GMAT is a test on ANXIETY ( 700, 4th attempt)

Question

Hi Everybody.

Let this be a message in the form of a big thank you for all the people involved in this community.

Today I sat the gmat for the 4th time, and got a 700 (finally) which is enough for my masters degree. what i learned is that the gmat is a mental game, where you need to manage your stress and anxiety as good as possible!

First  attempt in October 660, Q45 and V36
- I knew my quant was weak before starting the test, and so I didn't excpect a great score. Was reasonably satisfied with this score as I though that only quant needed improvement.

Second  Attempt in November 620 Q48 V28 
- This was too weird for me. I had practiced my quant, which had gone up, luckly, but my verbal had decreased a lot! Ordered my ESR, which shows i had got 19th percentile in RC. So i started to improve that, while mainiting other areas of the gmat

Third Attempt  in December 630 Q48 V31
- I Was completly lost. How could i not achieve my verbal score of the first Gmat? I had improved my weak area (rc) but when i ordered the ESR it showed 19th percentile again... I didnt know what to do, i was scoring great verbal scores in the practice exams, but I seemed never be able to get my first verbal score from my first gmat attempt. Until i found the cause: anxiety. During my first attempt I didnt had anxiety, because I was 100% sure that I would get a great score and thus would have to reatke is. This relaxed state of my mind is what allowed me to get a V36 ( which i couldn't achieve anymore).

So I started studying anxiety instead of Gmat material, which I Had mastered.

Fourth attempt  in January 700 Q49 V37
- This basically confirmed i Was right.  It was anxiety, all the time . i even bumped my quant by studying anxiety

What I want to share with you:
 Gmat is all about anxiety.  Imagine this. Imagine you are 18, can drive car very well, but you go and take the driving exam. You are driving fine, but all of the sudden, you shift from 2 to 4, and the car breaks. U think in yourself, '' mann, i need to practice shifting gears more, because apparantly I dont know how to do it". So you start practicing it like crazy. What you don't know is that you had the skill all this time. U didn't need to improve it. It was stress which was preventing you to fully demonstrate the skill. This is EXACTLY what Gmat (especially verbal) is all about.

To study anxiety more I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING  2 sources:

-Lsat Test Mentality Webinar. ( EYE OPENER, talks about anxiety specifically for test taking situations)
-book: Dare - The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks (talks about anxiety in general, read this before webinar)

If you want a 700 plus score, your mental game needs to be strong!

what I did to manage anxiety on test:
-converted anxiety into excitement by blasting songs on my way to the test center( will make more sense if you read the book). This was so counter intuitive for me, but it helped so much! In my first 3 attempt, i always went to the test center without any music to fully concentrate. what i didnt knew was that this brought me in a wrong state of mind every time
- no caffeine whatsoever, even not in tea (replace regular tea with camomile, bc camomile tea has no caffeine
- limit alcohol as much as possible
- dont try to calm down, get excited

what i did not do:
-meditate/mindfulness. I felt like this was doing nothing for me.

what i recommend:
do what works for you

I hope this will help at least one person in his or her gmat journey!!

gmatFalcon · Answer

Thanks you for sharing valuable advices and information. Congratulations!!!!

Sent from my iPhone using GMAT Club Forum

mskx · Answer

Hey mate,

congratulations to your score! Today, I sat the GMAT and messed up the 3rd time. I was better prepared than ever (scored 4x in a row a 680 in practice exams at home under realistic conditions). I'm targeting a Msc aswell and want to achieve a 680 in the GMAT. The first both were ~600 and today I scored a shocking 550 (Q43 / V24). I freaked out completely during the exam and couldn't handle any question. I guess that I guessed roughly 35-40% of the quant questions, because I couldn't find a clear mind.

I'll give the Lsat Test Mentality Webinar a try, but dunno if this is really the key for me :/

GMATkid1997 · Answer

Im really sorry to hear that!
but dont give up hope! I also only discovered after my third attempt that the problem was anxiety! you CAN get a 680, as the manhattan Cats show

give the seminar a try!

One thing i need to mention though: CAT's at home are NOT realistic! go to your public library or university library! and do the exam on a PC, not your laptop!

I'll mension a couple of other things i did: I lamineted a couple of pages and bought the exam same marker as the exam center uses. I also did all my practice exams wearing plugs + headset. It is crucial that you become familiar with all those ''feelings"".

