How to stay focused during the test?

Question

Please, share tricks for staying mentally focused when taking the GMAT (practice or real).....special foods, medicine, excersises prayers, meditation, etc....

I find it very difficult to stay focused for a long period of time. Sometimes I just need to take a 1 min break in the middle of a section and regroup. When that happens during a RC passage, I'd have to start over and read from the beginning.....

buffdaddy · Answer

all i can say is i only drank a little water and did not eat at all..and I DID LOSE FOCUS during verbal.

so i'd eat a little something, half a banana or something in each break. I also only look 4 mins after AWA and 5 mins after Quant. Now i wish i doubled those times, it would have helped.

also don't get too hot or too cold

test_taker · Answer

drink cold coffee (like Nescafe) or tea before verbal (and not earlier). If you can't get it, try coke - it also contains coffein
When I drove a car for long distances I used to drink energetic drinks like red bull, too, but to my mind they alter your reasoning so avoid their use

Tarmac · Answer

In my opinion you should do nothing different on the test day, make it as normal as possible. I don't eat breakfast normally so I didn't eat breakfast on test day, I'm only an occasional coffee drinker so I didn't have one on test day. I took each break allowed and got some water, walked around. I don't snack normally so I didn't snack. Try to keep it as familiar as possible, you don't want to try some new energy drink, have it get you wired and nervous, and then start thinking of some funny aftertaste in your mouth during some mega CR passage...

bobinabob2 · Answer

any drugs out there to stimulate the mind?

maverick101 · Answer

I have to take atleast one break during each sessions. I had to get up, strecth a little bit, move your neck around a few times.

I tried chewing gum too.

Can we take some food with us and eat during the exam????

chineseburned · Answer

I've been trying to research those: https://www.bodybuilding.com/store/mem.htm

Tangaroo · Answer

Not sure if this is the policy at all centers, but mine did NOT let me chew gum or bring any in my pockets! This really freaked me out b/c I chew gum a lot on a daily basis, not just to calm me down but to avoid getting a dry mouth. Also, I don't think my center had a vending machine and they didn't let me go to my locker to grab anything, so I don;t think you should bring food.

ENEM · Answer

this worked for me. I feel quite stressed when I take the test, if I was losing focus, I kept talking to myself aggressively, to pull my attention back and I also used a lot of cuss words throughout the test(very softly though, don't disturb others), swearing helped me release the stress and focus.

Also during the breaks, apart from using the washroom, splashing water my face and eating a little. I stood in place and jumped, it might look a little odd, but it will help circulate blood to all parts of your body, then I bent down for a few seconds to allow blood to flow to my brain. I kept talking to myself, just like a coach talks to his/her boxer before entering the ring. You need to keep yourself motivated. If you can stay calm and focused by observing your breath,that's great. But the test is time bound and stressful so I'm not sure how much that will really help.

ilinyevg · Answer

I have the same issue during exam. For my Verbal part was the most difficult one. It was the last and in the middle I realized that it is really difficult to concentrate. My advice is to make a short brake. It is better to skip one question than answer incorrect on lest 10.

GMATNinja · Answer

Fun to see this thread revived, nine years later!

A few thoughts:

No gum is allowed at all in GMAT test centers. Sorry. I'll admit that I've wedged a chunk into my cheek a few times during actual GMAT and GRE exams, but technically speaking, it's against the policies.
Of course you're allowed into your locker to grab food during your breaks. The people running Tangaroo's test center back in 2008 were just plain wrong.
And yes, you definitely should eat during your breaks. Keeping your blood sugar stable is one of the most important things you can do to maintain your concentration. Just steer clear of super-sugary snacks, or else you might crash in the middle of the test: https://www.gmatninja.com/2013/04/01/sna ... s-in-gmat/
For anybody who struggles to maintain focus on the verbal section (me!), I'd recommend practicing with LSAT CR & RC sections. They feel harder than GMAT questions, and really help build your capacity for suffering through painful passages: https://www.gmatninja.com/2012/11/12/lsa ... rehension/.
Personally, I drink tons of caffeine during my pre-verbal break -- but that's just me. If you're not used to drinking caffeine -- or if you have a tendency to get nervous or jittery -- then it's a bad idea to suddenly start drinking the stuff just for the GMAT. I strongly recommend experimenting with snacks and caffeine during your full GMATPrep exams, just to see what works for you personally.

Toffelfabriken · Answer

Maybe you could look into whether there are any pre-exam routines that are messing things up for you. For example, not having slept enough, not having had food or water in a while, having been stressed before starting, feeling tired, not having gotten any exercise in a while etc. can all negatively impact your performance.

If you like taking your mocks in the morning, maybe you could try starting with a cold shower to wake you up. You could also try having a little to eat and drink shortly before the mock, just so your brain isn't running on empty. You could try going out for a short walk or jog before, to help wake yourself up.

All of these things won't necessarily help in your case, but I found during my prep that simple things like just having slept well the night before played a big role. If nothing else, it's worth a try.

Edit: Didn't realize this was such an old thread. At least maybe someone else will find this useful.

Toffelfabriken · Answer

I'm happy to hear that it was appreciated. For me personally, I had two things that had to go right before the exam: making sure I was awake and alert with a clear head, as well as taking out as many sources of stress and uncertainty as possible.

For the first one, getting about 9-10 hours of sleep, waking up early in the morning, having a healthy breakfast and taking a cold shower helped. That way, I felt calm and had a clear mind and was ready for 100% focus.

For the second one, I had planned out the exact route to the test center in advance, made a list of every item I needed to bring, set multiple different alarm clocks (in case one failed), made sure I got to the test center at least an hour in advance and made sure I woke up well in advance such that I didn't need to stress.

Of course, what works for me might not work for other people, but the point is that your routine before the exam (or before mocks, for that matter) does impact your performance.

Toffelfabriken · Answer

I guess we'll keep this in this thread, since it's related to the original topic and since others may find it helpful.

You don't want to have way too much time before the exam. That will just make you restless and stressed. Just plan it so you have enough time to have breakfast, pack your stuff and do whatever else you need to do, without having to hurry.

I found that getting to the test centre an hour in advance was beneficial. It gives you enough time to find your way inside the building, do the check-in process, go to the bathroom and sit down and have a breather before starting. You don't want to have to rush any of this - that will likely just make you stressed and throw you off later on. In short, you should avoid having to worry about anything other than the exam itself.

Many people, including myself, agree that the 24 hours before the exam should be spent doing anything but studying. This depends on the test-taker though. For example, I found that I got out of practice on RC pretty quick, so I found it helpful to do just a few easy passages the day before, just to have my strategy fresh in my memory.

I also found it helpful to do my last mock test ~3 days before the exam, just for the whole exam procedure to feel completely familiar on exam day.

Thanks for the compliment, by the way. Hopefully some of this was of use to you.

	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

How to stay focused during the test?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards