Practical way of implementing "experimental" sections?

Comments

• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  August 2017 23929 karma

  @"Paul Caint" said:
  When you guys take 5 section PrepTests, how do you simulate an experimental section? I've just been putting in a section from an older exam, but because I'm the one inputting it it is easy to just disregard the section.

  How do you guys simulate not knowing which section is the experimental section? Is there a way to do it?

  Believe it or not, I just ask my roommate to add it in for me randomly.
• Seeking Perfection Alum Member

  August 2017 4428 karma

  @"Paul Caint" said:
  When you guys take 5 section PrepTests, how do you simulate an experimental section? I've just been putting in a section from an older exam, but because I'm the one inputting it it is easy to just disregard the section.

  How do you guys simulate not knowing which section is the experimental section? Is there a way to do it?

  I couldn't find a good way. It always ended up feeling more like a 35 minute relaxing warmup/break in the middle of my test. So I take back to back 4 section tests with the traditional break between them instead.

  This way I'm ready to go for at least 4 serious sections in a row which is more than the 3 I'll ever actually encounter. The shortcoming is that I never get back to back Reading or Logic Games sections. But, since I've been starting my first round of foolproofing logic games by doing several sections of them back to back it's not a big deal for them. It's definitely better than the 4 section PT with an random unrealistic 35 minute break thrown in.
• FirstOne Core Member

  August 2017 172 karma

  For what it's worth, I heard on one of the Webinars, one of the Sages' said that he would always do a Reading Comp passage as his first section (which is really his 5th section in essence). His logic was, if that is first, as he begin to get tired on his new 5th section, which is in reality is his 4th section that is/will be scored! This has been great motivation for him. Hope this helps.
• hon132 Free Trial Member

  August 2017 122 karma

  Plan for the worst case scenario, choose a section you have the most difficulty with so you're prepared on test day.
• spitzy11 Alum Member

  August 2017 772 karma

  I have whoever is at my house before I take the PT choose a number from 1-5 and then I make it that section. I agree with @hon132 in creating the most difficult scenario. Today I used LG as an experimental and ironically had back to back LG sections which made me EXHAUSTED, so I was happy to analyze my results and see how the back to back nature impacted my score, if at all.

  I don't disregard this section because I use it for my own help in assessing my score, identifying inconsistencies, and where I need to improve further. I guess I look at it as the equivalent of a single timed section, just thrown in the middle of four others lol.
• rafaelito Alum Member

  August 2017 1063 karma

  This is actually a salient problem for me. I rotate between making the experimental section the first one or the last one. I think the biggest moments my focus is likely to be off is after the break or during the first section. While I'm writing this I'm thinking of making my experimental section the third one, right before the break. That's typically where I'm doing okay, just might have to pee. What makes this questions particularly tough is that you can always tell which section is the experimental since it's going to be used material. I wouldn't recommend burning through new material with an experimental section. It might be worth it once. But in general I agree with the above - choose a section that is currently your hardest and place it in the position where you're likely to perform at your best.
• 1 Like

  Cant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage ⭐ 🍌 7Sage Tutor

  August 2017 27902 karma

  I may be the one who always did RC first, but I've got the solution to this now. Can't remember who I stole this from, but it's legit:

  Take one whole PT in sections as your experimental. Count it as a normal PT. BR it. Grade it. Review it. Add it into your analytics. At the end of every fourth test, you'll simply have an additional test done. This makes the experimental count.
• Paul Caint Alum Member ⭐

  August 2017 3521 karma

  @"Cant Get Right"

  Great idea!
• apublicdisplay Alum Member

  August 2017 edited August 2017 696 karma

  While practicing, you don't want to take things easy and have the experimental serve as a convenient cushion for you. If you prepare for the worst, you should be able to handle anything on test day. So I usually put the experimental at the point where I may be at my peak, like the second and fourth sections. I wouldn't do it as the first section because then I'd get the benefit of a warm up and I wouldn't do it as the third or fifth because, arguably, they're the hardest in terms of getting fatigued. You don't want to soften yourself up.