All of us have off days. It's not so unusual when students crumble and that is why we recommend a strategic test prep plan that includes at least two or three testing dates. From the mock tests we expect our students to take after every 4-6 hours of tutoring, we analyze the error pattern to get more context about their performance. We can determine if it was a case of many careless errors, missing many of the early math problems, or a timing issue, many wrong answers at the end, or a few botched passages or if there are big blocks of wrong answers.

Other factors that will affect a student's performance include lack of sleep or food, distraction, stress, or testing anxiety. A suddenly motivated student may try out new strategies without first practicing them on a mock test. We've seen scores drop as a result. This is valuable information from a mock test report and useful for the student's tutoring, but not so encouraging when it happens on the real test.

Misgrading is very unlikely. To check on it or to report any issues with the testing site or administration of the test, contact ACT or College Board (SAT) customer service.

The key is get back “on the horse.” Focus on the next opportunity to test, schedule another mock, complete practice problems, and meet with the tutor to review and analyze results. Keeping a positive perspective throughout the ups and downs of the testing process is essential.