What is an SAT error log and how do I keep one?

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Accepted Answer

An error log is a running record of every question you get wrong and — the part that matters — the reason you got it wrong. Doing more questions without one mostly repeats the same mistakes at higher volume. Two columns do the work: what the question tested, and why you missed it. Use a small, honest set of reasons and force yourself to pick one: didn't know the concept, misread the question, careless arithmetic, ran out of time, or talked myself out of the right answer. The categories only work if you're blunt. "Silly mistake" is not a category — it's a way of avoiding one. The pattern shows up faster than most students expect, usually within twenty or thirty logged misses. If half your entries say misread the question, more content drilling is the wrong prescription entirely — the fix is a reading habit, like underlining exactly what's being asked before looking at the choices. Review the log before each practice session, not after. Reading last week's misses for two minutes primes you to notice the same trap while it's still avoidable. A log you only write into and never read back is a diary, not a tool.