Is there such a thing as too many practice tests?

[BestGMATEliza]

Most of the online advice I have read says that taking practice test after practice test is not beneficial. While there is definitely merit to the argument, if you want to get a high score you need to get your brain used to functioning at a high level for the full 3 hours you are in the test. Which means you need to take A LOT of practice test. Its a marathon not a sprint.

The argument against taking too many practice tests is that you are not learning anything new when you take the practice tests, and you need to do some serious review of critical information before taking another practice test. While this is true, I think the key last step to studying is training your brain to be high functioning for the full 3 hours. Once you know you are capable of getting your goal score, you then need to ensure that you can get it under less than ideal circumstances.

What I did was study just the GMAT material I needed by going over a full set of books and only took a practice test once a month for about 4 months. In the final weeks before my test I took a full practice test (including AWA and IR) every day, then gave my brain a break to rejuvenate and did no GMAT studying the two days before my actual test. That strategy seemed to work for me, but what do other people think.

Is there such a thing as too many practice tests?

Kind Regards,

[VivianKerr]

Hi Eliza,

There IS such a thing. The true value of a practice CAT lies in its usage as a diagnostic tool to tell you exactly WHAT types of content you don't know, WHY you're getting questions incorrect (strategy issues), and for WHAT questions you need to work through your pacing.

If you're taking more than 1 practice CAT a week, IMO, there's no point. Your ability won't change much in 6 days, BUT it's great to condition yourself to take a full CAT once a week for at least 6-8 weeks prior to your test date, preferably at the same time/day of the week as your actual scheduled test date.

Here's the main problem I have with CATs: students don't review them enough. They casually go through their incorrect questions, lazily reading the explanations the private test prep company provides (or, if it's GMATPrep -- no explanations at all), and then they move on, having absorbed NOTHING about their abilities, or what they need to adjust in their study plan during the next week. What a waste!

So here's my advice: it really isn't the # of CATs. It's how you use them. One student could take 1 CAT and get more benefit out of than another student who takes 4. If you aren't reviewing your CATs with a fine tooth comb, you're just not ready to push towards a 700+ score.