasn’t teaching itself, it was creating differentiated tasks. By the time Monday came around, my energy was already sapped.

You want to give your students the best resources possible, but between planning lessons, marking work, and actually teaching, finding time to create comprehensive revision materials feels impossible. 

On average, teachers using Save My Exams report saving 4 hours and 51 minutes every week.* That’s because we’ve already done the heavy lifting, creating ready-to-use revision notes, exam questions, and a custom test builder that aligns perfectly with exam specifications. 

Instead of spending hours creating materials, you can spend minutes finding exactly what you need. Read on to find out more.

* 1,878 Save My Exams teachers surveyed in October 2025

Key Takeaways

Save My Exams helps teachers save valuable preparation time through:

• Ready-made revision resources. Access comprehensive revision notes, flashcards, and exam questions for all major exam boards, without spending hours creating them yourself.

• Exam board alignment. Every resource is meticulously matched to specific exam board specifications, ensuring your students are studying exactly what they need.

• Flexible lesson integration. Download materials that fit into your existing lesson plans, whether teaching in-person or remotely.

Key Features for Teachers

Creating quality revision materials from scratch takes hours you simply don't have. Take a look at the tools that will save you time at Save My Exams. 

Revision Notes

When revision season is in full swing, you can save time and boost your students grades with thousands of revision notes designed for each specific exam board. 

Our revision notes are the backbone of what we offer. No matter the subject you teach, each topic is broken down into clear, concise explanations that students can really understand. 

Written by teachers and examiners, the notes follow the exact structure of exam board specifications, meaning you can use them with confidence, knowing they cover everything students need.

How to use them:

• Project in lessons to explain key concepts or recap topics

• Share digitally or print for students to annotate

• Set as pre-lesson reading to reduce teaching time

• Use to help absent students catch up independently

• Assign for independent revision and consolidation

The best part is they're already written, checked, and ready to go.

Next steps: Read more about how to manage your time as a teacher effectively.

Exam Questions

Finding good practice questions that match your exam board can take hours. We've solved that problem by organising thousands of exam-style questions by topic and difficulty level.

Each question comes with detailed model answers and mark schemes written by experienced examiners. Mark schemes aren't just answer keys. They include common misconceptions, acceptable alternative answers, and guidance on how to award marks fairly.

This is valuable for teaching assistants or cover teachers who might be less familiar with your subject.

How to use them:

• Set targeted practice to address knowledge gaps

• Scaffold practice using graded difficulty levels

• Build exam technique with timed questions

• Model answers using examiner mark schemes

• Train students in self and peer assessment

• Use for quick checks of understanding

Past Papers

Official past papers are one of the most effective ways to prepare your students for final exams. And, Save My Exams brings together previous exam board papers in one place, organised by specification and year, making it quick and easy for you to use them when you need them.

They’re the number one way to help students become confident with exam structure, language, and expectations as they move into the final stages of exam preparation.

How to use them:

• Run timed exam practice under realistic conditions

• Set full papers or selected sections as mock assessments

• Analyse mark schemes with students to show them examiner expectations

• Compare performance across papers to track progress over time

Flashcards

Flashcards aren't just for students revising at home. They’re a handy tool for strengthening memory and improving recall, especially when used regularly over time in class. 

Our digital flashcards are designed to support retrieval practice, helping your students move key knowledge from short-term to long-term memory. Because they’re organised by topic, teachers can easily integrate them into lessons without extra preparation.

How to use them:

• Use as quick starter activities to activate prior knowledge

• Run short plenary quizzes to check understanding

• Assign specific decks for regular retrieval practice

• Use for speedy mid-lesson recall checks

• Build into weekly revision routines for spaced practice

The digital format means students can access them on any device, making them ideal for both classroom and homework use.

Next steps: Have a read of our quick plenary ideas guide to save extra time when prepping lessons.

Mock Exams

Our ready-made mock exam papers remove the need to create questions yourself. You can focus on assessing your students progress accurately, while familiarising them with exam layout, timing, and expectations. 

With mark schemes included, mocks are straightforward to deliver and review.

How to use it:

• Run full mock exams under realistic exam conditions

• Identify strengths and gaps across topics and skills

• Use mark schemes to review performance and common errors

• Track progress by comparing results across mock sittings

Test Builder

Creating high-quality tests can be one of the biggest drains on your time. You want questions that match specific topics, skills, and exam board requirements. 

