Managing Timing and Anxiety - Test in 4 days!

Question

Hi Experts and Test Takers, seeking some advice here. 
I have a target score of 720 from my initial score of approx. 400 4 months ago. After months of preparing via  TargetTestPrep  and an institute in my vicinity before that (35% of TTPs completion so 1 month approx, 2 months from the institute), I felt confident in the concepts and re-attempted a reset Official Practice Exam in which  I had scored 550  (Q36,V29)  2 months ago , and ended up  with the same 550 (Q35V30) yesterday.  Disappointed, since I was aiming for a 680 at least. However, my issue this time around is in the timing and managing anxiety, leading to an inability in recalling concepts in Quant, and a lack of practice on Verbal.
Quant:
I spent 5 minutes in the first question and at every point I felt I could solve questions to make up for it, but that barely happened. I knew how to solve most questions and the easy ones, but skipped them thinking they'd take longer. Also 3-4 silly errors. At this point, I'd like your advice on how I can encounter my anxiety and manage time better in Quant, and even verbal for that matter.  Once I see that I'm behind on the clock, I start to panic and then the battle with time takes precedence over understanding and solving the question on the screen.
 
Any advice here would be much appreciated.

MartyTargetTestPrep 
 GMATNinja 
 EMPOWERgmatVerbal   bb 
 HaileyCusimano 
 KarishmaB

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Consider using question/time markers. If you feel it takes you a couple of questions to get "warmed up" during a mock, it might be worth doing a few easy practice questions beforehand.

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Ritwickhota · Answer

Okay Thank you. Any advice on time management, like timestamps or how often to keep a time check?

KarishmaB · Answer

It seems to be a lack of practice. If you are convinced your concepts are in place, practice 50 questions of each topic - easy, medium and difficult - under timed conditions, say in sets of 10 or 20 each. 
Anxiety originates from a lack of confidence for which the only fix is preparation. Once you know you are prepared, you have understood and reviewed everything that the test can throw at you, anxiety will be replaced by excitement at facing a worthy competitor.

Score-Quest · Answer

Think about how anyone feels when starting something new: there's always a bit of anxiety, right? The key to overcoming this is practice, practice, and more practice. The more mocks you take, the more 'normal' the exam setting will feel. Your goal is to reach a point where sitting for the actual exam feels just like another mock test. Familiarity breeds confidence.

For Quant, it's crucial not to spend too much time on any single question. If you're stuck for more than 2 minutes, it's better to make an educated guess and move on. Remember, it's about managing the overall test, not just one question. This approach will help you maintain a steady pace and reduce anxiety.

Keep up your hard work, and remember, each mock test is a step closer to making the exam feel like just another practice session.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Ritwickhota,

Here is a great article you can check out that has some tips on managing anxiety.

How to Eliminate GMAT Test-Day Anxiety

If you need to discuss anything in detail, feel free to reach out to the team. We are here for whatever you need.

Managing Timing and Anxiety - Test in 4 days!

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