Along with preparing for the ACT or SAT, taking practice tests are really important as they give you a real-time dig inside the actual test. When you take a practice test, your objective is not just to know how many questions you get right, but also to fathom how many you get wrong. Once you are aware of your mistakes, you can prepare a plan of action that primarily works on improving these areas and accordingly move ahead.
You must take the practice test exactly the way the actual test would be. Set the same time limits for each section and take the test completely focused without any distractions.
You get to know of your weaker areas
Practice tests for SAT give you an idea about the areas in which you are weak. These are the topics you need to stress on before taking another practice test or even the real exam.
You should understand why you made that mistake. Whether it was a conceptual mistake or you could not understand what the question demanded or if you are still completely unsure of why you got the question wrong, then you must seek assistance from a teacher or a guide.
Time is the most common reason due to which you make mistakes. Most of the students initially struggle with this problem. If you got a question wrong because of the lack of time, or you ran out of time and could not attempt some of the questions then you definitely need to increase your speed.
You must manage your time effectively instead of panicking due to the shortage of time. Divide your time for different types of questions. Remember that you should try to save some time to revise your answers later. Also, you must understand that if some questions are taking too long, then you need to skip those and attempt the rest of the paper.
You may have got questions wrong because of silly mistakes, especially in math. These mistakes are majorly due to lack of concentration or can prove to be just calculation errors. You must try to stay focused during the test and also solve more questions to improve your calculations. Some careless mistakes may also occur if you can’t comprehend the language of the question. You must try to expand your vocabulary.
Learn from your mistakes
Remember that if this is a practice test, it doesn’t mean that your mistakes don’t matter. The mistakes are not reflected on your final ACT or SAT scores, but it does affect your abilities. Your abilities are enhanced if you learn from your mistakes but you should not let your fears dominate your mind. It will only affect you for the worse. It has been found in a study that most of the time you are inclined to get a question wrong in a panicked state of mind which otherwise you could have got correct.
The questions in the practice test are similar to the real test. So, if you get a question wrong in the practice test, then do find out its solution. Even if you got it wrong the first time, the mistake must not be repeated as a similar question might appear in the actual ACT or SAT.
Don’t feel demoralized due to your mistakes
Taking a number of practice tests is a must but you should not give too many tests back to back. That won’t give you the desired benefits rather it will leave you frustrated which will not be good prior to the actual test. You should stop after each practice session and review your answers. Learn from your mistakes and study accordingly, otherwise, there would not be any improvement. Instead, the whole point of taking the practice test would be lost.
Taking an honest and thorough review of the result will help you make the most from the practice session. Having a positive attitude towards your mistakes is very important. Also, you must be confident while taking the test. Practice sessions are the point at which you actually shift from merely practicing to teaching yourself.
Analyze your performance and don’t get disheartened if you don’t score well here. Make notes on your weaker areas and take help from an online tutor like etutorworld.com to help you hold a strong grip on the topics you find difficult at the first place.
