If you’ve spent the semester thinking Public Relations is just about throwing fancy parties and writing the occasional tweet, your first look at a past paper probably felt like a cold bucket of water. PR is a high-stakes game of strategy, psychology, and rapid-fire problem-solving. It’s about managing the most fragile asset on earth: Reputation
Below is the exam paper download link
Past Paper On Public Relations For Revision
Above is the exam paper download link
When the exam clock starts ticking, you don’t want to be “winging it.” You need to have the frameworks baked into your brain. The best way to move from “clueless student” to “PR pro” is to get your hands dirty with past papers. They show you the patterns, the pitfalls, and the specific ways examiners want you to think.
To get your gears turning, I’ve pulled a few “greatest hits” from previous PR exams and tackled them in a way that actually makes sense for the real world.
Q1: The RACE Formula – Why can’t we just start with the “Doing”?
The Question: Identify and explain the four stages of the RACE process in a Public Relations campaign. Why is the “R” stage often neglected, and what are the consequences?
The Breakdown: RACE stands for Research, Action, Communication, and Evaluation. Most students want to jump straight to the “Communication” part—the TikToks, the press releases, the glitz. But without Research, you’re throwing darts in a pitch-black room. You don’t know who your audience is or what they actually care about.
The Consequence: If you skip Research, your campaign might look “cool” but fail to move the needle. You end up solving a problem that doesn’t exist while ignoring the one that does.
Q2: Is there a difference between PR and Propaganda?
The Question: Discuss the ethical boundaries of Public Relations. How does the “Two-Way Symmetrical Model” distinguish PR from mere manipulation?
The Breakdown: This is the “Moral Compass” question.
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Propaganda is a one-way street. It’s about hitting the audience over the head until they believe what you want.
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Two-Way Symmetrical PR (the gold standard) is a conversation. It’s about the organization listening to the public and being willing to change its own behavior to reach a win-win.
The Verdict: If you’re just “spinning” a lie, you’re doing propaganda. If you’re building a relationship based on truth, you’re doing PR.
Q3: Managing the “Burning House” (Crisis Communication)
The Question: What are the first three steps an organization should take within the first “Golden Hour” of a major reputation crisis?
The Breakdown: Silence is the loudest sound in a crisis—and it usually sounds like guilt.
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Acknowledge: Don’t wait for all the facts. Tell the public you know there is a problem and you are looking into it.
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Designate a Single Spokesperson: You don’t want the CEO saying one thing and the Floor Manager saying another. One voice, one message.
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Prioritize Victims: If people are hurt or losing money, they come first. The “corporate ego” comes last.
Q4: The Press Release vs. The Social Media Pitch
Question: How has the “Digital Shift” changed the way PR practitioners interact with journalists?
The Breakdown: The “spray and pray” method (sending the same boring PDF to 500 journalists) is dead. Today’s PR is about hyper-personalization. Journalists want exclusive data, high-res visuals, and a pitch that fits their specific beat. You aren’t just a “sender” anymore; you’re a content collaborator.
Ready to Master the Craft?
Theories are great for the classroom, but PR is a practical sport. You need to see how these questions are phrased and how the marks are allocated. Don’t let your exam be the first time you try to draft a crisis response under pressure.
