okavishi
Hi Everyone,
I took the official GMAT over a month and a half ago. Scored poorly and wasn't happy with the result so I got a private tutor and started working really hard to pin-point problem areas and rapidly improve.
Here are my scores thus far:
- August 18th, 2016 - Official GMAT - 660 Q49 V31
- September 26th - GMATPrep Practice Exam #1 (Full Exam) - 640 Q48 V30 IR8
- October 4th - GMATPrep Practice Exam #1 (No AWA or IR) - 730 Q50 V39
- October 9th - GMATPrep Practice Exam #2 (No AWA or IR) - 710 Q49 V39
- October 10th - GMATPrep Practice Exam #3 (Full Exam) - 730 Q49 V41
- October 11th - GMATPrep Practice Exam #4 (Full Exam) - 640 Q47 V31
There was a substantial improvement in the last week where I scored significantly higher on verbal than I have ever before. And the best part was that it was consistent. I took 3 practices tests back to back so I'm thinking that fatigue played a huge factor (especially since, I've reviewed every practice exam thoroughly and know the material well by now)...
Anyways, I'm very worried and wondering what else I can do in the next 2 days before my test. My exam is coming up on Friday, 10/14 at 1:30 PM. I was so confident but now I'm extremely doubtful that I will make any sort of improvement on my official results.
Dear
okavishi,
I'm happy to respond.
My friend, students sometimes imagine that their "GMAT level" is a fixed quantity, like how much one can bench-press. Yes, it takes time to build up, but once you have it, you should always have it. That's what people think, and it's not really true. You see, performing well on the GMAT requires you to be in tip-top shape in all ways. If you are tired or haven't eaten well or are stressed in any way, that could have a huge impact on your score. This is precisely why only 10% of the test taking population gets above 700. Probably twice as many have the knowledge required to get over a 700, but to have everything "lined up" in one's metabolism and psyche so that one is operating in peak form is very hard.
The good news is that you can do this. You have the intellectual talent to cross the 700 barrier. Now, you just have to get your body in top form so it can support your brain.
Here's what I'll suggest over the next few days:
1) every night, get fully adequate sleep, even more if possible. If you can take a day off and sleep late the day before, that's ideal.
2) eat very well between now and the test: no junk food at all, only high quality healthy food.
3) drink a lot of water
4) no soda, no alcohol, no drug
5) practice slow deep breathing, full belly breaths, constantly throughout the entire day
6) keep your mood positive: deeply confident and without any attachment to outcome
For more, see this blog:
Zen Boot Camp for the GMATLet me know if you have any questions. Best of luck to you!
Mike