Is time better spent answering practice test questions or reading study guides in preparation for the Red Seal Exam?
Of the practice test vs. study guide, neither resource can entirely replace the other. A study guide focuses on reviewing and understanding the knowledge of the trade, while a practice test determines if the knowledge can be applied to answer the question.
For most candidates, the best strategy is to use both.
Study Guides are the better choice when you do not understand a concept. Practice Tests determine if you actually know a concept.
Knowing when to switch from one to the other is the important part of prep for the Red Seal Exam.
What Is the Difference Between Practice Test and Study Guide?
A Study Guide reviews or teaches a content area. A Practice Test determines your understanding of a content area.
This may seem like a straightforward concept; however, most candidates use one resource to complete the work of the other.
What Does a Red Seal Study Guide Do?
A Red Seal Study Guide helps organize knowledge of a trade into more manageable segments for review
Depending on the source and the trade, a Study Guide may cover the following segments:
- Safety
- Tools and Equipment
- Materials
- Installation
- Maintenance
- Repair and Replacement
- Functional Checks and Adjustments
- Calculations
- Trade Terminology and Language
A Study Guide gives you the time to stop and review a segment, consult another resource, take some notes, and go over content in a step-by-step manner at your own pace.
It is primarily a review and self assessment tool.
What Does a Practice Test Do?
A practice test requires you to think about what you know.
Instead of describing something and then providing a series of questions, practice tests ask you to choose an answer.
It can help identify problems in the following areas:
- Prior Knowledge or Subjects
- Reading Errors
- Calculating Errors
- Understanding Questions
- Managing Your Time
A practice test exhibits what you know and what you do not know.
A study guide can address the issues revealed by the practice test.
When should practice tests and study guides be employed?
For many test-takers, the best way to begin prep is to take a short baseline practice test.
The primary purpose of a baseline practice test is to show you what you need to study.
Let’s say you choose to begin your preparation with every section of a study guide. You take the time to review each section, front to back. What this means is that you may be spending your time reviewing things you already understand while you ignore things you are not too sure about.
BA test can change that.
- Tools and Equipment are strong
- Safety is strong
- Installation is average
- Troubleshooting is weak
- Calculations are weak
A study guide now is put to use.
Now you can go straight to addressing the weak areas.
Answering another ten questions about the same topic will not necessarily help you understand what you're doing wrong.
You will have to study it.
A guide can help you return to the underlying concept before you try another ten questions.
This can be especially useful for more seasoned tradespeople.
Someone could have worked in a trade for many years, but a lot of that time could have been focused on one aspect of that trade. The Red Seal exam could test the broad scope of that trade.
Sometimes, knowledge and experience gained daily, is not enough to cover all of the ground that you still need to review.
When are Practice Questions More Useful?
Practice Questions become useful after you have reviewed a given topic.
They answer the question:
Can I apply what I just studied?
Having read something and recognized it can make you feel like you know what was read, or at least understand the concept. However, imagining the concept and answering the question in the context of a given workplace scenario can make the answer less obvious.
That is why testing is important.
Good questions will prompt one to recall information, and not allow one to see the answer or the explanation and analyze it.
If you answer a question correctly and are able to articulate or understand why, you may proceed to the next question. If you answer a question incorrectly, you must go back to your study material.
A Mock Exam Has a Different Purpose
A Mock Exam should not be considered like a typical study session.
There is nothing wrong with stopping in between study sessions, checking an explanation, pulling out your notes, or reviewing a formula.
The goal for a mock exam is different.
You are practicing your ability to:
read problems and answer in a timely manner
continue to answer problems even after the time allotment has gone
- Be able to make judgments
- Be able to move past difficult questions
- Be able to stay focused
- Be able to handle more than one subject
This is what makes a practice exam helpful in the later stages of preparation.
If you take a practice exam too early, it will likely just show you that you still have a lot of studying to do.
Don't Just Practice to Get Better
A common problem in many exam preparation methods, especially those for the Red Seal exam, is taking too many practice exams and expecting to see continuous improvement.
First test: 61%
Second test: 73%
Third test: 88%
You might reason that improvement is good, even if you had to answer the same question multiple times.
The real improvement you should aim for in a practice exam is:
Can I answer a different question that tests the same trade principle?
This is why answer review is important.
Find out:
- Why the answer was correct
- Why the other answer was incorrect
- What trade principle was being tested
- How much the wording of the question affected your ability to answer it correctly
This will help you learn from the practice exam.
Don't Just Read a Study Guide.
People tend to misuse study guides by reading long sections of it at once.
After you finish a section, close the study guide.
Describe the concepts without looking at the guide.
Then answer numerous related questions.
If you cannot explain a concept or answer a question, review that guide again.
Active review of study guides describes the advantages of studying beyond the end of a chapter.
How to Combine a Practice Test and Study Guide
Give each resource a distinct task.
Step 1: Familiarize Yourself with Your Trade Exam
Begin with official information and occupational standards pertaining to your Red Seal trade.
Know the sections that will be assessed.
Step 2: Baseline Test
Answer a series of questions without references.
Do not worry if your first score is lower than expected.
Step 3: Identify Weak Areas
Analyze mistakes by section.
Focus on repeated errors. Avoid lone errors.
Step 4: Study Guide
Study the sections that you determined to be weak.
Take notes and clarify cornerstone concepts.
Step 5: Practice Questions
Answer questions on the sections that you determined to be weak.
Step 6: Repeat Process
Determine weak areas.
Step 7: Mock Exam
Later in your preparation, take a full length practice test without aids
Generating the cycle of:
Test → Identify → Study → Practice → Retest, makes the process of self prepared resources more productive rather than using only one type of resource.
What Study Resources Should You Consider When Preparing for an Exam?
Not all study resources are the same.
Premade resources can differ significantly in content and utility.
When looking for study resources for an exam, focus on materials pertaining to your trade.
Some useful study resources may offer:
Content relevant to your trade
Practice questions
- Answers to practice questions
- List of topics found in the exam
- Online practice tests
- Mock exams with time limits
You should also use official Red Seal resources to learn about the standards, occupations, and exams for your trade as well as the weights and sample questions.
Independent study resources should complement official resources, but not replace them.
How Red Seal Study Guide Can Help
Red Seal Study Guide is an independent Canadian exam-preparation provider offering digital resources for candidates preparing for skilled trade certification examinations.
Preparation resources depend on the trade, and may include:
- Practice questions
- Practice questions with answers
- Online practice tests
- Digital study guides
These resources may be used with official Red Seal information, apprenticeship information, technical resources, applicable codebooks, and the candidate's trade experience.
Red Seal Study Guide does not conduct any part of the official Red Seal exam, decide a candidate's eligibility to sit the exam, or issue a Certificate of Qualification or Red Seal Endorsement.
The resources aim to aid candidates with trade knowledge and be able to answer questions related to their trade.
So, Is a Practice Test or Study Guide Better?
Answering Practice Test or Study Guide depends on your goal.
If the subject is new for you. Study the subject.
If you already know the subject. Answer the Practice Test.
If you fail to answer a subject question. Study it again.
If you areMastering the subject, then try mixed questions.
Most important is to be able to answer the questions in the final mock exam. Knowledge may be understood with a study guide but the only way to test if it is understood and can be applied is with a practice test.
Taking practice tests without studying will make you repeat the same errors.
They solve different aspects of the same problem.
Use a Red Seal study guide to build and refresh your knowledge. Use practice questions to check your progress. Use mock exams to see what you’ve learned.
This is a superior Red Seal exam prep strategy compared to attempting to choose just one.