Self-study
Hi all, I'm about 2 weeks into my studying with a 151 diagnostic, planning to take in September. I have been solely focused on LR right now and watching fast track videos, along with J.Y's LR Basics series on YouTube. I have been drilling about 5-10 LR questions a day as I become more familiar with the different types of questions.
When should I start taking practice tests? I know that's an important part of studying but I don't want to just "waste" practice tests when I haven't even looked at RC yet. Just curious when you started taking more practice tests and at what frequency. Thanks!
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4 comments
I would recommend waiting until you have spent time learning how to approach each question type and RC. Your drilling can tell you where you are with what you have learned, but it isn't helpful to look at what you haven't learned yet. Once you have gone through the fundamentals, you can start doing full PTs and see your progress!
Hey! I would hold off until you've learned more of the material, especially if you haven't gotten into RC yet. The vast majority of your studying should come from drilling. If you've ever played a sport, think of it like practice! You don't hop right into scrimmaging; you work on individual skills first.
If you feel like you've got a good handle on all the question types, try a section! Use that to diagnose what question types you still might want to work on.
If you're taking in September, I'd wait until at least July to try another PT! They're an important part of studying, but they're not incredibly time-efficient: you're building stamina and refining your strategy, but you're not really learning content. Once you're feeling solid about content and are ready to PT regularly, once a week is a good cadence; definitely not more than twice a week.
I hope that helps, and happy studying!
@PhoebeHopp Thank you! That is helpful! How many questions would you recommend drilling per day?
Honestly, you won't regret starting sooner than later. It will immediately help diagnose the LR question types that you need to focus on and will start building your confidence with RC. Unlike LR, RC doesn't have as many concepts to study, if that makes sense. That's just my 2 cents though.