My girlfriend used to make fun of me because of my obsession with practice exams. At the time, I was studying to get into law school. I would take a practice test practically every day. It is understandable to take practice LSAT exams, but I was pretty obsessed with it. I took an LSAT preparation training course, did word cross puzzles constantly to try to sharpen my language skills, and even bought a book filled with logic puzzles.
In my family, taking practice tests is considered necessary. Without a practice test, you have no way to understand how to improve your skill and get the best grade possible. A lot of people have this strange philosophy where you are supposed to forsake the practice test as much as possible. If you are smart, for example, you're not supposed to take a test prep course. Instead, you're supposed to rely on intelligence to take you through the standardized test.
To me, this seems completely idiotic. If anyone is taking a practice test to prepare, everyone should. Otherwise, you are put at an obvious disadvantage. It is true that over preparation can sometimes be more of a burden than a help, but under preparation is even worse. Until you have over prepared at one point, you cannot even hope to know what over preparation means.
I even took a drivers practice test when I was getting my license renewed. The DMV practice test was pretty unusual. Most people just assume that they know traffic laws, and they probably do. Nonetheless, I felt like it was important that I got the best score possible. Taking practice tests means that you are required to study. Studying means that you are required to refresh your knowledge. To me, testing is a way of improving myself as well as preparing. After all, how do you know what your skills are worth it unless you take some tests?
Nonetheless, you shouldn't overdo it on sample test questions, particularly at the last minute. For example, one time I was taking a mathematics practice test just minutes before I went into the exam. I thought that it would improve my performance, but instead I was already worn out by answering too many questions when I got there. There are only so many test questions you can answer, after all. Practice tests are useful, but they can also do you harm if used incorrectly. Be thorough, but don't be fanatical.
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