To all the GMAT Warriors out there:
I am nearly two months away from taking the GMAT, and I have begun to look into some of the more holistic approaches to GMAT success. An interesting article was posted on my Facebook news feed; I felt I needed to share the article--found here:
https://tinyurl.com/oh4stua.
The basic premise is similar to many of the other articles that discuss sleep. One of the main points discussed the "Circadian Rhythm," which suggests peak levels of mental alertness occur at approximate 10:00am, or approximately 3-4 hours after waking up. Obviously, each person has their own sleep cycle, but what is important, according to the article, is that an individual get 8 hours of sleep.
Many test take the exam in the early to mid afternoon, which is actual when your motor-skills are at their peak. It seems that the best time to sit for a mentally rigorous exam is a few hours after waking up. If peak mental awareness takes place roughly 3-4 hours after waking up, it seems somewhat logical to wake up at least two hours prior to your exam, so that your body has time to wake up and warm up.
Say you wake up at 6:00am and start the exam at 8:00am. You may still experience some remnant grogginess. However, by the time you get to the quant section, about one hour later at 9:00am, your brain will be entering into a period of peak mental capability. (Generally speaking, that is). Coupled with a routine of 8 hours of sleep a night, and an approximately timed Circadian Rhythm, you just might find yourself peaking at the right time during the GMAT. The key caveat is that you must experience consistency in your sleep routine. Begin training your body at least a month ahead of your test date to get the right amounts of sleep each night, and, if possible, schedule the exam so you will be entering into the quant and verbal sections during your time of peak mental alertness.
Are my conclusions well founded and scientific? Not sure, and probably not
. I found this article fairly interesting, however, and thought that it may be of some benefit to my fellow GMAT Warriors.
In Summary:
- Develop a consistent sleep schedule that allows for about 8 hours of sleep each night.
- Schedule the exam so that you are beginning the quant section at/during peak mental alertness.
- Take practice exams on the same day of the week as your actual exam.
- Take practice exams at the same time as your actual exam.
Stay well, and look forward to some future ramblings the closer I get to my own GMAT test date.
As always, if you found this helpful, interesting, or amusing, a kudo is a great way to show it!
--David