A study plan for the weeks before the TACHS

A useful TACHS study plan changes when the student’s work reveals a need. It includes all six parts, reserves time to review mistakes, and leaves space for schoolwork and rest. It also keeps official registration, accommodations, and device setup on the calendar instead of treating question practice as the whole preparation process.

The schedule below is a suggested six-week study routine, not an official TACHS requirement or a promise about improvement. If less time remains, combine stages while keeping the review steps. If more time remains, repeat a stage using different work rather than taking practice tests without examining them.

Before the first week: Confirm the official tasks

Read the current Student Handbook and the Parent Guide. Record the registration deadline, school-choice tasks, assigned session process, and any school application requirements separately. Use the official website for the current dates instead of assuming they repeat each year.

If the student needs extended time, begin the official request process early enough to obtain documents and approval. The current form has its own requirements and deadline. Choosing an extended practice timer does not submit that request or confirm the accommodation.

Check whether the planned testing device can meet the published requirements. A school-issued computer may have restrictions that need attention. Put the official pre-check and final device preparation on the schedule, following the timing in the current Parent Guide.

Week 1: Learn the formats and observe the work

Begin with the official handbook’s samples and directions. Make sure the student understands what Reading, Written Expression, Mathematics, Figure Matrices, Paper Folding, and Figure Classification ask. Use explanations to resolve unfamiliar directions before interpreting errors as missing subject knowledge.

Then gather a sample of independent practice. Do not interrupt every uncertain moment with help. Watch for patterns afterward: a reading answer without passage evidence, a mathematics setup that answers the wrong quantity, or a paper-folding attempt that ignores the last crease.

Create a short error log with the task, the missed step, and a next action. Write “check the requested units before calculating” rather than “be more careful.” A specific action gives the student something to do during the next question.

Week 2: Repair the most frequent content errors

Choose one or two recurring needs from the log. Give each a focused lesson and a short practice set. Keep the scope small enough that the student can explain what changed in the method by the end of the session.

For Reading, compare the chosen answer with the supporting passage lines. For Written Expression, identify the grammar or organization problem before selecting a revision. For Mathematics, write the target quantity, the setup, and enough calculation to check the result.

Finish with a different question that uses the same skill. A correct second attempt on the identical item may show memory of the explanation. Applying the method to unfamiliar work gives better evidence that the student can use it independently.

Week 3: Give the picture-puzzle parts separate attention

Use our guides to Figure Matrices, Paper Folding, and Figure Classification. Ask the student to explain a relationship, reverse a fold, or state a shared property. These are distinct tasks even though all use pictures.

Start in untimed study mode when the format is unfamiliar. A physical folding demonstration can teach reflection at home, but do not rely on paper during the official Ability portion. The Parent Guide limits scratch paper to Reading, Written Expression, and Mathematics.

After the method is understood, mix the picture families across study sessions. Avoid announcing the exact rule before each question. The student needs practice deciding which feature matters, not merely applying a rule supplied by an adult.

Week 4: Add timed work and inspect pacing

Choose the appropriate practice timer mode. TACHS Prep provides standard time, time and a half, and untimed study mode. Use a mode that fits the purpose of the session and record it with the result.

Its estimated standard practice model uses 23 Reading questions in 30 minutes, 48 Written Expression in 40, 39 Mathematics in 30, and 22, 16, and 22 questions in ten minutes each for the three picture parts. These are estimates based on public information, not an official per-part blueprint.

Review where time went. Did the student repeatedly recalculate an already checked result, or spend too long on an unclear rule? Teach a purposeful check and a decision about moving on. Do not use a timed result to diagnose knowledge without looking at the actual attempts.

Week 5: Complete a full practice cycle

Set aside enough time for a full practice test and a later review session. Keep the student’s work independent. Note interruptions or technical problems so that an unusual session is not treated as a clean measure of pacing.

Use the report to identify repeated errors across the six parts. Select the most actionable ones, not every mistake at once. A single session may reveal both content gaps and problems with sustained attention; address them with different next steps.

Do not convert the practice percentage into an official percentile or an admission prediction. TACHS Prep reports what the student got right and what to review. Our score-report guide explains why the official ranks measure something different.

Week 6: Consolidate skills and prepare the session

Use shorter mixed sets and review the error log. Ask the student to explain a few previously difficult methods without seeing the old answers. Keep practice focused on applying known strategies rather than adding a large collection of unfamiliar tasks at the last moment.

Follow the Parent Guide’s device preparation and pre-check instructions. Confirm the actual device, power connection, testing space, and session information. Rehearse how to obtain permitted technical help without asking an adult for help with content.

Leave room for sleep, meals, and ordinary routines. The official guidance encourages a rested student and a prepared space. A late practice marathon that displaces those preparations is not a required final step in this plan.

Adjust the plan using evidence

At the end of each week, choose the next tasks from the student’s work. Keep a repaired skill in occasional mixed practice, and give continuing errors more focused instruction. A calendar should organize learning rather than force the same assignment regardless of what the student needs.

Families with fewer weeks can begin with format familiarity, identify the most frequent errors, and complete one full practice-and-review cycle when useful. Families with more time can spread the work out. In either case, keep official logistics and accommodations separate from study settings and use the current official sources for rules.