Importance of the very most recent preptests?

[EarlCat]

Diagnostics are dumb in general, in my opinion -- it's hard to get a sense of where you stand until you've spent some time understanding the exam in general, and your initial score can be very unrepresentative of your final score.  I therefore find taking a timed diagnostic unnecessarily limiting and discouraging from a pyschological perspective.

You do it so you can brag about how much your score went up.

[Lindbergh]

Diagnostics are dumb in general, in my opinion -- it's hard to get a sense of where you stand until you've spent some time understanding the exam in general, and your initial score can be very unrepresentative of your final score.  I therefore find taking a timed diagnostic unnecessarily limiting and discouraging from a pyschological perspective.

You do it so you can brag about how much your score went up.

Honestly, I think test prep courses push these so THEY can brag about how much your score went up. 

I never have students do this if I can help it.

[augusta]

And I just thought it was so you could brag about your superior innate intelligence...."I got X without even TRYING..."