What to do 30-14-7-3-1 Days before the gmat

What to do 30-14-7-3-1 Days before the test

What to do at 30 days

• Book your appointment or at least check availability in your area. Note that some seasons/areas are in high demand and may be booked out months in advance. This was the case with me and I had to take an overnight trip to take the GMAT.
• At this time you should be within 60 points of your target score. E.g. if you are aiming for 700, you should be scoring 640 or above. If you are still 100 points below (unless you are taking an intensive course or intensive self study plan), you should seriously looking into 1) rescheduling; 2) finding the reason for being off-target
• What gmat club members wish they had known about the test

14 days

• Last day to reschedule the test without a penalty
• You should have finished covering all of the material or your course work
• If you have not already, this is a good time to start coming up with check-lists, items to memorize, and so on (some examples are here: Arithmetic to memorize; SC checklist by Whiplash)
• At this point you should plan on taking 2 – 3 full length tests per week to polish your test-taking skills and stamina. Spend most of your time reviewing, refreshing, and doing test/mistake analysis to spot areas that need to be polished
• Make sure you are familiar with the noteboard and how the marker works on the GMAT. You can get a set from here: https://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-GMAT-Si ... r-mr-title
• You should be within 40 points of your target score; if you are more than 80, you need to reschedule

7 days

• Point of no return – if you cancel after today, you will NOT get any credit and your test fee will be wasted. There are very few reasons why you should reschedule your test after this point in time.

3 days

• Familiarize yourself with the environment – video and list of rules/prohibited items (very important – you don’t want to visit your locker during the break and pull out notes/phone/etc). Your test will be canceled as the result.
• Consider a visit if that’s a part of town you never visited – find a good place to celebrate afterwards – you deserve it regardless of the score (and you will be starved at the end). Spot a starbucks if you need it before the test center

• Food for the test center – there is a whole discussion on this as well but the bottom line is – play safe and use familiar snacks. Don’t drink energy drinks if you usually don’t drink them.

1 Days (24 hours before the test)

• If possible, the last day before the test, should be a copy of your test day experience (wake up at the same time you would for the test, eat what you would, wear the same clothes, etc).
• Take the test at the same time as your appointment – try to take a GMAT prep if you have one left. If not, take whatever test is available. Make sure it is a full IR/AWA drill with breaks/etc.
• After you finish, do a brief review (don’t agonize too much) and have a healthy meal. Spend the rest of the day relaxing and doing something that would be relaxing for you and keep your mind off the test.
• It is OK to bring a few flashcards for the last set of concepts/check lists/etc for the test and glance at them/study as you go around your day but no heavy studying should be done now. For one it is too late, and two, you have a risk of not performing at the peak on the day of.
• Athletes train and force their bodies to adapt to the training schedule and their bodies start expecting to provide a certain level of output. Then before the competition, they take it easier for a day or two to get the most of mental and physical output when it counts. Make sure the test day is your best day, not your recovery day. If you run or exercise in the mornings, don’t do the double-doze even though you may feel absolutely up for it. It will wipe you out.

The BIG Day:

• Do not arrive super early – mistake many make (more than an hour in advance (half an hour is the best to give you time for unpredictable) – you won’t be able to take the test earlier and will only spend time waiting and stressing out. If your appointment is in the morning, you will have more time to sleep and rest.
• Do not stress out if you have not been able to fall asleep at the time like you usually do. It is a big day and most people get less sleep. Do not stress out about that. Everyone does it. That’s why it is helpful to schedule a test at least 30 days before the deadline so you can retake if you need to (not that you should plan on retaking but this should take some stress away). If you are a procrastinator and know that you won’t be motivated enough if you have a secondary date then you may want to use an opposite strategy.
• Don't screw up - know the rules! 8-things-not-to-do-at-the-test-center-120625.html
• Good luck!

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