An 8-Week TestAS Study Plan (Week by Week, with Daily Schedules)

Eight weeks is a realistic window to prepare properly for the digital TestAS if you can study a little every day. It is long enough to learn how each subtest works and fix your weak spots, and short enough to keep your motivation high.

This plan is built for applicants who have school, work or a language course at the same time. It assumes about 45 to 60 minutes on weekdays and one longer session of 90 to 120 minutes at the weekend. It covers both parts of the digital TestAS: the Core Module (Figure Sequences, Mathematical Equations and Latin Squares, 20 items in 25 minutes each) and your subject module (90 minutes of testlets).

If you are taking the paper-based TestAS, the structure of the plan still works, but swap in the paper subtests. Our digital vs paper comparison explains the differences.

Before you start: three things to settle

1. Your format and subject module. Check which module your target programmes accept. Your preparation depends on it.
2. Your exam date. Pick a date whose results arrive before your application deadline. The TestAS dates page lists every upcoming date with its registration deadline and results date.
3. Your target score. Look up what your programme expects. On the digital scale, 100 is the middle and 50 to 150 is the average range. Read how TestAS scoring works if the numbers are new to you.

The plan at a glance

Week	Focus	Main goal
1	Diagnose	Know your starting point in every subtest
2	Learn the rules	Explain the logic of each item type out loud
3	Weakest subtest	Fix the biggest gap first
4	Second subtest plus subject module	Build accuracy, start testlets
5	Mixed practice	Harder items, mixed subtests
6	Timing	Full subtests under real limits
7	Full mock	Rehearse the whole day, repair what breaks
8	Taper	Light review, rest, logistics

Week 1: Diagnose

Do not start by drilling. Start by finding out where you actually stand.

• Day 1: Try a short set of each Core subtest without a timer. Note which item types feel unfamiliar.
• Day 2 to 3: Do one timed set per subtest (25 minutes, 20 items, or a shorter set scaled to the same pace of 75 seconds per item).
• Day 4: Read two or three testlets from your subject module and answer the questions.
• Weekend: Write down three numbers: accuracy per subtest, how many items you reached in the time, and which item types cost you the most.

At the end of the week you should know your weakest subtest and whether your main problem is accuracy (you reach the items but get them wrong) or speed (you run out of time).

Week 2: Learn the rules

Figure Sequences, Latin Squares and Mathematical Equations are rule-based. If you cannot explain the rule behind an item, you are guessing, and guessing does not improve with repetition.

• Figure Sequences: learn the rules figures follow (moving straight, diagonally or along the border, bouncing off the edge, rotating, changing colour, steps that grow by one) and practise tracking one figure at a time. Harder items have three or four figures at once.
• Latin Squares: practise finding forced cells first, where only one letter is possible, and learn to use a new entry to unlock the next cell.
• Mathematical Equations: practise substitution and elimination with small systems. Always check your answer in every equation, because there are no answer options to catch mistakes.

Work untimed this week. For every item you get wrong, write one sentence about why. If the same reason appears three times, you have found a pattern to fix.

Week 3: Your weakest subtest first

Split your time unevenly. A subtest you are already good at gains little from extra practice. A weak one gains a lot.

A sample weekday session (50 minutes):

• 30 minutes on your weakest subtest
• 10 minutes on one of the other two subtests
• 10 minutes reviewing every mistake from today

At the weekend, add one or two subject module testlets. Read the stimulus once carefully, then answer the questions from it. Resist rereading the whole text for every question.

Week 4: Second subtest and subject module

Move most of your practice to the second weakest subtest while keeping a short daily set of the weakest one so it does not slip back.

This is also the week to take your subject module seriously. Testlets reward a specific skill: extracting exactly the information a question needs from a text, table or diagram. Practise:

• reading the questions before the stimulus, so you know what to look for,
• marking units and axis labels in graphs and tables, and
• eliminating options that contradict the stimulus, even when they sound plausible.

Week 5: Mixed and harder practice

Mix the subtests within a session and deliberately include harder items. TestAS compares you with other test takers, and the items that separate an average result from a strong one are the harder ones. If you only practise what feels comfortable, your practice scores rise while your real standing barely moves.

Track accuracy by difficulty. If you are at 90% on easy items and 40% on hard ones, your next hours belong to the hard ones.

Week 6: Real timing

Now run each subtest under the real limit: 20 items in 25 minutes. Time pressure changes your mistakes in ways untimed practice never shows.

Look for two warning signs:

• You run out of time in one subtest. Usually a method problem: you spend too long on a few hard items. Practise a skip rule, for example move on after 2 minutes and come back later.
• Your accuracy drops sharply in the second half. Usually a concentration problem. Build it with back-to-back subtests at the weekend.

Do one timed 90-minute subject module block this week.

Week 7: Full mock, then repair

Sit a complete mock in one sitting, as close to the real day as possible:

1. Core Module: three subtests of 25 minutes, with two short breaks.
2. A 30-minute break.
3. Subject module: 90 minutes.

That is roughly three and a half hours including breaks. The fatigue is part of the test, and the only way to prepare for it is to experience it once before exam day.

Use the rest of the week to repair whatever broke down: a subtest where your accuracy dropped, a testlet type you misread, or a timing problem.

Week 8: Taper, do not cram

Reduce the amount you practise, not the quality.

• Short daily sessions of 20 to 30 minutes on your weakest patterns.
• No new topics or strategies in the final three days.
• Sleep normally, especially the two nights before the exam.

Also sort out the logistics this week: check your registration in the test taker portal, the address of your test centre, how long it takes to get there, and the ID you need to bring.

A sample week in the middle of the plan

Day	Session	Content
Monday	50 min	Weakest subtest, then mistake review
Tuesday	45 min	Second subtest, then 10 min weakest subtest
Wednesday	50 min	Two subject module testlets, review
Thursday	45 min	Weakest subtest, timed set
Friday	30 min	Light mixed practice
Saturday	120 min	Two timed subtests back to back, one testlet block
Sunday	Rest	Or a short review of your mistake notes

Adjust the plan to your situation

• Starting from zero: extend weeks 1 and 2. Understanding the rules properly the first time is faster than relearning them under time pressure later.
• Only 4 weeks: one week each for diagnosis and rules combined, weakest subtests, timing and mock, and taper. Keep the full mock.
• Test language is not your first language: add 15 minutes a day of reading in the test language, ideally texts with tables and graphs, because the subject module is reading heavy.
• Retaking: start from your previous result instead of a fresh diagnosis. Our retake guide explains how to plan a second attempt.

On exam day

• Arrive early, so check-in and ID control happen without stress.
• In Mathematical Equations, write down your working. There are no options to check against.
• In every subtest, do not let one hard item eat three minutes. Skip, mark and come back.
• Use the short breaks to reset, not to replay mistakes.

Start today

The fastest way to begin week 1 is a free, no-signup look at real item types. You can try freshly generated Core Module items right now, then come back to this plan with a clear idea of where you stand.

Sources: structure of the digital TestAS, TestAS FAQ.