The Test Builder tool on our platform allows you to create bespoke assessments using exam-style questions that are ready to print in a click. All you need to do is choose the difficulty level and question types to create focused tests that test your students on what they’ve been taught.

How to use it:

• Create end-of-topic or end-of-unit assessments quickly

• Build short quizzes to check understanding 

• Create revision tests focused on weaker areas

• Set homework tests that mirror real exam style and structure

• Use as mock exam practice under timed conditions

• Reuse and adapt tests for different classes or year groups

Tips for Making the Most of Save My Exams

Follow these tips to make the most of Save My Exams:

1. Start with One Subject or Topic

Don't try to overhaul everything at once. Pick one challenging topic where you're spending the most prep time. Use Save My Exams resources for that area first and see how much time it saves you.

Once you've experienced the benefits in one area, you can gradually expand to other topics or year groups. This slower approach lets you learn how to make the most of all the features on the platform.

2. Integrate Into Your Existing Workflow

You don't need to change how you teach. Instead, use Save My Exams as a tool that slots into your current planning. 

• If you normally set weekly homework, use our exam questions. 

• If you create lesson starters, use our flashcards.

• If you run end-of-topic assessments, use the Test Builder.

• If you’re preparing students for mocks or final exams, use our past papers.

• If you want to reduce planning time, use our revision notes.

The platform works best when it complements your teaching style. Use it to fill gaps and save time on the tasks that currently take longest.

How Morgan Uses Save My Exams

Morgan is an A Level Maths, Computer Science, and Business Studies teacher (opens in a new tab). He uses a range of tools on the platform with his students.

He says, "The exam-style questions, videos and worked solutions give my students the confidence and practice they need, while the clear revision notes make complex topics more accessible."

Morgan recognises the benefits of using ready-made materials. "It saves me time and helps my students achieve better results through high quality and well thought out resources. The platform allows me to use multiple avenues to help drive home the learning objectives, and the consistency across subjects is spot-on."

He’s also noticed how Save My Exams fits seamlessly into the classroom. "The intuitive usability means students can quickly navigate and find what they're looking for, mastering the technology rather than being mastered by it."

How to Get Started

Getting started with Save My Exams is straightforward. 

1. Head to the Save My Exams website.

2. Click the "Join now for free" button. 

3. Sign up with Google or create an account with your email address and choose a password.

4. Select "Teacher" as your account type. This unlocks teacher-specific features, like the Test Builder tool.

The free trial gives you full access to all resources for seven days. This is plenty of time to explore the platform, try different features, and see how much prep time you can save.

Once logged in, try this: 

• Search for a topic you're teaching this week.

• Use the filters to select your exam board and specification.

• Download or bookmark a few resources to try in your lessons.

If you decide Save My Exams works for you, you can upgrade to a paid subscription. 

Frequently Asked Questions From Teachers

Does Save My Exams cover my exam board?

We cover all major UK exam boards including AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC, CIE, and Eduqas. 

Each resource clearly states which exam board and specification it matches. If you're unsure, head to the subject you teach and use our filter tools to search specifically for your board.

Can I use these resources in my lessons legally?

Yes. When you have a Save My Exams subscription, you're licensed to use the materials in your teaching. You can project them, print them, share them with students, and incorporate them into your lessons.

The only restriction is that you shouldn't share materials publicly online or redistribute them to people who don't have their own subscription.

Is Save My Exams suitable for GCSE and A Level?

Yes. We have examiner-written resources for GCSE, A Level, IGCSE, IB, and AP teachers to use with their students.

All of our resources are organised by exam board and specification, so teachers can be confident that what they’re using reflects exactly what students will be assessed on.

Many teachers use Save My Exams throughout the year for lesson support and homework, then rely on it more during revision and exam preparation as exams creep closer. 

Join 300,000 Teachers Using Save My Exams

Teaching is demanding enough without spending your entire weekend creating resources. Save My Exams gives you those precious hours back by providing high-quality, exam-board-specific materials that are ready to use immediately.

From comprehensive revision notes to thousands of practice questions with detailed mark schemes, everything is designed to make your job easier whilst helping your students succeed.

Whether you're teaching one class or managing an entire department, Save My Exams can transform how you approach lesson planning and resource creation. Start with a free trial, test it with one topic, and see how much time you save.

References

Trustpilot - Review of Save My Exams, October 2025 (opens in a new tab)

1,878 Save My Exams teachers survey, October 2025