When to begin practice tests and test sections

[Daniel B]

Hello,

I just started week 1 of the online course. I was wondering when should I begin doing practice exams and exam sections? Also what's the optimal frequency? What's the best way to incorporate this into my overall prep, which, of course, includes the homework assignments?

Thanks and Kind Regards,

Daniel

[AthenaDalton]

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for your question!

You should plan on doing practice tests at least quarterly -- so take the first one at the one-quarter mark in your course, and continue taking tests at the half, three-quarter, and final week. This is the minimum number of tests you should do, but you can do more if you feel it will help! These four snapshots of your test-taking ability should give you a good idea of your progress, areas of strength / weakness, and should help you iron out common test-day problems, like mis-transferring answers to the bubble sheet, mis-reading prompts, etc.

I'd recommend carving out a morning on the weekend to take the practice test under timed conditions and then review it a couple of days later during your time that's normally scheduled for homework.

Some students who struggle with time management or who really struggle with a particular area of the test may find it useful to take additional practice tests (or just additional practice sections) under timed conditions. For now, your focus should be on mastering the basic concepts.

Best of luck with the course! Don't hesitate check into the forum again if you have any additional questions.

Athena Dalton

[Daniel B]

Thank you for this very useful piece of advice outline, Athena.

All the best,

Daniel