Behaviour3 min read·27 March 2026

Why More Practice Papers Make Some Students Worse

The Practice Trap

Student A does 100 practice papers. Each time, they:

  • • Rush the last 10 questions
  • • Change 5 correct answers to wrong ones
  • • Panic after consecutive hard questions
  • After 100 papers, these behaviours are more ingrained, not less. Practice reinforced the bad habits.

    When More Practice Helps

    More practice helps when the problem is knowledge gaps: unfamiliar topics, weak areas, lack of exposure to question types.

    When More Practice Hurts

    More practice hurts when the problem is behaviour patterns: time management, panic responses, overthinking, under-confidence.

    The Fix

  • 1. Diagnose first. Take one practice exam with behaviour tracking.
  • 2. Identify the pattern. Is it a knowledge gap or a behaviour gap?
  • 3. Target the fix. Knowledge gaps need more questions. Behaviour gaps need strategy changes.
  • Select Academy's Behaviour Analytics does step 1 and 2 automatically.

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