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GMAT in two weeks
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Hello. I am retaking the gmat in two weeks. I took my first attempt last month. I feel as if my first test was a fluke because I significantly scored higher in practice. Steps and sleepiness I believe caused this issue for me. How can improve my stress management during the test and sleep better the night before? Thank you.
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Rich@EconomistGMAT
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Hi mlevit89,
This might sound like a no-brainer, but I think you touched on something really crucial to managing stress on test day. You're aware that you were sleepy during your previous exam, so the first step to managing this is simple: make sure you get a solid 8 hours of sleep the night before.
Additionally, avoid overstudying the day before your exam, especially if you've put in long hours leading up to this attempt. Cramming is completely counterproductive. You won't learn anything new by staring at your prep materials all day, and you'll end up bringing additional stress into the test room. Feel free to knock out a few practice questions, though, just to get into test mode.
We actually wrote about how to use the day before the GMAT on our blog, which you can check out here: https://bit.ly/1ExL6mv
Best of luck,
Rich
This might sound like a no-brainer, but I think you touched on something really crucial to managing stress on test day. You're aware that you were sleepy during your previous exam, so the first step to managing this is simple: make sure you get a solid 8 hours of sleep the night before.
Additionally, avoid overstudying the day before your exam, especially if you've put in long hours leading up to this attempt. Cramming is completely counterproductive. You won't learn anything new by staring at your prep materials all day, and you'll end up bringing additional stress into the test room. Feel free to knock out a few practice questions, though, just to get into test mode.
We actually wrote about how to use the day before the GMAT on our blog, which you can check out here: https://bit.ly/1ExL6mv
Best of luck,
Rich
GMAT/MBA Expert
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Hi mlevit89,
To minimize stress, you should try to focus on the 'process' - the steps that you consistently go through when dealing with GMAT questions. Don't just stare at the screen, give yourself 'tasks' - in that way, the work becomes far more 'automatic' and you can put your energies towards the note-taking and organization (which are essential to answering GMAT questions).
Everyone gets excited the night before the GMAT, and that might impact how well you sleep. There are things that you can do to sleep better though - don't drink caffeine or eat sugar in the last few hours before bedtime, try to go to bed at the same time every night, try a warm glass of milk or tea or take some Melatonin.
The backstory on all of this can be found here:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/finished-all ... 83236.html
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
To minimize stress, you should try to focus on the 'process' - the steps that you consistently go through when dealing with GMAT questions. Don't just stare at the screen, give yourself 'tasks' - in that way, the work becomes far more 'automatic' and you can put your energies towards the note-taking and organization (which are essential to answering GMAT questions).
Everyone gets excited the night before the GMAT, and that might impact how well you sleep. There are things that you can do to sleep better though - don't drink caffeine or eat sugar in the last few hours before bedtime, try to go to bed at the same time every night, try a warm glass of milk or tea or take some Melatonin.
The backstory on all of this can be found here:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/finished-all ... 83236.html
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
GMAT/MBA Expert
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ceilidh.erickson
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Stress is often the result of placing a good deal of importance on the outcome of the task. One way to reduce this is to tell yourself, "this test is just for practice. I don't need to get my perfect score this time - it doesn't matter what the score is. I can take it again."
Because business schools don't care very much if you take it 3 or 4 times instead of 2, treat the next round like a practice round, and it'll take the pressure off.
Because business schools don't care very much if you take it 3 or 4 times instead of 2, treat the next round like a practice round, and it'll take the pressure off.
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
GMAT/MBA Expert
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[email protected]
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Hi mlevit89,
Is this score from a practice CAT or the Official GMAT?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Is this score from a practice CAT or the Official GMAT?
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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VivianKerr
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Congrats on the 720 (Q49 V39)! I'm not sure if you're planning to re-take again, but if you are, there is some great anxiety-reducing tips here: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/arti ... niques.cfm
There is also this cool article from the NYTimes about the difference ways humans respond to stress/pressure: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magaz ... .html?_r=0
Hope these help!
There is also this cool article from the NYTimes about the difference ways humans respond to stress/pressure: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magaz ... .html?_r=0
Hope these help!
Vivian Kerr
GMAT Rockstar, Tutor
https://www.GMATrockstar.com
https://www.yelp.com/biz/gmat-rockstar-los-angeles
Former Kaplan and Grockit instructor, freelance GMAT content creator, now offering affordable, effective, Skype-tutoring for the GMAT at $150/hr. Contact: [email protected]
Thank you for all the "thanks" and "follows"!
GMAT Rockstar, Tutor
https://www.GMATrockstar.com
https://www.yelp.com/biz/gmat-rockstar-los-angeles
Former Kaplan and Grockit instructor, freelance GMAT content creator, now offering affordable, effective, Skype-tutoring for the GMAT at $150/hr. Contact: [email protected]
Thank you for all the "thanks" and "follows"!
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Rich@EconomistGMAT
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Hi mlevit89,
I'm also curious to know if this was your retake score or a practice exam. If this was an official score, congratulations! If this was just an update on your original post, I'm curious to know why you were planning on retaking. 720 is an excellent score, and if this was your score on the first attempt, it's likely good enough to get you accepted to business school. If you're unsure, feel free to reach out to admissions officers at the schools you're interested in to see if they have a baseline score for accepted applicants before retaking again.
Best,
Rich
I'm also curious to know if this was your retake score or a practice exam. If this was an official score, congratulations! If this was just an update on your original post, I'm curious to know why you were planning on retaking. 720 is an excellent score, and if this was your score on the first attempt, it's likely good enough to get you accepted to business school. If you're unsure, feel free to reach out to admissions officers at the schools you're interested in to see if they have a baseline score for accepted applicants before retaking again.
Best,
Rich
