The Real Score

One of the toughest things to convince my students to do is to take actual prep-tests under test conditions, and report the results to me. I understand why this is, of course; it's embarrassing to study like crazy, spend hours and hours participating in classroom discussion, and then do poorly when you try to take a "real" test. That having been said, it's vital to your success that you have--throughout your preperaton process--an objective and accurate gauge of your progress. By taking full tests and working full sections under timed conditions, you gain the endurance that you will need when faced with the pressure of test day. Also, you learn to budget your time and to be comfortable working with the clock.

I think that most students find the practice tests stressful and discouraging because they don't use the results the way they should. Use your practice tests to gauge your progress over time, to help you understand exactly how many extra questions you have to get right to get your target score, and to build strategies for time- and stress-
management on test day. Here are a few specific tips:

1) Most students do not do as well on timed practice as they do in the classroom, so don't be surprised when you miss questions on the practice session that you would have gotten right in class. When we study in class, I'm helping to guide you through the questions, pointing out issues that help you eliminate wrong answer choices and zero in on the right ones. Also, in class, there's no "time limit" per se, except that which I give you. So while, on the SAT or LSAT, you may only have a minute or so per question, in class I may give you two or three minutes to allow you to fully evaluate all of the answer choices.

2) As you work through your practice section, note answer choices that you were choosing between, and then review the explanations for the ones you got right, and the ones you got wrong. Remember that you will see not only similar questions on test day, but similar answer choices. That way, when you see a similar question on the test, you might well be able to anticipate the correct answer, and dismiss tempting trap answers.

3) Don't lie to yourself, and don't lie to your instructor! Keep accurate, merciless records of how you did, and chart your progress objectively. Use that information to set realistic goals, and then work toward those goals as test day approaches. Remember that, as you do better and better on the test, the difference between an average score and an outstanding score will only be a few questions! Talk to your instructor about your scores, your goals, and your preperation methods, because we are all here to help you do your best!

4) Finally, don't get discouraged. These tests are tough and tricky because they're designed to be tough and tricky. But other students before you have succeeded, and you will too!




▼▽▼▼Douglasの過去の記事を読む━━━━━━━━━━━
・【Smoke and Makuuchi】2008.10.01(Wed)
･【It's Always Something】2008.10.22 (Wed)
・【Working the Corners】2008.11.12 (Wed)
・【Logic Games】2008.12.03 (Wed)
・【A Truth about Application Essays】2008.12.24 (Wed)

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