GMAT NERVES, ANXIETY , CALMNESS

Hi shubhamrai249,

Many GMATers feel some anxiety when taking the Official GMAT, so you're not alone. That having been said, we have to be careful about assuming that that anxiety is the only reason why you might be under-performing when taking the Official Exam. When these types of score drops occur, the two likely "causes" involve either something that was unrealistic during practice or something that was surprising (or not accounted for) on Test Day. Before we discuss any of those potential issues though, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?
4) On what dates have you taken each of your Official GMATs and how did you score on each?

Goals:
5) What is your overall goal score?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

If you took your any of your Official GMATs at a Test Center, then you might also choose to purchase the Enhanced Score Report for that Exam. While the ESR doesn’t provide a lot of information, there are usually a few data points that we can use to define what went wrong on Test Day (and what you should work on to score higher). If you purchase the ESR, then I'll be happy to analyze it for you.

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

Contact Rich at: Rich.C@empowergmat.com

Hey shubhamrai249 hope this finds you in good health

As someone who has suffered from extreme anxiety before every exam, I am sharing tips I used to train my nerves specifically for the GMAT exam back in 2018.

1. Replicate or visualize the exam environment as closely as you can during your mocks
If anything, my first unsuccessful attempt at GMAT made me familiar with exactly what I would face the next time around - the infrastructure, the small dingy test cubicles, old-style bulky desktops, hard-keyed keyboards, a tiny notepad for calculations, and so on. This helped me to visualize the exam day every time I sat for a mock and my brain was not taken in for a shock when I got to the same test center the 2nd (and last) time.

2. Follow a fixed study routine and schedule your mocks ahead of time (just as you would schedule your actual exam)
Take mocks at the same time slot as when you plan to take the actual exam. I always took mocks in the afternoon, and also took the actual exam around the same time slot. Following a steady schedule during the preparation phase can trick your brain into believing that the exam day is no different than your routine weekly mock.

3. Do not take a break between sections during mocks to build up your stamina
Since I was preparing for an exam for the first time after almost 5 years of finishing school, I realized my focus and physical stamina were up to no good for such a lengthy and intense psychometric exam. Therefore for my mocks, I decided to always attempt the verbal and quant section in one go, which was a struggle in the beginning but gradually my endurance increased as did my ability to stay focused on the questions.

4. Ace your prep
Since Quant was always my weak area, I picked up the GMATClub mocks which, at least at the time were considered the most brutal quant mocks out there. I attempted and deep-dived into each of the 26 mock exams for the next 2 months. My Quant prep was all self-study and I aced a Q51. For the AWA I practiced and memorized a format that I knew would work for most questions and would not yield anything less than a 6. In this manner, I only had to deal with 2 sections realistically speaking. IR was not a real thing back then.

To reinforce thinking power and for recreational reading, I suggest you a great book (that I would not have read if it were not for my GMAT exam) - "Thinking fast and slow" by Daniel Kahneman. Preparing for a psychometric exam and reading a book on psychology in parallel got my nerd mode on, and I started enjoying seeing how GMAT pattern questions could or could not trick me into picking the wrong answers.

I did a very structured prep overall, maintained a log of my mistakes, and was able to categorize SC, RC, and CR into question types. Once I reached this stage, I knew I would be able to see and solve similar patterns on the actual exam.

My preparation method was probably too stringent and harsh (on me), but I knew I needed the confidence to be able to control my nerves on the final exam. For this reason, I tried to control every variable out there.


Best wishes to you

Hi shubhamrai249,

In addition to the advice you receive here on GMAT club, do you want to consider getting in touch with a (medical) professional? Few forum members are likely to have true expertise in this area.

Hi shubhamrai249

You may find this helpful:

All the best!