Also, START NOFAP. THIS IS will help you alot!!! I feel that it helps a lot with social anxiety, but also anxiety in general. Start a nofap 2-3 weeks before your exam for the effects to become noticable.

GENERAL ADVICE:
Firstly, you should try to avoid becoming anxious. (This will be nearly impossible!!) You will always feel anxious. But you can minimize it, by avoiding caffeine/alcohol. and by minimizing the consequences (for example, say to yourself that you can always retake.

So, you will become anxious. STEP 1: NOTICE YOU ARE BECOMING ANXIOUS. Just notice it. 
STEP 2: DONT TRY TO CALM DOWN. WAiting for your heart rate to slow down will be in vain, it wont happen. Instead start TO BELIEVE that wwhat you are feeling is excitement ( easier said than done).

STEp 3: FOCUS ON THE PROCES. what i mean by that is for example: when i get a SC, i remind myself to read the whole question. WHen i get an CR, i remind myself to find the conclusion. This keeps your mind busy!!

EducationAisle · Answer

Hearty Congratulations!

Four months, four attempts! Speaks volumes for your determination.

manglam · Answer

Hi, I felt I should share my GMAT experience too as I know how agitated I was before clicking the start button

. I am just mentioning my experience in coping up with all the stress and anxiety. GMAT is a grueling exam, no doubt about it. Kudos to you for attempting it 4 times and not giving up in the middle. Surviving those 4.5 hrs was difficult enough for me let alone the thought of re-taking it seems like a daunting task. Honestly speaking, I wasn't even ready to take the exam date as I always underestimated my capabilities. Only after a friend (who scored 740+) motivated me did I finally take the date and decided to try my luck. Even while practicing I couldn't sustain staring at a computer for more than 3 hrs, however, I gradually picked up the habit of sitting long hours only after I created an exam room scenario in my bedroom. I would practice with earplugs on in pin drop silence and time my answers. The initial phase of adjusting to this habit change is really really difficult but absolutely necessary. I have seen people who scored 750+ in mocks but bombed the real GMAT. I realized that is not the skill, rather just exam fear that comes into play - This is exactly what I needed to prepare for. Took all my mocks on laminated answer sheets and 12-inch computer screens (that was the size of monitors in my exam hall!!! - Extremely cheap quality and dismal contrast). Adjusting to the same font/contrast went a long way in helping me read the text displayed and focus effectively. Finally, I took a week off before my exam date to immerse myself completely into the environment. I had to adjust my sleeping cycle to wake-up early at 7 am, as I had scheduled my exam for 9, take a bath and wear the same clothes that I had decided for my exam day. I deliberately did not eat breakfast!! , I knew I wouldn't be able too on the exam day so why not start with it now. I had to even plan my water intake so that my bladder wouldn't screw me during the exam. Lastly, I had decided to eat 2 kit-kats (one in each break). Luckily, my habits materialized during the exam and I got what I aimed for. Final Advice: I still recall how frightened I was before entering the exam room but I did not try to fight my fear, rather embraced it. I thought and strolled for 2 hrs, with my future flashing before my eyes and everything hinging on these 4 hrs. I had vowed to not even think about anything else once I hit the start button on that monitor, therefore, please please think about all the other irrelevant things (future, score, schools) etc. before the commencing your exam. In those 4 hrs, all you should care about is solving those questions, that's it. Some questions are tough and can make you sweat but you need to realize there are 40 others that can boost your score. So don't bother about what you answered in the previous questions- Its a waste of time. You'll have all the time in the world to analyze and introspect later on - those 4 hrs, its you against the world.

GMATkid1997 · Answer

exactly

take exams on monitor, with laminated paper, with earplugs
while taking the exam, only focus on questions, nothing more, no outcome

Dont visualise getting a +700, this will only put pressure on you

Visuale getting the questions right!

udaypratapsingh99 · Answer

hey !
thanks for advice. And congratulations for finally 700 score. It was motivation.

If my post was helpful, press Kudos. If not, then just press Kudos !!!

GMATNinja · Answer

Anthonydh , sorry that I'm late to the party, but... CONGRATULATIONS!!

And thank you so much for the refreshingly honest debrief. And you're exactly right: for so many people, anxiety is bigger than any other factor, and as a community, we don't talk about it enough. There's no magic solution that I'm aware of, but I think a lot of GMAT Club members could benefit from reading posts like yours.

Congratulations again, and good luck with your applications!

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GMAT is a test on ANXIETY ( 700, 4th attempt)

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