3 Reasons to Start Studying Now

Procrastination is an ancient problem—philosophers have mulled it over for centuries, trying to speculate why humans delay the most important, challenging, and time-consuming tasks. When it comes to preparing for an entrance exam, it can be easy to procrastinate because of all the other things you have to do for your applications. However, waiting until the last minute to study for a test, especially a high-stakes test like an entrance exam, can negatively impact test performance and the test-taker. Giving yourself enough time to study will not only boost your performance and confidence, it will also help you retain information for the long-term. Here are the top 3 reasons why we recommend starting prep sooner rather than later.

1. Long-term studying promotes long-term learning.

Long-term preparation with spaced-out study intervals is the most effective strategy for test prep. Spacing out your study sessions is more effective than studying in a short period of time (known as cramming), because the brain has to work harder to retrieve information that was learned in the past. This builds stronger and more diverse connective pathways, which promotes better long-term retention of information. Because of this, we recommend taking a practice test every two to four weeks rather than taking multiple tests in a single week.

Additionally, studying over a longer period of time is associated with inductive learning, which refers to the ability to apply existing skills to novel problems. Essentially, long-term study enhances the ability to make connections from past learning topics to new ones. This process increases the chance of successfully solving never-before-seen problems. In short, studying for longer periods of time helps students approach new questions more effectively.

Long-term studying also allows students to engage in re-learning (revisiting past topics), which promotes long-term retention. Our test prep materials are curriculum-aligned, so students not only learn the subject matter on the test, they also learn new concepts and review concepts from previous learning experiences.

2. Being prepared and feeling prepared.

Giving yourself ample time to prepare for a test will also increase your feeling of preparedness. Research shows that test anxiety negatively impacts performance on standardized tests. Test-related anxiety can have a detrimental effect on overall academic performance and social/physical health indicators over time.

One of the biggest effects on test anxiety is a student’s perception of preparedness. Exposure to the test increases self-efficacy and the feeling of preparedness, which can help reduce the negative impacts of test-related anxiety. Taking practice tests is the best way for students to gain exposure to the test. Practice tests help students gain familiarity with the exam’s structure and content in a comfortable environment.

Each student’s experience with test anxiety is different. However, feeling prepared is important for everyone when it comes to high-stakes testing. Giving yourself enough time to prepare will help relieve test stress and give you confidence on test day.

3. Consistent preparation supports consistent improvement.

Consistency is perhaps one of the most important elements of test prep. Our data on SSAT practice test performance shows that the greatest improvement comes from long-term, consistent practice testing paired with study sessions between each practice test. On average, students performed 15% better on their second practice test compared to their first. What’s more, students who continued to take practice tests improved by an average of 36% from their first practice test to their sixth practice test.

Our findings are consistent with studies that have investigated the importance of repeated testing. Although repeated studying techniques, such as using flashcards, can be an effective strategy for learning (and remembering) information, repeated testing with feedback results in significantly greater long‐term retention of information.

Supporting Long-Term Learning

In general, our test specialists recommend starting preparation 4-6 months before your exam to ensure you have enough time to learn new content and get comfortable with the test. Giving yourself enough time to prepare will help you retain what you’ve learned, increase your confidence, and improve your performance.

So what are you waiting for? Getting started with your test prep today!