The short answer
Two or three practice tests spread across the fortnight before a school test, rather than a cram session the night before. For most students that is the point where extra tests stop adding much.
What matters more than the number is how they are spaced, and what happens after each one.
Why spacing beats volume
Six practice tests in one weekend feels productive and mostly is not. The material is still fresh from the last attempt, so your child is recalling from short-term memory rather than genuinely retrieving it. Spread those same six across three weeks and each one forces a real retrieval, which is what actually strengthens memory. Spacing practice out rather than bunching it up is one of the most consistently supported findings in learning research.
A workable rhythm for a school test two weeks away:
- Two weeks out: one test on the whole topic. This is a diagnostic, so expect a mediocre score. That is the point.
- One week out: a second test, focused on whatever the first one exposed.
- Two or three days out: a final full test under timed conditions.
The part most families skip
The test itself is only half the value. The marking is where the learning happens, and doing it properly takes about as long as sitting the test.
For every question they got wrong, work out which of these it was:
- A silly mistake (dropped a negative, misread the question). Fix it and move on, this is not a knowledge gap.
- A method gap (they did not know how to start). This one goes on the list to practise again.
- A timing problem (they knew it but ran out of time). That needs practice at speed, not more teaching.
A student who does two tests and sorts every error into those three buckets will outperform one who does six and only checks the score.
Signs you are doing too many
Practice testing is useful right up until it becomes a source of dread. If your child is anxious before a practice test, arguing about starting one, or going through the motions without checking answers, the volume is working against you. Cut back, keep them short, and mark them together.
For younger students especially, one short test a week is plenty.
Where to get them
In Tuterly, Topic check writes a short practice test on any Years 7 to 10 topic, with a worked solution for every question:
Topics follow the Victorian Curriculum, so they can pick the exact topic their class is on.