Test practice absolutely CAN help, IF you do it effectively. My Mid practiced quite a bit before the PSAT, and "knocked one out of the ballpark," so to speak. Just two months later, she only had time to practice for the written part of the SAT. Her scores in that section were in line with her PSAT scores, and were 50 points higher that either of the other sections.
Some tips that helped her:
- Do NOT use a calculator while practicing. The SAT is a test of logic, and if you pay attention, you can usually get it down to 2 possible answers without doing anything. I consistently beat her practice test scores by 50 points or more (me-no calculator) per section until she quit focusing on "button-pushing," and started focusing on THINKING.
- Use a guide that provides the most "actual previous tests" with answers and explanations provided
- The guides usually provide several chapters of tips on how to prep. Study them!
- Once you're ready to do practice tests, do them as if they were real: set a timer, find a room with few distractions, and do at least one complete section at a time
- SPEND TIME CHECKING YOUR ANSWERS! As you do a practice test, if you had a hard time deciding on an answer, circle it. Carefully read explanations for the correct answers for those, as well as for the ones you get wrong.
- If you buy a guide, DO NOT write in it! You can save a lot of $$ by writing all of your answers on spare paper. That way, you can re-use the practice tests, if you work through all the ones in the book, or you can give your book to someone a year younger than you!