A past paper is an examination paper from a previous year or previous years, usually used either for exam practice or for tests such as University of Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

 College Collections

Collection (Oxford Colleges)

At Colleges of the University of Oxford, a Collection may be one of two things:*An examination taken at the beginning of term by undergraduates/graduates, testing the work done in the previous term, and often based on past paper questions . Undergraduates usually sit one or two Collections per...

.

Exam candidates find past papers valuable in test preparation. Some organizations responsible for holding exams have made past exam papers commercially available by either publishing the papers by themselves or licensing a publisher to do the same. For example, SAT

SAT

The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...

 papers in U.S. and GCSE

General Certificate of Secondary Education

The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...

 and A level papers in UK are being sold, as well as other exams worldwide.

Many organisations and educational establishments now provide their past papers on the Internet.

At Virginia Tech, past papers are known as "Koofers", after a coffer

Coffer

A coffer in architecture, is a sunken panel in the shape of a square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or vault...

 of past papers used at Bluefield College

Bluefield College

Bluefield College is a small, Christian liberal arts college in Bluefield, Virginia, United States, in Tazewell County. It offers 22 majors, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...

. Undergraduate students from Virginia Tech made the term more popular and well known by creating the educational platform, Koofers.com.