Advice on Study Plan Please! Forum
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- Posts: 34
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:30 am
Advice on Study Plan Please!
Hello,
I've taken a prep course which helped me improve to a measly 158 but I am shooting for a 170 (+/- 2). I've just recently freed all my time to solely focus on taking the Oct test. Currently I'm reviewing/going over prepbooks and strategies from my course. If all goes well, I will be done in about 2 weeks, giving me 2 full months of taking preptests. I would like to complete all practice tests (I believe there are 60) but that would require doing one everyday. Is this wise or an inevitable burnout? What would you suggest?
Thanks!!
I've taken a prep course which helped me improve to a measly 158 but I am shooting for a 170 (+/- 2). I've just recently freed all my time to solely focus on taking the Oct test. Currently I'm reviewing/going over prepbooks and strategies from my course. If all goes well, I will be done in about 2 weeks, giving me 2 full months of taking preptests. I would like to complete all practice tests (I believe there are 60) but that would require doing one everyday. Is this wise or an inevitable burnout? What would you suggest?
Thanks!!
- sgtgrumbles
- Posts: 653
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 3:46 pm
Re: Advice on Study Plan Please!
Anybody who doesn't tell you you'll burn out is dead wrong. You need to review your prep tests thoroughly; repetition alone won't raise your scores. You should be giving yourself at least one full day between tests to review any wrong answers or troublesome questions. It's simply impossible to do this and take a prep test every day. I've only just begun taking prep tests, so I'm hardly an expert, but I would imagine most people on here will suggest that you focus on the newer tests. The older ones are not representative of recent tests, and while some people find them good practice for learning concepts, you don't have the luxury of taking them before October. You still have time to do 30 through 60 if you take one every other day and review as much as possible on the days in between. Good luck.
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- Posts: 8
- Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:51 pm
Re: Advice on Study Plan Please!
Fully agree with SgtGrumbles. There's no reason to try to do a test a day. Besides, saying that there are 60 preptests is a bit of a misnomer since anything before about 19 will be of somewhat limited value. If you did 3-4 tests a week you should be in good shape.
John
Next Step Test Preparation
John
Next Step Test Preparation
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- Posts: 49
- Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2009 11:52 pm
Re: Advice on Study Plan Please!
actually everyone is different.
some people are perfectly fine doing 2 pts per day
but for people like me, i could only take 4 pts per week
so it really depends on you.
you need a plan that fits your ability and endurance
some people are perfectly fine doing 2 pts per day
but for people like me, i could only take 4 pts per week
so it really depends on you.
you need a plan that fits your ability and endurance
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- Posts: 9
- Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2010 9:21 pm
Re: Advice on Study Plan Please!
The key is reviewing each test not just taking them. You'll be wasting pt's and be stuck at low 160s, indefinitely, if you don't review.
I've been taking 4 pt's a week since end of June. Each test taken twice (same day, timed and untimed) and full review afterward (taking note of why right/wrong for ea. question.) It's EXTREMELY time consuming and requires massive focus and dedication (about 10 hours per test.) It helps that I'm unemployed at the moment, living with the parents, and I deactivated facebook
... with that said, I will definitely burn out if I took 1 test a day (I don't even think it's possible.) So it really depends on what your strategy is and how much time you have in your hands.
P.S. Are you only taking preptests in those 2 months, or are you doing additional drills with it?
I've been taking 4 pt's a week since end of June. Each test taken twice (same day, timed and untimed) and full review afterward (taking note of why right/wrong for ea. question.) It's EXTREMELY time consuming and requires massive focus and dedication (about 10 hours per test.) It helps that I'm unemployed at the moment, living with the parents, and I deactivated facebook
... with that said, I will definitely burn out if I took 1 test a day (I don't even think it's possible.) So it really depends on what your strategy is and how much time you have in your hands.
P.S. Are you only taking preptests in those 2 months, or are you doing additional drills with it?
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- Posts: 34
- Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2009 3:30 am
Re: Advice on Study Plan Please!
I'm planning on only doing practice tests with drills if I'm particularly weak in a section/question type. I should have mentioned that I was planning on taking the practice test early in the morning (between 8-12 pm), taking a long break and then reviewing the answers. From all the replies though, it seems I will be modifying the number of practice tests to 40.