Strategy for the next 2 weeks

[bstampfl]

I've been studying since late October. I've gotten my score from a 156 diagnostic to above 170, with a high of 172 in early March. Since then, I've actually trended down score-wise, with a couple of 170s/171s mixed in.

Last Sunday, I got a 163, which was a low point for me. I felt out-of-it the entire test. I specifically remember how my head felt fuzzy reading LR prompts. It was kind of a numb feeling, and I felt it for a lot of the rest of the day after I took the test on that Sunday. I took a week off (the past week) and returned to studying today, but I still felt that fuzzy feeling as I took an LR section this morning. It's really frustrating, because I feel like I know this stuff and I was gaining a ton of steam as of early March. I felt like it was all coming together, but now I feel like I can't concentrate enough on LR questions or RC passages. My mind goes numb as I read, not normal for me.

Full disclosure: The week-long break was the longest I had gone without studying since October. My previous no-studying record was three days, which I did once. I thought the past week would solve my burnout (I figured the 163 was clear evidence of burnout), but I don't think it has (I also work a full-time job). My question: what should I do in prep for the May 19 FLEX I'm signed up to take? I want to study and improve, but I'm wondering if I should just rest until then, with maybe one PT a few days before the real thing? I'm uncertain and nervous about this -- any help is welcome. Thank you!

[Adam Tyson]

While rest is certainly called for, bstampfl, I don't think it would serve you well to just stop studying except for once practice test between now and test day. Instead, go back and continue to review of that last PT. Pay attention to what might be affecting your mental state. Are you feeling healthy? Eating well? Sleeping well, and regularly, and long enough? Think about how you can regain your old focus. Meditation? Watching an inspiring movie ("Rudy" comes to mind for me)?

Approach that review with a focused goal. Perhaps the main thing you will want to do is talk yourself through why the wrong answers are wrong - that is a different way of approaching the answers than most students usually take, and changing it up like that might help you get your head back in the game. Don't time yourself - take all the time you need. Then, try to identify any patterns in the questions that you struggled with. Were they in the same family of question types? Did they involve certain concepts, like numbers and percentages, or causal reasoning, etc.? If your troubles were in Games, did you attempt to use templates when appropriate, or refer to the first question if you weren't sure how to set the game up? In Reading Comp, are you taking notes on your scratch paper, and are those notes helpful without taking too much of your time? Look for what may have led to your struggles other than just lacking focus, and you may find yourself thinking more clearly again. Bring fresh eyes to the test.

Change things up a bit, and focus on some self care and self awareness. This may be a little bit about being burned out on this material, but you can overcome that by finding a different approach rather than doing the same old things. Keep at it, and you will find your groove again!

[bstampfl]

This is really helpful -- thank you Adam! I'm going to review what has gone wrong in the past couple weeks and make sure I'm well-rested leading up to test day.