GMAT in two weeks

Question

Hello. I am retaking the gmat in two weeks. I took my first attempt last month. I feel as if my first test was a fluke because I significantly scored higher in practice. Steps and sleepiness I believe caused this issue for me. How can improve my stress management during the test and sleep better the night before? Thank you.

GMATPill · Answer

When it comes to psychological aspects of the test and stress management - make sure you think extreme positivity and pay attention to this critical element of the test. We highly recommend that you read through the psychological tips that we put together for you on this blog post: https://www.gmatpill.com/about/studying- ... trategies/

mlevit89 · Answer

Thank you very much. That is a great article.

itsmedavidv · Answer

Question: Why are you taking it in such short time? Why not ID your weaknesses and take further time to study? Seems like application season is over. Think about it, I believe there is still time to reschedule.

For starters, read this article, is is great!  https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/blog/2011/06/21/everything-you-need-to-know-about-time-management/ 
In short, know your weaknesses and the questions you almost never get correct and guess to move on! Gain back the time to ensure you have plenty of time to answer the questions you do know so that you are not docked more points for missing easy questions due to time stress.

Also, be healthy and treat your body right. SLEEP!!! Eat well, drink WATER, and DO NOT STUDY LAST MINUTE. Seriously.... Do not study the last day before your test, DO NOT EVEN open a book. Do something fun. Also, DRILL DRILL DRILL DRILL as much as you can the last week. Get used to the timing.

Make a routine of your test. Develop a process to your test day. Do everything the same way.

This is what I did on test day.

Appointment was at 1pm. 
Woke up at 7:30. 
Relaxed in bed for an hour listening to music. 
Went to my favorite restaurant for the best protein breakfast. NO COFFEE!! 
By 11:30 I was ready and drove to test center. Arrived at 12pm.
Listened to a playlist of motivation music. 
Looked at a photo of my loved ones. 
Went in 30 mins ahead of time. Be ready to test if they have the availability.
Only bring in your water, food, keys, and ID. Leave everything else at home or in the car. Bring a jacket. 
Once you've checking in, put your KEYS in your locker. 
Put your water and food in your coat. They have a coat rack for easy access. Less stress to get during breaks. Non one will take it. 
Right before entering test center, I did 20 jumping jacks, yes I looked crazy but it's my test, and it got my brain flowing with blood. 
Make sure to go to restroom so you don't have to go during test. 
After IR, you get 1st break. Pay close attention, you get 8 mins. 
Take 4-5 minutes MAX as the time to get checked back in is also counted during break, do not let that stress you. 
On your breaks, follow the process you do at home. My 1st break I drink a red bull and eat a banana. (works for me, not for most).
Do quant section. Do not kill yourself on questions or answers. Forget quant. You got to be ready for verbal. You're 1/2 way there. 
2nd Break - I eat a protein bar and drink a few drinks of water. Bio break, regardless of quantity. 
During verbal, move the keyboard away. Use all your space. I used my hands to block out answers I didn't want to see. Remember to skip questions you get wrong. If you get  BOLD  questions, if you never answer correctly, GUESS and move on. Those are challenging for a reason. 
Finally, breathe during the entire test. Relax. You got this.

(off soap box, drops mic)

mlevit89 · Answer

- itsmedavidv
Thank you for the reply. The reason I am taking it again so quickly is because I think I am ready for the test. On all of the GMAT Prep cats i scored 780 and over. I believe the reason I failed the first time was due to a lot of the routine based tips you gave me. I did not sleep well, I was very anxious, I overate, and I was feeling negative. I have been combating these issues this month and I have taken a full length CAT this past weekend and scored another 780. I am ready for this test. I will kill it this Saturday and end my GMAT journey. Wish me success!!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi mlevit89,

This is the first time you've mentioned your practice CAT scores in any of your posts. Scoring 780+ on each of your GMAC CATs is a rather rare "feat", so I'd like to know a bit more about how you took those CATs:

1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take the CATs at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
3) Did you take the CATs at home.
4) Did you do ANYTHING during these CATs that you weren't allowed to do on Test Day (pause the CAT, listen to music, etc.)?
5) Did you take any of these CATs more than once?
6) Had you seen any of the CAT questions BEFORE you took the CATs?

7) How long was the ride to the Test Center from your home?
8) Were there any 'surprises' on Test Day?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

mlevit89 · Answer

1. I took the entire CAT this past Saturday, before then I did not take full CATS.
2. I took the CATs on the same day and the same time.
3. I took the CATs in a home office not inside my actual apartment.
4. I followed GMAT CAT rules throughout the test.
5. Yes.
6. Other than from seeing the questions from the CATs I have already taken, no.
7. It is a 15 minute drive.
8. Yes, I did not know that If you sign in you break is over. That shook me up for the quant section.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi mlevit89,

This extra information is important in that it points to reasons why these recent CAT scores are likely not completely accurate. Test Day is a specific 'event' which you CAN train for, but the more your practice deviates from the reality of Test Day, the more likely your scores are to be unrealistic (and often "inflated").

By not taking the entire CAT each time AND seeing questions that you had already answered, you took shorter, easier Tests (compared to what you will face on the Official GMAT). This is all meant to say that while you probably can score higher than your last Official GMAT score, it's not likely to be a 780+ (at least not based on the evidence that you've provided).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

mlevit89 · Answer

Thank you Rich,
With the information that you provided, what do you recommend be my next steps. A score between 700 and 780 is acceptable for my goals. As you noted I might be able to score between that range and I honestly believe I can. In light of all this, what do you suggest? Thank you.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi mlevit89,

From the date on the original post in this thread, am I correct in assuming that your GMAT is in 1 week?

If so, then you don't necessarily have to take any more practice CATs. At your current scoring level, the GMAT becomes really "sensitive" to little mistakes, so the real issue now is 'precision.' Your work in this last week should focus on THAT. What can you do to make sure that you don't do anything silly or make any little mistakes? Usually the answer that "question" is take more notes, be better organized, label your work, etc.

You might find it beneficial to go back and review the questions that you got wrong earlier on in your studies. Physically redo them and focus on the 'steps' involved in solving each. You're clearly smart enough and capable enough to hit a 700+ score, but little mistakes KILL Test Takers who want to score at that level, so you really need to work to eliminate as many of them as possible from your processes.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

mlevit89 · Answer

720 Q49 V39. Not bad but my verbal kinda brought me down

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