pretzel wrote:
Hi friends,
I attempted three times testing myself solely on Verbal section, completing approximately 41 questions at an average time of 1 hour 5 minutes. But throughout the process I realized that either I had lost concentration by the time I reached CR section or I seemed to be able to place more concentration at the latter CR and SC. I got lost in the passage or arguments and I was not even clear of what I was reading.
How do you cope with the sudden mental block? I don't want that to happen on exam day.
Troubled,
pretzel
GMAT is no easy feat when it comes to stamina. I would suggest that you practice with full time tests to get used to the gruesome length of the test. Initially, when you are just starting out with the prep it happens that you feel fatigued, especially during the verbal section. Some Redbull before the verbal section helped me, so much so that I'd have it even during the mocks. Keep practicing and after you've taken around 8-9 full length mocks you should be fine.
The
Manhattan GMAT RC guide has some nice tips on how to do well on RC. These tips also address problems having to do with maintaining focus through long and dry RC passages. The key is to really try and connect with the passage. You've got to get into it using visualization, personalization etc...Sometimes just taking a short 10 second break and taking in deep breaths also helped me get rid of the mental block.
All the best.