good advice for a higher score
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03 Nov 2005, 07:41
Hello all. I took the GMAT on 9/26/05 and scored a 610, I took it again last monday (10/31/05) and scored a 710 (Q48,V40). In about a month I jumped 100 points not from studying concepts or learning new tricks to crack the GMAT, but rather from improving my mental attitude.
I have been a member of this site of about 6 months and I something think that people miss out on how important a positive mental attitude is. I think it is just as important as learning the GMAT math and verbal concepts.
I remember before I started studying for the GAMT I took a diagnostic test and scored a 610. I figured this was my lowest I could go and with a good study plan (I took a prep course) I will no doubt raise my score for the real thing. My progress was great. I was scoring over 700 on almost all my practice tests. I was ready to join the 700 club. However, with all the studying and practicing for the real thing I could not do any better. When I scored a 610 on the real thing, I remember being very nervous. I also remember spending too much time on a couple problems and having to guess on them. That adversely affected me the remainder of the test. My score showed it. I was severely dejected. I knew I had to take it again and I knew I could do better. However, I wasn't going to just hit the books and grind through a ton of problems. The knowledge of GMAT material was not my issue, it was my mental attitude. I was too nervous, too stressed, and too tired to perfrom well. These feelings I had not encountered before during my studies. You see, when you take a practice test, you know that it is not for real, so you feel calm and relaxed. Only the real thing will bring out those negative emotions, an it is those negative emotions that make easy problems look hard.
In that month between tests I spent 95% of my time learning how to control my negative feelings through yoga and breathing exercises. The other 5% was doing problems to stay polished in the GMAT skills.
I guess what I am trying to say is to make sure you have the ability to control your feelings. Everyone is different, so you must find what works for you. Make it part of your study plan.
It is key to:
-stay calm
-stay focused
-remain positive
-do not think about any other problem other than the one right in front of you. Do not think of the math section while taking the verbal section.
I hope this helps people.