Mixed Practice Set
Learn
This final lesson in the Pacing Strategies unit brings together all pacing skills into comprehensive mixed practice. You will apply section pacing, time checkpoints, skip-and-return, and error analysis in realistic test conditions.
Integrating All Pacing Skills
- Before starting: Know your target pace for the section type
- Every 15-20 questions: Check time against your checkpoint targets
- When stuck: Apply the skip-and-return decision process
- With 5 minutes left: Finish current question, then review flagged items
- After practice: Analyze pacing errors alongside content errors
Mixed Practice Protocol
- Set up a realistic testing environment (quiet, timed, no distractions)
- Complete the mixed set under strict time conditions
- Note which questions you flagged and why
- Score your work and identify both content and pacing errors
- Create an action plan for your next practice session
Examples
Example: Complete Pacing Strategy in Action
Section: 40 math questions, 50 minutes
Execution:
- Start time noted: 2:00 PM
- Questions 1-20: Complete by 2:25 (halfway check - on pace)
- Question 28: Stuck for 90 seconds - marked guess, flagged, moved on
- Question 35: Same situation - skip and flag
- Question 40: Finished at 2:47 PM with 3 minutes left
- Used remaining time: Returned to Q28 (solved it!), Q35 still unsure (kept guess)
Result: Answered all 40 questions, with strategic use of extra time on flagged items.
Practice Quiz
Test your understanding with these 10 questions. Click on each question to reveal the answer.
1. What is the first thing you should do when a timed section begins?
Answer: Note your start time and calculate your checkpoint times. Know when you should be at the halfway point and when you need to finish to have review time.
2. You are at question 30 of 60 with 25 minutes left of 60 minutes. Are you on pace?
Answer: You are slightly behind. At 30 questions, you should have used about 30 minutes if pacing evenly. You have 30 questions left but only 25 minutes. Speed up slightly or be prepared to skip more.
3. How does mixed practice differ from practicing one skill at a time?
Answer: Mixed practice requires you to manage multiple skills simultaneously, just like the real test. It is harder but more realistic and builds better test-day readiness.
4. You flagged 7 questions during a section. Is this too many, too few, or about right?
Answer: It depends on the section length and your accuracy. For a 50-60 question section, 5-10 flagged questions is reasonable. If you are flagging 20+, you might be too quick to skip.
5. What is the danger of practicing without time pressure?
Answer: You develop habits that do not work under time pressure. You might spend too long on questions, not practice skipping, or not build the mental stamina needed for the real test.
6. During mixed practice, you realize you have been checking the time every 30 seconds. What should you change?
Answer: Check less frequently - every 15-20 questions or at set intervals. Constant time-checking wastes time and increases anxiety without providing useful information.
7. After scoring your mixed practice, you find you got 75% right but left 8 questions blank. What is your priority for improvement?
Answer: Pacing is your priority. Those 8 blank questions likely cost you more than content errors. Focus on finishing the section, even if it means guessing on hard questions.
8. How should you set up your practice environment to simulate test conditions?
Answer: Find a quiet space, use a timer, put away your phone, use only allowed materials (approved calculator, etc.), take realistic breaks, and do not look up answers until finished.
9. You always run out of time on reading sections but not math. What does this tell you?
Answer: You need to develop reading-specific pacing strategies. Perhaps you read too slowly, get too caught up in passage details, or do not skip reading questions when stuck.
10. What is the most important pacing skill to master for test day success?
Answer: The ability to recognize when to move on. Many students know content well but lose points because they cannot let go of hard questions. Mastering skip-and-return is often the key to score improvement.
Check Your Understanding
You should now be able to:
- Integrate all pacing strategies into a complete section approach
- Set up realistic practice environments
- Analyze both content and pacing errors
- Create targeted improvement plans based on practice results
Next Steps
- Review any concepts that felt challenging
- You have completed this unit! Return to the unit page to continue.
- Return to practice problems periodically for review