This is for my tribe: the exhausted, over-stressed, slightly delusional GMAT soldiers who stare at DS questions like they’re written in alien language and wonder if Quant is secretly out to destroy our self-esteem.
Phase 1: The Honeymoon I started prep all excited. Bought shiny new books, downloaded apps, promised myself “2 hours daily, no excuses.” Day 1 was beautiful. By Day 3, I was already negotiating with myself:
“If I skip today, I’ll do double tomorrow.” Spoiler: Tomorrow never came.
Phase 2: The Stress Olympics Somewhere along the way, I joined the GMAT stress games. Categories included:
- Drinking coffee like it’s water.
- Randomly calculating probabilities of life events (“If 2 trains leave the station at the same time...”).
- Dreaming about DS questions where I scream “Is it sufficient or not???” at 3 AM.
Phase 3: The Burnout There came a point when even opening my prep book gave me war flashbacks. I thought of changing careers, moving to the Himalayas, and becoming a monk who doesn’t need MBA.
Phase 4: The Realization Then I realized — everyone feels this. Prep is not linear; it’s messy, tiring, and sometimes hilarious if you step back and look at yourself stress-solving equations that even your high school teacher has forgotten.
My Advice to Fellow Survivors- Laugh at your mistakes — they’re part of the journey.
- Take breaks — Netflix can sometimes be more helpful than a CR drill.
- Remember: GMAT is a test of stamina as much as strategy.
- And if you’re reading this while procrastinating... hey, at least you’re still on GMAT Club!