30-day Headteacher exam study plan
This plan prepares you for a headteacher written test, where every learning day sits in the same area: leading a school. It works through the themes a head is accountable for, one at a time, and turns each into practice scenarios rather than notes to memorise. Set aside an hour each evening, and a longer stretch on the two mock days.
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. |
Work one theme a day
Take the themes in turn: vision and improvement planning, curriculum coverage, assessment and results analysis, lesson observation and teacher support, staff deployment and appraisal, discipline and learner welfare, inclusion, finance and procurement, school property, parents and committees, and reporting to the district. Read a little, then write how you would handle one realistic situation in that theme.
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) |
Turn your own school into the case study
The fastest way to prepare is to look at where you teach with a head's eyes. How is the timetable built? Where does the budget go? What happens when a teacher is absent? Who decides what? Writing down how your school does these things, and how it could do them better, gives you concrete material for both the test and the interview.
Use the mocks to find judgement gaps
Sit the first mock early. Sort every wrong answer into two piles: things you did not know, and situations where your judgement differed from the expected answer. The first pile needs reading. The second needs discussion with a serving head or deputy, which is worth arranging before the second mock.
Common questions
I am a deputy already. What should I focus on?
Finance, procurement, staff management and accountability to the district, which deputies often touch least. Your curriculum and supervision knowledge is probably already strong.
What should I do on review days?
Redo the week's wrong answers and rewrite one scenario response you were unhappy with, aiming for a clearer order of actions.
More Headteacher guides
- Headteacher exam: what is tested and how to prepare
- Headteacher practice questions with answers
- Headteacher interview questions and answers
- Headteacher skills and qualifications
- Headteacher job description and duties
- How to become a Headteacher in Rwanda
- Headteacher exam mistakes to avoid
- Headteacher key topics and quick reference
- Headteacher CV: what to include