Prep Tests

ZetaRoze

It looks as if the 7Sage study schedule includes the prep tests in the hourly commitment. Although, without them it looks as if it is a less daunting endeavor given the number of hours needed to study is almost cut in half. I wanted to ask if the actual material is all 500+ hours or are we only truly learning in the "core curriculum" portion of the study schedule?

ZetaRoze

I just find that taking 300+ hours of study tests to be a bit excessive but I could be wrong. Just wanted to see what others would say.

Matt Sorr

I'm not positive that I'm understanding your question correctly, but I'll try to answer. If I don't answer what you were asking, please just let me know!

The formal learning portion of the study schedule is the core curriculum, which is estimated to take 218 hours. From what I can tell, the amount of time people spend going through the core curriculum greatly varies, with some taking far less time than 218 hours and some taking for more. I'd imagine it's a pretty good estimate, though. Then, the practice tests, starting at test 36 and going to 93, are estimated to take 361 hours. While these aren't formally part of the curriculum, I'd argue they're still very much intended for learning. Most would agree that the real value of the practice tests is in their review, not in the actual act of taking them. Review is where you really isolate your weaknesses and start understanding what you don't yet understand.

I'd say you're probably right that, for most people, 300+ hours spent on practice tests is more than they'll ever do. If you take a full 4-section practice test under test day conditions, it'll take you 2.5 hours. I'll just estimate that, on average, people spend 6 hours BRing and reviewing each test (though this varies greatly by person). That means, on average, you'll spend 8.5 hours on each test. Divide 300 by 8.5 and it totals out to between 35 and 36 PTs. Most people won't take that many PTs during their course of studying, but it's not at all uncommon for people to take 35+. So while 300+ hours on PTs is almost certainly more than the average person, I'm not sure I'd call it "excessive." Particularly for people aiming to increase their score by 20+ points or for people trying to score a 170+, I wouldn't be surprised if they spend well over 300 hours on practice tests.

I hope this helps!

ZetaRoze

Hello Matt! Thank you so much for your reply! You definitely answered my question. I guess my question was more about the study schedule feature and how it estimates your necessary study hours to include all 35 exams. The figure it gave me of 4-5 hours a day seemed a little scary but I see now why it is that way.
Thank you again! This has given me much clarity.