How to tackle the fear of giving full length GMAT CAT

Question

Well I have been studying for the GMAT for a while now and have been fairing well in my mocks , being slightly dyslexic because of which I end up doing silly mistakes , I don't know why but I keep getting haunted with a fear of failing or doing badly in an actual GMAT exam ,I really get anxious seeing the timer ticking which always gets me under pressure ... although I have the accuracy but pacing with timing restrictions has always been a challenge for me because of which I sometimes end up not completing the section especially quant...
It would be great if someone could motivate or guide me on how to keep my head cool while giving full length CAT ..

Regards,
Archit

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Archit,

To start, have you actually been diagnosed as having dyslexia or are you jokingly referring to 'dyslexia' as the cause of your little mistakes? I ask because the first is an actual condition while the second is generally the result of being disorganized with how you approach the question-solving process. By extension, your 'next steps' would be quite different.

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, 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?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

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

AjiteshArun · Answer

You could try hiding the timer, but then you run the risk of running out of time. As for not doing well on the actual exam, keep in mind that apart from the time and money spent, there are no other real negatives here. If you are capable of doing well but don't do well on your first attempt, you can always take the exam again (and again, if necessary).

And if you're already doing well on the GMATPreps, you  are  capable of doing well on the actual GMAT.

Archit3110 · Answer

EMPOWERgmatRichC :
Well by dyslexic i meant in a kind away , as I sometimes overlook the question and end up doing a careless mistake.

For the other part of your question below is my response:
Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
I started my prep in April'18 &
2) What study materials have you used so far?
Manhattan mainly and OG.. apart from these two I have been extensively using the gmatclub CAT quizes, manhattan quizes and CAT of Manhattan and mba.com ; so as to overcome the issue of timing especially in quant section I have been practising daily set of 30-40 questions on Manhattan Gmat prep app ' web version' and gmatclub.

3) How have you scored on EACH of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Verbal : 31-35 and quant: 42-45 "average ", IR 4-5

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
at least 710
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
Nov end- Dec beginning 
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
R2 most likely 
7) What Schools are you planning to apply to? 
IMD, HEC, IESE, Said, Insead,

Will give brief about my profile as well:
I am a graduate petroleum engineer 75% , 2.74/4 GPA and have work experience of 74 months with a German leading energy company..
My goal after MBA is to continue to work in the energy sector as an energy advisor or in leadership roles...

All i am seeking is some motivation and advise on how to boost my morale in the last leg of this GMAT marathon which I had begun in April this year...

Archit3110 · Answer

AjiteshArun

Thanks for your input, I understand what you mean.. all I need at this moment is a warrior like attitude to face and defeat the tasks upfront of me using the skills which have acquired during the course of my preparation, its just the fear which of what/if etc which comes into my mind and has been causing delay in things for me.. i think giving exam time and again isnt the right approach because you have already invested so much of time, money and energy and doing it again doesnt always help much , its better to prepare once in the best way possible and then give the exam... 
Any ways appreciate your advise.. thanks..

VeritasPrepBrian · Answer

One important thing to keep in mind about taking the official GMAT is that the  only  tangible negative consequence of a bad score is that you may have just wasted $250. Which isn't a good thing of course, but that's it...with the cancellation policies so lenient and with the fact that even if you have a lower-than-you'd-like score that you didn't cancel, schools really only care about your top score, there's no real reason to fear any results of a bad score. You can make it go away with a click of a button and no one has to know.

I like to tell students that the only noteworthy thing that can happen on test day is a high score that improves your candidacy at your dream scores. Anything else just isn't noteworthy...if it's a terrible score you cancel it and it goes away, and if it's an okay score you keep it around so that you at least have some chance of applying, and you regroup to take it again. So there isn't anything to fear - you can be pretty relaxed knowing that it's only a memorable day if it goes well. If it doesn't, it was just a Tuesday.

Archit3110 · Answer

VeritasPrepBrian  thanks for posting under this topic , seeing your post it does feel to me now that what I am going through is common with most of the students.. 
Really appreciate the advise which you have given and I would keep that in mind.. thanks for motivating...

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Archit,

When I asked about your CAT Scores, I was not asking for a 'range' of your values - I was asking for exact results. This data is important since it can help to define patterns in your performance and whether you have gotten 'stuck' at a particular score level or not. As such, I have a few additional questions about how you took your CATs:

1) On what dates did you take each of your CATs. What were the exact scores for each CAT (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for each)?
2) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
3) Did you take them at home?
4) Did you take them at the same time of day as when you plan to take your Official GMAT?
5) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)? 
6) Did you ever take a CAT more than once? Had you seen any of the questions BEFORE (re: on a prior CAT, in an online forum or in a practice set)?

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

JulietJane · Answer

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