Practice Tests Make Perfect!

Tired of hearing your teachers, parents, and coaches tell you that “practice makes perfect"? Yes, it's a cliché, and yes, it's annoying to hear, but when it comes to the SAT, practice really does make perfect.

In terms of the SAT, practice means timed practice tests. They are the best way for you to get to know the specific types of questions you’ll find on the test, and the best ways to answer them. But it's not enough simply to do a practice section, grade yourself, and move on to to the next section. In order to make your practice effective, you need to analyze your results. Here are some ways to do that:

Look for any silly mistakes. Check which questions you missed and go back to them. Did you make a silly mistake that you can immediately identify? If it was a mistake, understand why you made it (misreading the directions, rushing through, too many distractions, too many pencil marks), and don't do it again.

Recognize problematic patterns. Is there a type of question you are consistently having trouble with? Are they in the same section? Do they have to do with the same math topics? Or the same grammatical errors? Figure out the cause of your confusion, and concentrate on that area the next time you sit down to study. Drill yourself on these kinds of questions or these topics to make sure you do better next time.

Speed up. Make a note of which questions you spent too much time on. Would you have been better off circling the hard questions and coming back to them after you finished the easier ones? Or did you spend too much time reading directions or math formulas? These elements are the same on every SAT, so familiarize yourself with them beforehand to save time during the test!

Or slow down. Mistakes creep in when we're in a rush. Maybe you're tired of a section and just want to get it over with. Or you're freaking out because you got stuck on an impossible question and are hurrying to finish before time's up. Take a step back. The practice test is your chance to hone your skills before the real thing. Use this time to find your pace. Take each section one at a time. And if you're getting stressed, breathe deeply and force yourself to smile—it releases endorphins, even if you're faking it.

What's your experience with practice tests? Any tips to share? Let us know in the comments, and send any questions to testpreptutor@sparknotes.com.

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