Anyone spiking really low test scores? Forum

[darkatillam2]

I just took PT 46 and dropped 10 points (-12 raw score) from my last 6-7 tests performances. Is this normal? I felt pretty good going into the test so this really freaks me out...

[tmon]

There are a ton of variables that could explain this, especially not knowing where you are in your prep. Some possibilities include:

burnout--you've been studying so hard your mind's getting fatigued and needs a break

varying material--many people here believe the tests have changed over time, so depending on your strengths/weaknesses you could be hitting harder and different tests

consistency--earlier on I saw a ton of inconsistency in my score. I'd go from -6 in both LR sections together to double that randomly because I hadn't ingrained what I'd learned into practice.

study conditions--obvious one, that you'd probably notice, but if you were distracted this can certainly hurt your score.


At the end of the day we all have ups and downs, it's about the long haul and progressing over time should be your focus, in my opinon.

[mickeyD]

I just took PT 46 and dropped 10 points (-12 raw score)

So you're consistently scoring 178-180? I wouldn't worry too much about 46 then, sounds like you just had an off day.

[darkatillam2]

I just took PT 46 and dropped 10 points (-12 raw score)

So you're consistently scoring 178-180? I wouldn't worry too much about 46 then, sounds like you just had an off day.

Oh god no. I wish I was scoring that high.... I'm scoring around 165 and today I scored a 154 and almost had a heart attack. I was hoping that random low test spikes were normal (basically to ease my nerves).

[incompetentia]

Curve-aided, probably. Normally in that range, -12 raw score is only about 6-7 points.

There are a ton of variables that could explain this, especially not knowing where you are in your prep. Some possibilities include:

burnout--you've been studying so hard your mind's getting fatigued and needs a break

Also, mostly this one.