The Recommended Path of Progress

While many students tend to gauge their progress based on practice test scores, this method can be misleading—particularly at the beginning. A more effective approach is to assess your overall understanding of the test. Although this may seem subjective, it is often a more reliable indicator than scores, which can be influenced by luck or external factors.

Your first objective should be to gain a clear understanding of the structure and logic behind each section of the test. Begin by familiarizing yourself with how the questions are constructed and reviewing detailed explanations. Supplement this learning with instructional videos or similar resources until you feel confident in grasping the reasoning behind most, if not all, of the questions.

Once you have established this foundational understanding, the next step is to analyze the mistakes you make—whether on full practice tests, individual sections, or single questions. At this stage, your focus should not be on avoiding mistakes altogether, but on understanding them thoroughly. Determine what went wrong, why it occurred, and what indicators in the question could have helped you avoid or recognize the error. Pay close attention to the distinctions between correct and incorrect answer choices, as well as the relationships and logic that commonly guide each question. Building this habit of analysis will enhance your ability to interpret questions accurately and efficiently.

After gaining clarity on the nature of your mistakes, your next goal is to reduce or eliminate them—either by preventing them in the first place or by identifying and correcting them during the test. Familiarity with the test’s typical structures and answer choice patterns is particularly helpful at this stage. Ultimately, you should aim to reach a point where the only questions you miss are due to content you genuinely do not know, such as unfamiliar vocabulary, grammar rules, or math concepts. The objective is to eliminate what are often referred to as “careless mistakes.”

Once these errors have been minimized, your practice test scores will likely reflect your progress. If scores are still not where you would like them to be, it is important to analyze what is holding you back. Be cautious not to immediately attribute missed questions to gaps in vocabulary or advanced content knowledge. The test is not designed to be especially advanced in terms of subject matter. Often, with a bit more strategic thinking, a seemingly difficult question can be solved or worked around effectively.

At this stage, you may also need to address timing issues. However, students who have reduced careless errors frequently find that timing becomes less of a concern. If it remains an issue, remember that effective time management is less about working faster and more about working smarter—by streamlining your process and reducing unnecessary effort on each question.