How many practice exams should I do before an exam?

[Twisty314]

Hi all!

The title is relative depending on what ATAR you want, so just to clarify, I want 99+ or OP1 equivalent. How many should I do and for which subjects? My subjects are:
Chemistry
Biology
Methods
Spesh
General English
Physics

Our school occassionally supplies us with one before a maths test, but nothing more. 
Thanks  heaps!

[sweetiepi]

The question of how many exams you should do is like asking how long a piece of string is- some people don't do many practice exams and score really well, and some are do heaps and also do well. It's ultimately really up to you and how you wish to learn/study/use your time!

(I know this doesn't quite answer your question, but there is no definitive answer! )

[Twisty314]

The question of how many exams you should do is like asking how long a piece of string is- some people don't do many practice exams and score really well, and some are do heaps and also do well. It's ultimately really up to you and how you wish to learn/study/use your time!

(I know this doesn't quite answer your question, but there is no definitive answer! )

Thanks insanipi! Fair point - I guess it all really depends on the individual. I can usually get away with doing 1 practise exam along with a good review of it. It probably depends on how competent you are at a particular subject too.
Thanks again insanipi! 

[Sine]

I agree with insanpi that there is no definite answer to this question. Although, I would be in the camp of "more is better" with the caveat that you are analysing your mistakes in each exam and making sure not to make those mistakes again. It is no use just spamming exams but not learning and getting better with them.

[Joseph41]

Agree with Sine.

Ultimately, though, it's a pretty personal thing. For one of my subjects, I did like 40+ complete practice exams. Somebody I work with did literally zero, and we got the same score (albeit in different years). I think what this demonstrates is that there's not always a direct correlation between number of practice exams completed, and subject score.

You'll hear this a lot over the next couple of years, but quality is more important than quantity in many ways. All other things equal, I personally think it's better to do 15 practice exams than two, but realistically, all other things aren't always equal.

[Not1OfThem]

One practice exam should be enough, it's important that you don't burn yourself out for no reason. I realised that too late, I could have still achieved the same result (Atar 99.4)  even if I relaxed a little. Just as long as you are keeping up with your homework and assignments, come exam period you will already be well-equipped.

[Lear]

Id recommend at least 10. Here’s why. You have to remember that practice exams often can’t be long enough to cover every part of the syllabus due to time restrictions. Hence, they only cover SOME parts while completely ignoring others. Remember that the real exam will also only cover SOME parts while ignoring others. However the problem is that you don’t know which parts will be assessed and which won’t.

By doing multiple practice exams which ideally have a focus on various parts of the syllabus, you’ll be able to ensure you are prepared and practiced in the majority of the syllabus so that when the exam does come around, you can answer any questions they throw at you from any part of the syllabus.

The danger of focusing on 1-2 exams is that while you will have an excellent understanding of the topics presented in those exams, you will likely miss out on a lot of other topics that may show up on the real thing.

[Quantum44]

You absolutely can succeed without doing that many practice exams, but at the end of the day, you should give your subjects the best shot you can and practice exams are necessary if you want to strive for perfection. In most subjects, it’s not the actual content, but exam technique that trips people up. I found even after tonnes of practice exams, I was finding new insights into how to tackle the variety of questions that can be thrown at you, and at the end of Year 12 I definitely did not regret putting in the extra effort.