How to plan the last 60 days before an entry test

The short answer

Use the first month to finish the syllabus, the second month to practise questions under time, and the last week to revise only. Check the official pattern and syllabus of your test first, because the number of questions, the time and the marking rules differ from one test to another.

Step 1: Know your test (day 1 to 2)

1. Read the official notice of the university or body that sets your test and write down the sections, the number of questions in each, the time and whether wrong answers lose marks.
2. List every topic in the syllabus and mark each as strong, average or weak. Be honest, because this list decides how you spend the next 60 days.
3. Decide the weight of each subject from the test pattern. Give more time to the subjects that carry more marks and to your weak topics.

Step 2: Finish the syllabus (days 3 to 30)

1. Study one topic at a time. Read the notes, then do 15 to 20 practice questions on the same day.
2. Keep a one page summary for every chapter with the formulas, the definitions and the diagrams that you forget.
3. Use two sessions a day of about two hours with a break. One session is for your weakest subject and one for the others.
4. Once a week, take a test on the topics of that week and mark it the same day.

Step 3: Practise under time (days 31 to 52)

1. Do mixed question sets in the time that the real test gives for each section. Speed is a skill, and it improves only with timed practice.
2. Take a full mock test every four or five days at the same time of day as your real test.
3. After each mock test, spend as long on the review as on the test itself. Write down the reason for each mistake: did not know, forgot a formula, misread, ran out of time or guessed.
4. Fix the most common reason first. If the cause is misreading, slow down for the first read of each question. If the cause is time, skip the question that takes more than a minute and come back to it.

Step 4: The last week (days 53 to 60)

• Revise your one page summaries and the formula sheets. Do not start new topics.
• Do two short mock tests in the first half of the week and none in the last two days.
• Sleep at the usual time and eat normal meals. A tired mind makes more mistakes than a mind that knows a little less.
• Prepare your documents, pens, route and time of arrival the day before.

Mistakes to avoid

• Studying only the subjects that you like.
• Reading notes again and again without testing yourself.
• Taking mock tests and not reviewing the mistakes.
• Changing the plan every week. A plain plan that is followed beats a perfect plan that is not.
• Comparing yourself with others in the group. Compare your score with your own score from last week.

Where this comes from

• The official test notices of the university or authority that sets your test. Check the date and the pattern there before you plan.