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PeteSAT · 05-26-2005, 06:15 PM

I pretty much agree with Xiggi here, too. I think smaller steps are very important before students have to put everything together in the end. As Xiggi said, building knowledge and confidence one piece at a time is very helpful. Having the answers in front of you, or checking the answer after each problem is a fine way to approach these skill-building sessions at first. (I usually give my students one timed practice test before a tutorial or class so that I know where to best focus my efforts, but not again until we’ve covered a significant amount of material.)

As the test approaches, however, when students have reviewed most of the material and learned most of the techniques, I think taking timed tests is extremely important. The new SAT is a LONG test. I find it is extremely helpful for students to get that long test experience. For tutorial students, I usually recommend taking 3 full-length practice tests in a location like a library that mimics test conditions relatively well.

05-26-2005, 06:15 PM	#51
PeteSAT Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Los Angeles Threads: 5 Posts: 571	Should students take tests under timed conditions? I pretty much agree with Xiggi here, too. I think smaller steps are very important before students have to put everything together in the end. As Xiggi said, building knowledge and confidence one piece at a time is very helpful. Having the answers in front of you, or checking the answer after each problem is a fine way to approach these skill-building sessions at first. (I usually give my students one timed practice test before a tutorial or class so that I know where to best focus my efforts, but not again until we’ve covered a significant amount of material.) As the test approaches, however, when students have reviewed most of the material and learned most of the techniques, I think taking timed tests is extremely important. The new SAT is a LONG test. I find it is extremely helpful for students to get that long test experience. For tutorial students, I usually recommend taking 3 full-length practice tests in a location like a library that mimics test conditions relatively well.