<p>Guys I just checked my October scores and what the heck. I kept scoring high on my writing section on all of my practice tests and now I checked my scores and there's a 150 difference. What is going on.. all the practice tests were collegeboard.</p>
<p>Need to factor in the test day environment, the rising difficulty of the test, etc. </p>
<p>The pressure probably got to you… were you timing yourself? </p>
<p>It is very common to score lower due to anxiety. Is this your first test?
I agree with @Waseezafar that untimed practice can lead to false prediction on test day.</p>
<p>Note that the essay score will affect your SAT writing score. You don’t have an essay score from practice test.</p>
<p>Hey Berasian, </p>
<p>There’s alot of factors that lead to difference between real and practice test scores. Have you been taking practice tests exactly like how the actual test is, with the time, no breaks, etc?</p>
<p>Theres studies that show how practice tests reflect how someone will do in a real test only if they simulate the real test conditions.
You may find this study interesting.
<a href=“http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/choke/201005/want-success-under-stress-close-the-gap-between-practice-and-competition”>http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/choke/201005/want-success-under-stress-close-the-gap-between-practice-and-competition</a></p>
<p>As a bonus, studying this way also helps reduce test anxiety.</p>
<p>It may also depends on the format of the test. My D also got 100-200 lower in the real SAT than practice. However, she scored almost exactly the same in the real ACT or practice. This is partly due to the essay score (ACT has it separated but not SAT). I do believe her anxiety affected her essay performance as her essay scores were always significantly lower in the real test than the scores she got from the prep classes.</p>