{"id":32595,"date":"2016-03-29T10:07:37","date_gmt":"2016-03-29T17:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/kickstarting-your-gre-or-gmat-prep-pt-3\/"},"modified":"2016-03-29T10:07:37","modified_gmt":"2016-03-29T17:07:37","slug":"kickstarting-your-gre-or-gmat-prep-pt-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/kickstarting-your-gre-or-gmat-prep-pt-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Kickstarting Your GRE or GMAT Prep, Pt. 3"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Practicing<\/a><\/p>\n

Give the Test Day experience a trial run.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Whether you\u2019re shooting for a fall 2016 matriculation to business school or are a junior or sophomore wanting to lock in a surefire test score for future enrollment, the <\/span><\/i>GRE<\/span><\/i><\/a> or <\/span><\/i>GMAT<\/span><\/i><\/a> could be your key to acceptance. With several months still to go, we continue to offer helpful planning tips in the third part of our \u201cKickstarting Your GRE or GMAT Prep\u201d blog series.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Start your GRE or GMAT prep with a practice test<\/b><\/h4>\n

You might think you need to prep in order to take your first GRE or GMAT practice test, but doing so puts the cart before the Test Day horse. In truth, taking a practice test ought to be your first step in preparing for one of the most challenging exams you\u2019ll ever take.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Look under the Test Day hood<\/b><\/h4>\n

Sitting for a practice GRE or GMAT empowers you to discover what you need to prep for. Without such reconnaissance, you ride blindly into Test Day. Think of it this way: would you trust an auto repair specialist who hands you a quote without ever assessing your vehicle? A practice test is an ideal means of looking under the hood at your testing behaviors.<\/span><\/p>\n

True, taking a practice may feel as if you\u2019re entering the ring with an opponent sight unseen, but a practice test is your chance to \u201cspar\u201d with the champ\u2014without sustaining bruises\u2014and to learn a lot about the test. Doing so at the start of your GRE or GMAT prep is a work-smarter way to avoid having Test Day knock you out cold.<\/span><\/p>\n

Practice your testing behaviors<\/b><\/h4>\n

Both the GRE and GMAT are content-neutral tests, meaning that you need little prerequisite coursework beyond early high school level math and a college level vocabulary. As an assessment of cognitive behavior (and not a math or English test), the GRE and GMAT use problem solving scenarios that reward work-smarter\/not-harder behaviors and punish unsavvy ones that are not indicative of successful business students.<\/span><\/p>\n

Starting your prep with a practice test not only acquaints you with the test itself but, more importantly, also renders a diagnosis of how you behave under the adversities imposed by the testing situation:<\/span><\/p>\n