Going into "Auto Pilot"

[gargantua]

Hi,
I have noticed during my practice with full-length tests that I have a recurrent problem about in the middle of each section. I start off strong, and then, my brain goes into "auto-pilot" reading, and I start re-reading frequently. My eyes get glazed over, and I lose critical focus. I regain my focus as I get closer to about the 10 minute mark, but, by then, I have lost a pretty substantial amount of time. Do you have any suggestions about how my focus can stay strong throughout each section? Do I just need more practice to gain stamina for full length tests?
Thank you so much for your help so far.

[Steve Stein]

Hey Garantua,

Good question--you're not alone! Many students find their minds starting to wander at some point. As you mentioned, taking more practice tests would be helpful; each section you take helps to build your endurance, and as your familiarity increases that should also make the test less taxing.

If you don't notate, underline, diagram, etc, as you go, I would suggest trying that out. If all you're doing is reading questions, it's much easier for your brain to zone out without your noticing.

If you tend to attack the questions in order, I would also suggest that you try skipping around a bit. When you run into a question, passage, or game that looks difficult or annoying, skip it! If you take on the easier games/passages/questions first, you generally get through them more quickly than you would with the more difficult ones. And, skipping around can help make the entire process less methodical/monotonous.

Others on the forum may have advice to share as well, but I hope that's helpful!

~Steve

[gargantua]

Very helpful! Definitely will do all those suggestions.
Thank you so much.