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I completed a PT on July 12 and got a 156, since then I have taken 3 more and got a 151, 152, and yesterday a 146. Has this happened to anyone else and has any idea why this could be happening to me? My diagnostic was a 148 and I find it very bizarre that I scored lower on yesterdays PT. Anyways, I am open to any advice that can help me!!
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Don't worry. I had a similar swing where I scored 158, then 154, 155, and finally 151. Keep in mind, this was over a month and a half. Normal test variation is fine since some tests are harder, others easier, or in the middle range. I also agree with other posters that say you're doing way too many PTs. If you're writing in August and you're about a few weeks out, doing 2 PTsa week is fine. However, doing 4 PTs means you don't have enough time to review and do untimed practice for the questions you got wrong. Try to reduce the number of PTs, review your mistakes, drill, and take at least 1 PT a week, and no more than 2 if your exam is near. Also, don't be alarmed by score drops—that happens!
From my experience, burn out is a big factor, as are sleep and eating habits. Personally, these factors account for about an 8 point swing between top testing form and worst.
What I found helped was taking a complete rest day - didn't touch my laptop. Spent the day doing chores and reading. Whenever you're next able to, maybe try that.
I think you're taking too many practice tests. You might be better off taking more time to truly review each question in each practice test before moving on and taking another. That way, you start to notice patterns between questions and avoid making similar mistakes and subsequent tests going forward.
Hi! For me, PTs dropping for more than like 2-3 PTs in a row is usually a sign that I'm burnt out whether or not I fully realize it. Maybe you could take a few days off?
this also happened to me, my diagnostic is my highest score but my blind reviews have been consistently higher. i think it's a product of my trying to really think through problems which is slowing me down. also doubting myself a lot
You seem really eager to improve quickly, I think doing many PTs is potentially a way to learn, but doing smaller drills and targeting your areas of struggle is probably a more effective method. I would really spend time reviewing what you got wrong, on the blind reviews. I think you should view PTs as a way to test your knowledge, but they should be supplemented by regular practice too
you might be burning yourself out! try to relax and not stress too much. 4 full length tests within a week and a bit is quite a lot, so you might want to slow down and make sure that you review your wrong answers after each test. see what you got wrong (and why you got it wrong, what made you choose the wrong answer over the right one, etc) and focus on accuracy rather than grinding out full tests so often.