Practice exams are to a student what training is to an athlete. Both prepare the individual involved for the actual thing; exams or competition. However, for many students, exams are scary, tough, and elicit anxiety. Perhaps these negative vibes are triggered by poor preparation.
On the contrary, mock exams ease the tension, help students prepare adequately, and increase the chances of passing exams. Practice exams have been proven to be effective for many reasons and here is why.
Builds Mental Stamina
Taking practice exams often increases one’s endurance of taking exams. The first mock test may frustrate, but as you continue, it is bearable. Your mind adjusts to exam mode. When the real exam comes, you can comfortably sit through a two hours exam without fidgeting. Consequently, you can endure doing more than one exam in a day without feeling tired.
Helps Familiarise with the Exam Structure
Exams are not always as straightforward as we expect. The structuring differs from one subject to the other. Exam practice gives you insight on how exams are designed and formatted. You can better understand the quirks in tests. The knowledge helps you to understand the exam process. You can build your study strategies and subsequent revisions around the key areas of a particular subject. The Practice exam for ACSM is a perfect tool to help you have an overview of the test process if you are preparing for ACSM exams.
Helps Identify Knowledge Gaps
When you’ve studied for an entire semester and feel like your head is bursting with knowledge, all you need to do is take a sample test to verify your level of knowledge. A practice test brings you to reality on what you really know rather than what you think you know. The practice results help you understand your level of knowledge. You can easily identify your weakest areas and refocus your study.
Build Confidence
We’ll agree that exams elicit anxiety, no matter how prepared we are. However, when you’ve done several mock exams, you’ll experience less tension and feel more comfortable as the exam period draws near. Exam practice boosts your confidence. You’ll be able to think clearly and articulate your thoughts in the exam. The more you practice, the more natural it feels when doing the actual test.
Manage Exam Time
The last thing you want to experience during an exam session is to be short of time. Such a situation can take you in a spiral of anxiety that you’ll hardly attempt the subsequent questions after the time announcement. An exam practice can help you evade this disaster. Frequently doing sample tests help you know how much time each section of a test requires. During the exam, you’ll comfortably pace yourself and use the exam time effectively.
Increase Information Retention
Taking practice tests helps you retain more information. As you read through questions, note down answers, and later review your scores, you familiarise yourself with concepts and retain key information. Note-taking during revision helps you to recall facts that you can easily retrieve during exams.
Track Progress
Mock tests are a good indicator of the progress you are making in relation to exam preparation. The first test acts as a baseline in which the subsequent tests are measured. Recording your scores help you have a picture of your progress. You can maximize the study strategies that work and improve the ones that are not. Taking multiple tests help you gauge your understanding and have accurate intel on the areas you need to work on further.
Leverage Your Strengths
The more you take exam tests, the more you know the areas that you’ve fully mastered. You can change your study and have less time in these areas. You can further polish your strengths and ensure you get a stellar score in the main exam. During exams, you can start with the areas that you are more comfortable with, pocket those marks before proceeding to challenge questions.
Promotes Focused Studies
Studying randomly is a great way to have an overview of a module. But with the help of a practice exam, you can outline the main ideas and concentrate on key concepts. You can study better when you know the kind of questions common in a particular unit. Practice exam shows you which topics and sections you need to pour your energy on. Instead of studying randomly, you can concentrate on areas that really need your attention.
Inspires Student to Start Revision
Practice exams show students where they are at the moment. Low scores trigger students to start learning with the hope of improving their grades. As a student does multiple mock exams he/she can continuously put more effort into their studies and revisions to improve before the main exam. Sample exams prompt students to start learning early.
Improve Knowledge
Practice exams open a window to improve your knowledge. Multiple practices enable you to accumulate knowledge and retain information. Taking different practice samples over time helps one to improve their memory. The more information you gain, the higher your chances to pass exams. You can fail in the sample test but this is only a preparation. But if you are consistent, you can build up your knowledge bank and perform better during exams.
Help Adopt to the Exam Atmosphere
During exams, there is a lot of pressure which can lead to mistakes, failure, and uncertainties. However, if you are used to practicing exams, you can face your exams with ease. Practice helps you know what works for you during exams. You can adapt the best strategies to conquer the exams. Maybe you can opt to listen to music before the exam, regulate your pace, take a brief break, or start the exam with the easiest or toughest questions.
Achieve Better Results
The overall impact of practice exams is to improve your performance. Once you’ve reviewed several practice tests and understood the formatting and structure of the questions, you stand a better chance to translate the same in an exam situation. Your confidence, ease, time management skills, and ability to recall the information you’ve gathered by taking practice exams can finally pay off. Your score in the main exam should reflect the effort you’ve put in the practice. Consistently taking sample tests must guarantee success in the long run.