Hi All,
Thank you all for the great support and advice that you provide to GMAT takers like myself, which I found to be greatly beneficial. I would to share my first GMAT experience and hope that anyone who has been faced with the same situation can share their own experience on how they dealt with it.
I live in a very small country where GMAT test centre are not available due to the small population on the country and the low demand for such standardized tests The nearest test centre is located two driving hours away from my hometown in a different country. Although a two hour drive isn’t considered a long distance for many that commute between cities in large states and countries, in my case I had to go through immigration procedures that were time consuming and stressful at times. Most of the GMAT tests in this neighboring country start at 8:00am which meant I had to leave my house at 5am. I found it difficult to get a good night sleep the night before due to anxiety over the test, in addition I was very worried about the procedures I had to go through before arriving at the centre.
All these factors have led me to enter the testing room in a horrible state of mind, which I believe was a major reason for me achieving a low score that day, much lower than any score I achieved on my prep tests. I am pretty convinced now that being in the right mood and state of mind while taking the test is as important as the level of preparation for the test.
I am now preparing for my second test, which I’m scheduled to take in 20 days, however I’m worried that going through the same experience would result in another bad score. The test centre is located in a busy market area which is rather hard to find and easy to miss. The nearest hotel is also relatively far from the test centre. I would appreciate any advice from someone who’s been through the same situation or even suggestions from others that might help me tackle this problem… Thanks.