Discussion - Study.com difference between practice tests and actual exam

[gremlinbrawler]

Look Gremlinbrawler - you took the minimum effort route and paid the price.
Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't - I think you may be upset about it because you know that you just had to do put in some more effort.
I would take it as a lesson learned, and try to engage the material with more depth, especially if you are struggling with the material.

I personally used the steps below to get past a class I dreaded, Principles of Finance. I am not the best when it comes to math.

TESUAbroad's Study.com learning guide(especially when it is all new content or difficult concepts):

Step 1: Read through and/or watch the videos
Step 2: After each lesson do the quizzes(get 100%, dont accept 80% will help with reinforcement and your grade) Finish all the lessons then go to step 3.
Step 3: Go over the lesson summaries for each chapter, then after you have done this for a chapter, take the chapter exam
Step 4: Go over your chapter exam(right after you took it), what did you get right? What did you get it wrong? - why did it you get it wrong?
(I wouldn't necessarily take the exam again, just take note of what you got wrong and what is right. However, if you did terribly for a chapter exam, retake it a later point)
Step 5: Take the practice exam and get somewhere in the 80s
After this you will most definitely be ready, however, if you still feel unsure
Step 6: Go over flashcards for difficult terms

Good luck and sorry about the setback.

I explained above that I would not be upset if I simply needed to study more but I am upset that the practice tests appear to sometimes be a completely irrelevant measure of your knowledge on the course. I am trying to go at a very accelerated pace so accurate practice tests are important to me. On the other study.com courses I took I was doing good on the practice tests and getting mid 90's as my final grade. I don't want to waste my time preparing for weeks longer than I have to especially because study.com is billed monthly so that's why I would like to be able to count on a practice test to give me a good idea of where I'm at.
I still like study.com better than straighterline so I think I will continue to use it if I don't have too many problems in the future. Thanks for your study tips I'll give them a try.