Chariot Learning
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Our Curriculum
    • Areas Chariot Learning Serves
  • Services
    • SAT & ACT Prep
    • SAT/ACT TestFlip
    • Academic Coaching
    • Subject Tutoring
    • Strategic Reading Club
    • Proctored Practice Tests
    • GRE Prep
    • College Essay Coaching
    • Roots2Words
  • Calendar
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Contact
October 21, 2015 by Mike Bergin

Deliberate Practice and 4 Not-So-Easy Steps to Success

dontgiveupOver years as an entrepreneur, author, and publisher of (now-defunct) SUCCESS magazine, Darren Hardy has relentlessly studied and dissected the habits of the most accomplished people on the planet. He can attest that the secret to success isn’t much of a secret at all: practice. However, the kind of practice that drives stratospheric levels of accomplishment and excellence is extremely specific.

Deliberate practice requires tremendous commitment and structure over time. But no other path takes you to even the chance of doing your very best when it matters. How do you know if you are practicing properly? Hardy described four essential steps to attacking deliberate practice:

  1. You must be motivated to attend to the task and exert effort to improve your performance.
  2. The design of the task should take into account your pre-existing knowledge so that the task can be correctly understood after a brief period of instruction.
  3. You should receive immediate and informative feedback and knowledge of results on your performance.
  4. It’s important to note that without adequate feedback about your performance during practice, efficient learning is impossible and improvement is minimal.

Simple but clearly not easy. The beauty of this concept is that deliberate practice works on everything, from sports to art to the most esoteric and extreme hobbies (perfect example: Rubik’s Cube world record). But how specifically do the four steps to deliberate practice apply to test prep?

  1. You must want and be willing to work towards higher scores.
  2. You need a personalized program that focuses on your specific abilities, learning style, and goals.
  3. You must be willing to take frequent high-quality practice tests to assess incremental improvement in different areas of the test.
  4. You need to work with a qualified tutor or coach who can provide specific feedback on your performance.

Again, simple but not at all easy. But if you want higher scores, this is how to get them!

motivation performance practice practice tests

Previous articleMore Extracurriculars May Mean Higher ScoresNext article Why Did the SAT Add a No-Calculator Math Section?
Mike Bergin
Tens of thousands of students a year prep for the SAT & ACT through programs Mike Bergin created or organized. After more than 25 years of intensive experience in the education industry, he's done it all as a teacher, tutor, director, curriculum developer, blogger, podcaster, and best-selling author. Mike founded Chariot Learning in 2009 to deliver on the promise of what truly transformative individualized education can and should be.

Helping high schoolers with tests, school, and life is what Chariot Learning is all about. Let us know how we can help you!

Latest Posts

  • What Does ‘Smart’ Mean in the 21st Century
  • How to Read Percentiles
  • Do SAT & ACT Subscores Matter?
  • Evaluating College ROI
  • What to Read This Summer

What is TestFlip?

Learn about the ultimate in self-directed supplemental SAT/ACT prep, powered by Chariot Learning:

  • Being intelligent is not a felony but may get you in trouble anyway ;)
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    Being intelligent is not a felony but may get you in trouble anyway ;)
  • Decide. Commit. Succeed.
    by chariotlearning 11 hours ago
    Decide. Commit. Succeed.
  • Get up and try again.
    by chariotlearning 4 days ago
    Get up and try again.
  • You have no idea what you can "survive" until you have no choice!
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    You have no idea what you can "survive" until you have no choice!
  • Do not waste time thinking about what you could have done differently. Keep your eyes on the road ahead and
    by chariotlearning 6 days ago
    Do not waste time thinking about what you could have done differently. Keep your eyes on the road ahead and
  • When someone says you can
    by chariotlearning 3 weeks ago
    When someone says you can't do it, do it twice and take pictures!
  • Set goals that are *almost* out of reach.
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    Set goals that are *almost* out of reach.
  • Be patient when becoming someone you haven
    by chariotlearning 1 week ago
    Be patient when becoming someone you haven't been before.

Subscribe to Mike’s Podcast

Subscribe to Tests and the Rest

PARENT GROUP AND NEWSLETTER

Are you an Upstate New York parent with questions about college admissions, testing, and scholarships? The Upstate NY College Conversations Facebook group is for you. Join today!

And also sign up for College Road, our free email newsletter delivering expert educational advice, test news, admissions action steps, special offers, and more.

Upcoming Events

  1. SAT/ACT Extended Class – Summer Mornings 2022

    July 6 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
  2. SAT/ACT Online Flipped Class – July 2022

    July 6 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  3. Practice SAT – Brighton (7/8/22)

    July 8 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  4. Practice ACT – Pittsford Library (7/12/22)

    July 12 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  5. SAT/ACT Extended Class – Summer Evenings 2022

    July 12 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

View All Events

Testimonials

Because of the tutoring Chariot Learning provided and the positive outcome, my son was accepted into colleges that he may not have been with his SAT scores prior to their services.

Margie, Fairport mom

Read more testimonials...
© 2022 Chariot Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.