<p>For the past few weeks I have been busily preparing myself for the SAT and have been steadily improving, especially on the critical reading. In fact, I actually got a higher score on my critical reading than on my math, which is WAY my strong point. Then, today it was like a short-circuited and just couldn’t focus anymore. As a result, I just completely screwed up this last practice test. Has anyone else experienced this, where you just practice so much that you short-circuit?</p>
<p>haha when you say “short circuit” i think of my physics class
and right now i think im UNDERprepared for the sat so im studying my butt off. but i know exactly how you feel- i did the same for sat ii chemistry. what helped for me was to exercise, eat, and do anything else not related to the sat. 
try it for a few hours or so and you will feel much better, i promise you</p>
<p>Drawing from personal experience, I believe that there is such a thing as TOO much preparation. In ninth grade, for instance, I signed up to take the ACT through the Midwest Talent Search program (potential stalkers, congrats, you’ve narrowed it down to eight states) following a satisfying performance on the “old” SAT the previous year. I had gotten a 1460, which somewhat added pressure on me to perform well on the present test. </p>
<p>I started prepping for the ACT several months before the test was administered. The first two practice tests (both administered in previous years) I took were satisfactory, to say the least – both were in the 34-35 range, and I hadn’t studied much at that point. I felt confident that I would do well when I actually took the test. After all…I WAS doing fairly well without having studied much…and shouldn’t a little bit more studying correspond to a SLIGHT increase in my score, maybe enough to push it up to the ever so coveted 36? </p>
<p>I found, though, as I studied more and more, going through the same repetitious exercises over and over again, I started to lose focus. I began to overthink the questions, pondering each answer choice much more assiduously than I should have, and then continuing to dwell on a certain question when I had moved on. I somehow couldn’t bring myself to think sensibly – as in it’s better to lose one point than to lose the entire rest of the section in a pyrrhic attempt to salvage that point (for the sake of the nail, the shoe was lost – that kind of a thing). In addition, I was thinking more about the outcome of the test than the question at hand. I was worried that my score would not be satisfactory to my parents, at the very least, and would ultimately not reflect the true “me,” whom I felt had the capabilities of getting a 34, 35, or even 36.</p>
<p>Come test day, I was nervous. I had gotten a 30 on the last practice test I took, and had slept only 5 hours the night before the test – certainly not a good combination, self-esteem wise and also in terms of physical preparedness.</p>
<p>I ended up getting a 32. Although the score is certainly not bad, I know I could have done a lot better if I had thought less about the results of the test and focused more on the actual content. I was so consumed by a particular passage in the Reading section (it was about something really really really boring – think the teacher from Ferris Bueller: “Bueller…Bueller…Bueller”) that I ended up with 10 seconds to do 6 problems, which I had little choice but to Christmas-tree. As a result of my dismal performance on the Reading part, I lacked the confidence to do well on the Science portion, a fact which showed when I got the results – 34 M, 35 E, 29 R, 28 S). Evidently, then, my lack of focus snowballed to the end of the test. </p>
<p>I can only speculate that overpreparation is what caused my troubles. But my “gut feeling” is that it at least contributed in their making. OP, if you’re having trouble focusing, take some time to relax, as auxsoleil said. You’re not going to help yourself if you keep on doing more practice tests in the mood you’re in. You probably won’t get the scores you want on them, and end up causing yourself to feel even more depressed than you do now. I would focus on getting that essay down (ha, that’s what I’m trying to do at this point), and leave the rest up to all the test-taking skills you’ve accumulated up to this point. I’m sure you’ll do well as long as you focus and develop a positive mindset. Good luck, and may the College Board have mercy on us all!</p>
<p>If you’ve been doing a lot of prep leading up to now, it might be time to start backing off instead of cramming right before the test. You’ve probably got the practice you need and know the techniques you’ll use by now, so don’t be afraid to relax a bit. In fact, I think it’s a good idea to take the night before the test off – go to bed early, and get a good night’s sleep to feel refreshed and at your best on test day.</p>
<p>lobgent excellent I must say excellent post. OP listen to these valuable words of advice. LISTEN!!! I’ve had to deal with stress many times and I realized you cant only practice you must also “get your mind right.” If you go into the test very confident and relaxed you’ll do much better than if you were stressed and felt like a moron. The mental part is a big aspect. Maybe thats why theyre arent that many pedantic studiers who get 2400s…</p>
<p>There’s been research on test prep fatigue that sounds like what lobgent describes so well on a personal level.</p>
<p>Yes, you can definitely overprep. Are you taking the test on the 10th? If so, I’d just take a day or two off to recharge yourself, and do nothing related to SAT. Then go back to reviewing your fundamentals and take maybe one more test.</p>