Today is rung 5 of 7 on this topic
Preparing for standardised tests properly
Can do: Uses timed practice and error analysis rather than passive review.
Why it matters
Standardised tests reward pattern recognition and pacing. Error analysis is what converts practice into improvement.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Does practice tests, checks the score, feels vaguely better or worse, and learns nothing from either.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"What kind of question do you get wrong most often?"
Solid looks like: A specific, named category — not "the hard ones".
The full activity for this topic · 45 minutes
The Error Log
- 1Do one timed section under real conditions.
- 2For each wrong answer, log the topic and the reason: didn't know it, misread it, ran out of time, careless.
- 3Sort the log — the pattern is usually stark and often it's not knowledge at all.
- 4Spend the next week's study only on the top category.
- 5Retest and check whether that category actually shrank.
If it's too hard
One section, log topics only.
If it's too easy
Full-length timed test with a complete written analysis.
Say this
"The score doesn't tell you anything. The pattern in the mistakes does — what is it?"