30-day Deputy Headteacher (DOS) exam study plan
This plan prepares you for the written test for deputy headteacher in charge of studies. Every learning day covers school leadership, curriculum and assessment, because that is the single area this post is tested on. The two mock days use the real past paper format for this post: 50 questions in two and a half hours, so you practise its pace as well as its content.
How this guide was made
Written for this site with AI assistance, then checked automatically before publishing. The topic table, sample questions, worked examples and study plan are generated from this site’s question bank: each worked example is recalculated by separate code, and each sample answer says where it came from.
The guide deliberately states no salaries, grades, pass marks or exam dates. Those change, and they could not be checked here, so take them from the advert itself.
This site is independent and is not affiliated with MIFOTRA or any employer.
The 30-day plan
| Day | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | ||
| 1 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 2 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 3 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 4 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 5 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 6 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 7 | Review the week | Redo every question you got wrong this week, without looking at the explanations first. |
| Week 2 | ||
| 8 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 30 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 9 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 30 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 10 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 30 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 11 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 30 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 12 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 30 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 13 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 30 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 14 | Timed mock 1 | 50 questions in 150 minutes, in one sitting. Mark it, then list the areas you lost marks in. |
| Week 3 | ||
| 15 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 40 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 16 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 40 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 17 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 40 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 18 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 40 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 19 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 40 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 20 | School leadership, curriculum and assessment | Study, then answer 40 questions untimed and read every explanation, including for the ones you got right. |
| 21 | Review the week | Redo every question you got wrong this week, without looking at the explanations first. |
| Final stretch | ||
| 22 | Revise: School leadership, curriculum and assessment | 40 mixed questions on school leadership, curriculum and assessment, timed at about a minute each. |
| 23 | Revise: School leadership, curriculum and assessment | 40 mixed questions on school leadership, curriculum and assessment, timed at about a minute each. |
| 24 | Revise: School leadership, curriculum and assessment | 40 mixed questions on school leadership, curriculum and assessment, timed at about a minute each. |
| 25 | Revise: School leadership, curriculum and assessment | 40 mixed questions on school leadership, curriculum and assessment, timed at about a minute each. |
| 26 | Revise: School leadership, curriculum and assessment | 40 mixed questions on school leadership, curriculum and assessment, timed at about a minute each. |
| 27 | Revise: School leadership, curriculum and assessment | 40 mixed questions on school leadership, curriculum and assessment, timed at about a minute each. |
| 28 | Timed mock 2 | 50 questions in 150 minutes, in one sitting. Mark it, then list the areas you lost marks in. |
| 29 | Mock mistakes | Work through every wrong answer from both mocks until you can explain why the right option is right. |
| 30 | Light review | Skim your notes and formulas for an hour, then stop. Sleep matters more than one more set tonight. |
How to use the learning days
Take one theme per day rather than reading everything at once: curriculum planning, lesson observation, assessment types, results analysis, teacher development, records and reporting, and policy in practice. After reading, write a short answer to one realistic situation in that theme, such as how you would respond to a teacher who is behind the syllabus.
Where to spend your study time
The suggested emphasis reflects what this position works with day to day. It is a study guide, not a published exam blueprint.
| Area | Suggested emphasis | Questions in the bank | Practise |
|---|---|---|---|
| School leadership, curriculum and assessment | 100% | 50 | Deputy Headteacher (DOS) |
Practise with your own school in mind
Abstract answers are hard to remember and unconvincing in an interview. As you study, note how each idea would apply in the school where you teach: what you would check, who you would involve, and what record you would keep. Those notes serve for both the written test and the interview that follows.
Mock days
Sit the real past paper for the first mock, marking it strictly. For the second, use a mixed timed set of the same length. After each one, sort your wrong answers into knowledge gaps and judgement errors, because they need different remedies: reading for the first, and discussing scenarios with an experienced colleague for the second.
Common questions
I teach full time. Is an hour a day realistic?
Yes, if it is regular. Short daily sessions suit this material, since most of it is judgement built through repeated practice rather than facts to memorise.
Should I study with a colleague?
If you can, yes. Discussing scenarios with another teacher or a current deputy headteacher exposes reasoning you would not reach alone.
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