So, I took PT 152 and scored a 159, BR was 162. My goal score is anywhere in the 160+ range, what should I do before my August test? Of course I'll be taking a test every week before my exam, but I wanted to ask how do I approach scoring even higher next time?
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It seems like you have some room to do more intensive blind review. If your BR only increases 3 points, you probably aren't putting full effort into it. Which is understandable, since it's right after a full PT and you just want to be done with it. But, this is where you can really push yourself. Not only does it deepen your understanding of the test, but it also deepens your understanding of your weaknesses and where the easy gains are. I could be wrong and you just happen to score nearly the same time vs. untimed. But if this sounds like it applies to you, it could really help you get those extra few points you're striving for.
@AriVilker1 you are correct in that I didn’t do a very thorough BR, especially with my RC section, but okay so this week I’ll review my exam and prepare myself for the next one this weekend. Should I only be taking one test a week? Or should I be taking 2 tests, once at the beginning and setting aside a few days to review, and the other towards the end while also setting aside a few days for review?
@stronfire12 I think one is enough. I use the full test to work out the timing and strategy tweaks that I want to test out. But you only get enough information on what to tweak after a decent amount of review, which for me is more than a few days. In between full tests, I do drills and sections, with deep analysis on mistakes. Additional full tests would just overwhelm me and likely lead to less thorough review. One was always enough for me, and I didn't feel like that inhibited my growth at any point.
Hello! In addition to working harder on BR, I think you can learn a lot from a deep wrong-answer review. When reviewing, ask yourself: Why did you ignore the correct answer and instead choose an incorrect AC? What detail in the stimulus did you miss? Is there a typical flaw that you tend to find more challenging to notice on your first pass?
For instance, I had a tendency to miss Part-to-Whole (or vice versa) flaws more frequently than other typical flaws. When I realized this, whenever I read a stimulus and couldn't figure out the flaw right away, I asked myself if it could possibly be a Part-to-Whole flaw.
Most importantly, ask yourself: What can you do to prevent repeating that mistake? Whenever you work on your wrong answer journal, you are doing it because you want to ensure you never repeat that same mistake again. For example, 'I will never misread Strengthen Q stem as MSS Q stem.'
I hope this helps, and best of luck!