TLDR; Got anxious during first attempt. Focused on getting in the right frame of mind for the second attempt instead of simply studying. Did great on second attempt.
Hey all,
Just took my second GMAT, and this time I got a score of 730 (V40 Q49). It's been an interesting journey, let me tell you that..
In this post, I'll focus on the test-taking environment and experience, and my frame of mind, along with some peripheral prep details. Here goes.
Prep used:
- GMAT
OG-- bread and butter stuff. Very helpful in understanding patterns in verbal and quant questions, and great for understanding how the test makers want you to think.
- GMAT Verbal and Quant Review-- bread and butter stuff. Very helpful in understanding patterns in verbal and quant questions, and great for understanding how the test makers want you to think.
- LSAT RC-- only used because I was running out of RC questions too fast.
-
GMAT Whiz-- great prep source that helped me significantly improve my verbal performance.
- GMAT advanced questions-- a bit over the top IMHO, I found the other official GMAT materials to be sufficient. Though I imagine this to be very useful if you're targeting an elite score.
Mock test scores:
1) GMAT Prep Exam 1- 1st Attempt 660 (Q47 V35) (1st April 2020), 2nd Attempt 770 (Q50 V45) (11 July 2020)
2) GMAT Prep Exam 2- 730 (Q47 V42) (16 May 2020)
3) GMAT Prep Exam 3- 710 (Q49 V40) (21 May 2020)
4) GMAT Prep Exam 4- 720 (Q50 V38) (30 May 2020)
5) GMAT Prep Exam 5- 700 (Q47 V39) (1 August 2020)
6) GMAT Prep Exam 6- 700 (Q51 V31) (3 August 2020)
I took the actual GMAT on the 4th of August and bombed (650, V34 Q44). Naturally, this left me quite shook.
I was extremely anxious from the get-go. I was in the frame of mind that a bad test score=not getting into MBA program of my choice=life's screwed. Even before the test started, I was breathing heavy, sweating, second-guessing myself.. the whole 9 yards of utter discomfort.
Needless to say, this discomfort seeped into my test performance, and I could not concentrate even for a minute. During the test, I felt my mind wandering and lost all confidence in what I was doing- questions that I could normally finish without breaking a sweat seemed like Herculean tasks..
After this experience I decided to focus not on the studying, but rather on keeping composure during test time. To make sure I went in with a good frame of mind, I:
- Started exercising again (1 hour per day)
- Started to meditate (20 minutes a day)
- Ate healthily
- Focused on keeping my sleeping schedule right
- placed studying as a second priority
and most importantly, told myself it's OK to not get my target score
I used this page as a reference:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/about/tips/ove ... y-breathe/The second time, I went in with a clear mind. I was completely screwed for time during the verbal section (I had 14 questions left in the last 18 minutes), but I kept my composure and wiggled my way to a V40 (can recommend this video for timing tips, especially if you find yourself in a situation like mine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT0vSq0eP1k). The Quant section went comfortably too. By the end of those two, I was feeling quite good about myself, and IR and the essay were smooth sailing
Point being- studying is one part of the story, and keeping a cool head on test day another. Don't underestimate the apprehensions that come with test day, and prepare yourself to go in with a cool mind.
Best of luck to those taking the GMAT soon, and I hope this post was useful to some of you!
Cheers,
A