I would not assume you have actually lost the ability to score in the high 160s. A 169 shows that level is possible, but it may not yet have been your stable baseline. The official test, disappointment from the 163, burnout, and pressure to recreate the 169 can all make your decision-making less efficient.
I would do three things before the August exam:
Reduce volume briefly. Take a couple of lighter days instead of responding by doing more and more questions. Fatigue often shows up as misreads, second-guessing, and poor final-two decisions.
Audit the recent 161–162 tests. For every missed or uncertain question, identify whether the problem was:
not understanding the reasoning,
misreading the task,
timing,
changing a correct answer,
or choosing a tempting answer despite having the right prediction.
You need to know whether your underlying skill declined or your timed execution did.
Focus on consistency, not recreating one 169. Do timed sections with very careful review, then take another full PT under realistic conditions. Your goal should be to bring your average back up, not chase a single peak score.
I also would not take full PTs constantly between now and August. One or two well-reviewed tests will tell you more than several rushed ones. If your next few full tests remain around 161–163, September may give you a better chance of reaching 169 than forcing August. If they return to the mid/high 160s, then the recent dip was probably temporary rather than true regression.
2 comments
I would not assume you have actually lost the ability to score in the high 160s. A 169 shows that level is possible, but it may not yet have been your stable baseline. The official test, disappointment from the 163, burnout, and pressure to recreate the 169 can all make your decision-making less efficient.
I would do three things before the August exam:
Reduce volume briefly. Take a couple of lighter days instead of responding by doing more and more questions. Fatigue often shows up as misreads, second-guessing, and poor final-two decisions.
Audit the recent 161–162 tests. For every missed or uncertain question, identify whether the problem was:
not understanding the reasoning,
misreading the task,
timing,
changing a correct answer,
or choosing a tempting answer despite having the right prediction.
You need to know whether your underlying skill declined or your timed execution did.
Focus on consistency, not recreating one 169. Do timed sections with very careful review, then take another full PT under realistic conditions. Your goal should be to bring your average back up, not chase a single peak score.
I also would not take full PTs constantly between now and August. One or two well-reviewed tests will tell you more than several rushed ones. If your next few full tests remain around 161–163, September may give you a better chance of reaching 169 than forcing August. If they return to the mid/high 160s, then the recent dip was probably temporary rather than true regression.
Hope this helps!
@RJlsattutor thank you!