How to Use Practice Exams Effectively: A Step-by-Step Guide to Deliberate Practice
Author: James Tierney, CEO & Founder
Read time: 4 minutes
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If you’re preparing for an upcoming exam, practice exams are a powerful tool—if you use them correctly. Many students, however, make the mistake of simply looking up answers or relying on shortcuts, which leads to poor performance on the actual exam. In this blog post, we’ll break down how to best use practice exams, why they should be a part of a larger study strategy, and how this fits into the deliberate practice method for mastering your material.
Understanding the Common Mistake
Let’s start by identifying a common problem: students often believe that the goal of a practice exam is just to get the correct answers. They take a question, get stuck, and then immediately look up the answer or consult their notes. This creates a false sense of confidence because, although they see the correct answer, they haven’t done the work to truly understand the material.
When exam day comes, they are unable to replicate the process under pressure, and the result is often disappointing.
What Is Deliberate Practice?
Deliberate practice is a scientifically proven method for building expertise and mastery. In the context of exam prep, this means using practice exams not just to see how well you can answer questions but as a tool for deep learning and skill improvement.
Here’s a brief overview of how deliberate practice applies to studying:
Focus on Weaknesses: The goal is to identify areas where you're struggling, not to breeze through questions you're already good at.
Immediate Feedback: Practice exams should be followed by thorough review and analysis to catch mistakes.
Targeted Practice: Once you know where you’re struggling, you can focus on practicing those specific areas in a more targeted and efficient way.
Now, let’s dive into how to use practice exams as a deliberate practice tool.
Step-by-Step Guide to Using Practice Exams for Maximum Learning
Simulate Exam Conditions
First and foremost, treat your practice exam like it’s the real deal. Find a quiet place, set a timer, and remove all distractions. Do not allow yourself access to notes, textbooks, or the internet. The goal is to replicate the actual exam experience so you can test not only your knowledge but also your ability to perform under timed conditions.
Attempt Every Question Independently
Work through each problem as if you are in the actual exam. If you get stuck, resist the urge to immediately look up the answer. Mark the question and move on. This process will help you identify areas where you’re struggling without prematurely relying on outside help.
Review Your Results—But Don’t Just Look at the Right Answer
After you’ve completed the exam, review your results. However, the key here isn’t to just check if you were right or wrong. Go deeper. For every question, whether you got it right or wrong, ask yourself these questions:
Why was this the correct answer?
How did I approach this problem?
Could I have solved it in a more efficient way?
What concepts did I misunderstand or overlook?
This process helps you learn from both your successes and your mistakes.
Rework Missed Problems
For any questions you got wrong, don’t just move on after reviewing the correct answer. Rework the problem without looking at the solution. Force yourself to go through the entire process again until you can confidently arrive at the correct answer on your own. This is where the real learning happens—it’s about strengthening your weak points, not just reviewing the correct solutions.
Identify Knowledge Gaps and Dive Deeper
Once you've finished reviewing, take a step back and identify patterns. Are there specific topics or types of questions that consistently trip you up? Focus your next round of studying on those areas before taking another practice exam. This targeted study is what makes deliberate practice so effective—it ensures that your practice is intentional and focused on improvement.
Why This Approach Works
This method forces your brain to engage deeply with the material. Instead of simply memorizing answers, you are training yourself to solve problems, analyze your mistakes, and understand concepts on a deeper level. This shift in mindset—from surface learning to deep understanding—ultimately leads to better performance on the actual exam.
You can also check out my recent Instagram reel, which covers how many students use practice exams incorrectly and the steps to avoid those mistakes.
The Role of Practice Exams in Deliberate Practice
Remember, practice exams are just one part of a larger study strategy. When used properly, they allow you to practice retrieval (an important skill in learning), identify gaps in your knowledge, and refine your problem-solving techniques. This fits into the broader framework of deliberate practice, which focuses on improving weaknesses, using feedback, and refining skills over time.
If you’re interested in learning more about the deliberate practice method and how it can improve your study habits, keep an eye out for future posts where we’ll dive into more techniques for mastering difficult material.
Join Our Exam Review Sessions!
If you're looking for even more support as you prepare for exams, consider joining one of our exam review sessions. These sessions are designed to help students dive deep into the material, work through tough concepts, and get real-time feedback on their performance. This is a great opportunity to put the principles of deliberate practice into action!
Learn more about our exam review sessions and reserve your spot today.
By using practice exams deliberately, you’ll not only prepare yourself for the next exam but also build the skills and knowledge you need for long-term success. Start practicing smarter, not harder, and watch your results improve.
References
Anders Ericsson, K. (2008). Deliberate practice and acquisition of expert performance: a general overview. Academic emergency medicine, 15(11), 988-994.
Hambrick, D. Z., Oswald, F. L., Altmann, E. M., Meinz, E. J., Gobet, F., & Campitelli, G. (2014). Deliberate practice: Is that all it takes to become an expert?. Intelligence, 45, 34-45.
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