A practice question can serve three different purposes, but only if you decide which purpose matters before you start.
1. Translation check
Read the English version beside the Chinese source. Mark any symbol, condition, or relationship that changed meaning. Do not score the attempt yet; the aim is to decide whether the prompt is trustworthy.
2. Reasoning study
Work without a clock and write the chain of decisions. Where did you introduce a variable? Which condition ruled out another path? This mode reveals the structure of the solution rather than your speed.
3. Timing drill
Return to the same problem later under a short time limit. Now observe recognition, execution, and checking. A slow result is not automatically a knowledge gap: it may be a notation, recall, or verification bottleneck.
These modes produce different evidence. Mixing them into one score makes it hard to know what improved. A source-linked collection such as the Gaokao mathematics practice hub is most useful when you keep the source identity beside your notes and label each attempt as translation, reasoning, or timing work.
Afterward, record one sentence: “This attempt showed…” That sentence should name the observed skill, not make a sweeping claim about the whole Gaokao. One question can reveal a lot about your process, but it cannot stand in for an entire paper.