I made mistakes and now I'm scared

Question

Hey everyone, this is my first post.

About six months ago I realized that I might want to go to grad school and there is only one school that I want to go to. They don't have a GMAT score requirement but they like it if it is in the 500s. I never thought it was a big deal and in January (I graduated at the end of December) I visited the school and fell in love. I thought that this was the kick in the butt that I needed because I purchased the eGmat course not long but sadly did not touch it until a few weeks ago.
 
I don't know why I keep putting it off, possibly it's because I know that this exam can make or break my future and it's easier to not think about it but it is also because I always feel so incredibly stupid when I study for any of the math sections. I haven't covered math since I was 17 and now that I realized how unprepared I am the fear just keeps me from studying because I hate how I feel about myself.

This is the horrible part, when I bought the course I scheduled my exam: April 18th. Yes. Less than 1 week away from today and I am not prepared at all. The verbal portion is my strong suit so I'm mainly freaked out about the math. 
How do you actually take the time to study after work? I am always so mentally drained and sitting down for a few hours to feel stupid is not how I want to spend my evenings.

u1983 · Answer

Hello ClaireOR ...... welcome to the community. Let me be honest. GMAT is an adaptive test of one's ability. So please, please do not expect any magic on the test day ( although, if that happens.... just take it

). Now ur within the range of 7 days.... so if u cancel the test ... u will lose money. So take the exam in a free mind. If you do not get your desired score .... u can always take it after some time. I would : i. Take a practice test by GMAC to set up my expectation and also will mark my weak areas. ii. Take the exam .... and set up the baseline. I would also get the ESR for weakness analysis. iii. As you are good in verbal ..... keep a short and steady pace of practice with all 3 each day ( maybe 5 SC - 5 CR - 2 RC) - Make sure u know why the wrong choices are wrong( this is more important than knowing why the correct is correct ). iv. Now for Quant, I would look for a gradual improvement. Below is what I generally suggest to my forum friends : 1. Use GMAT Club pdf (free !!

)to refresh and/or learn the concepts tested in the exam. 2. Start practicing 500 level Qs at the links below, and once I reach 90% accuracy I would move to 600 level. 3. Similarly, at 600 level I would strive for 80-85% accuracy and then move to 700 level. 4. And then continue with 700 level ..... more the merrier !! 5. Finally, use GMAT Club Q-Tests if you are targetting Q48++

DS : https://gmatclub.com/forum/ds-question- ... 28728.html PS : https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-ps-ques ... 27957.html All the best !!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi ClaireOR,

Since your Official GMAT is in less than a week, it's too late to reschedule it. Unfortunately, it's probably also too late to make any big changes to how you approach the Exam (that type of work often requires months of study). However, from what you describe, it's not clear how 'important' the GMAT is to the overall application process at this School. Based on the information available, does this School have any Score data available (re: the Average GMAT Score for the most recent incoming Class, a minimum Score needed to apply, etc.) that you can use as a basis for comparison?

Beyond that data, have you taken any practice tests yet (and if you have, then how did you Score)?

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

gmat1393 · Answer

Hi  ClaireOR

Since your GMAT exam is less than a week, its too late to reschedule it.
For Quant I would suggest you go thru Manhattan Quant guides and couple them with GMAT club quant book,which includes all the basics and foundation you would need for Quant.

Then you can solve 600-700 level questions from the PS and DS question directory and try to aim for atleast 75% accuracy.

Thanks

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi ClaireOR,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. First off, I want you to understand that YOU CAN learn GMAT quant. Sure, it may seem scary at the moment, but if you follow the right study plan, you 100% CAN improve your GMAT quant skills. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you are just not and can never be good at math. Too often, students convince themselves that they are “just not math people.” What a ridiculous, harmful, and self-limiting thought. Often these people score significantly lower on the GMAT than they would have if they had revised their way of thinking about how math skills are gained. If they believed in the power of hard work in gaining math proficiency, as do experts who study math education, these students could set themselves up for higher GMAT scores, better degrees, and higher-paying jobs.

The thought that someone is not a math person is just as crazy as the thought that someone is not a music person or a ping pong person or a soccer person. How does a person become good at music? He or she works extremely hard. How does a person become good at ping pong? He or she works extremely hard. How does a person become good at soccer? He or she works extremely hard. So, how does a person excel at math? You are correct; he or she works extremely hard.

The biggest secret about GMAT math is that anyone can master GMAT math if he or she is willing to put in the work, which is, by the way, maybe two to three times, or more in some cases, the amount of work that many students expect to put into their GMAT math prep. When it comes to GMAT math, you can, without exaggeration, outwork your competition to outscore them. If your competition is studying GMAT math for 100 hours, then study GMAT math for 200 hours and you will be about twice as skilled as they are. If your competition is studying GMAT math for 200 hours, then study GMAT math for 300 hours and you will be about 50 percent more skilled than they are. When you take the test, your work will show.

Don’t feel for even one second that people who score high on GMAT quant are innately or genetically talented at math. They are not. They just learned more about math than the competition did. You need to empower yourself with the truth, and the truth of the matter is that mastering GMAT math is much, much more about the time you spend on the water practicing the art of sailing, to use an analogy, than it is about the boat in which you are sailing.

If you’d like to read more about why there is no such thing as a “math person” and a “non-math person,” check out this wonderful article to see what some experts have to say: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/a ... th/280914/. I think you’ll see that the consensus is strikingly clear: You can work your way to strong math skills. And, yes, you can work your way to an impressive GMAT quant score.

Now, if you are not willing to outwork the competition (or to at least work as hard as they are working), then that is a different story. That story centers on motivation and the desire, or lack thereof, to meet the competitive standards set forth by the GMAT and by the students who take the GMAT.

Lastly, I agree with much of what has been said regarding your GMAT test date. At this point, your best bet is to keep preparing and take the test on that date. When you take the test, answer as many questions as you can in quant and verbal, and see how you do. For all you know, you will hit your score goal on that day. If you don't, then you can dive into a study plan and take the GMAT once you are ready. Also, you may find it helpful to read this article about How to Increase Your GMAT Quant Score.

Feel free to reach out with further questions. Good luck!

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