Like most test prep professionals, I’ve become a relentless proponent of perfect practice, meaning the kind of practice that drives the highest levels of success. My friend and colleague Brett Etheridge of Dominate Test Prep shares the same commitment to perfect practice, which comes out in a detailed discussion we had on his podcast:
Proven Principles of Perfect Practice with Mike Bergin
Among other things, we covered the following fundamentals of practice:
- The 4 Steps of Deliberate Practice;
- The distinction between “studying” and “practice” and the role that each should play in your test preparation
- The danger of taking too many practice tests;
- How often you should take practice tests, and things you should do to ensure that they replicate the actual test-day experience;
- Why some students perform worse on the real exam than on their practice tests, and what you can do to ensure that doesn’t happen for you;
- The important link between fun and practice, and how to inject some fun into your practice sessions;
- Advice for students who are reluctant (read: scared) to take full-length practice tests and feel like they need to “know it all” before giving it a go;
- How to know when you’re ready for the real exam.
Brett happens to be an expert in perfect practice himself, particularly as it applies to higher scores on graduate admissions exams like the GMAT. I had him on the Tests and the Rest podcast to discuss how one of our favorite sports books informs the right approach to peak performance in any endeavor in The Inner Game Of Testing. Give this one a listen too!
Mike Bergin