GMAT Strategy

I just finished the last of the OG problem solving questions last night and I finished flipping through the MGMAT Sentence Correction book as well. It's really good and I wish I had checked it out earlier. I think I'm ready to take this test but whenever I let my guard down, the anxiety and nervousness comes back. How the heck do you people relax and do nothing the day before?

I am really tempted to do the GMATPrep CAT #1 again tonight (without the AWAs) even though every piece of advice says to not take a practice test the day before the exam. I'm so used to studying right up until the point I take a test so taking a day off the day before feels so unnatural. Any advice as to what I can do tonight after work that would be helpful for my preparation? I'll watch tv with my wife and maybe play some video games to relax but I do want to do something test related...

go see a movie, play video games

DAYNE wrote:go see a movie, play video games

Quoted for Truth.

The only things I'd really consider doing in your position are:

1: Looking at the BTG flashcards.
2: Looking through any notes that you've made along the way and/or Sahlil/Spidey notes.
3: Explaining a couple of problems in the Quant or Verbal forums to other users (I really think this helps cement how questions work conceptually).

But yeah, watch a movie.

Best of luck! Looking forward to you reporting an awesome score tomorrow!

Riprop wrote:

DAYNE wrote:go see a movie, play video games

Quoted for Truth.

The only things I'd really consider doing in your position are:

1: Looking at the BTG flashcards.
2: Looking through any notes that you've made along the way and/or Sahlil/Spidey notes.
3: Explaining a couple of problems in the Quant or Verbal forums to other users (I really think this helps cement how questions work conceptually).

But yeah, watch a movie.

Best of luck! Looking forward to you reporting an awesome score tomorrow!

Thanks guys. I'll watch a movie with my wife this evening and go through the flash cards one more time. I definitely hope I can post a happy debrief tomorrow.

eskimoroll DO NOT take a practice exam tonight haha.. those 3 hours or so can be spent sleeping ahaha... get a good nights rest... eat a nice breakfast... i even did some quant problems before leaving my house but i did not look at the answers... didn't want to get down on myself if they were all wrong but just wanted my brain to start thinking GMAT...

money9111 wrote:eskimoroll DO NOT take a practice exam tonight haha.. those 3 hours or so can be spent sleeping ahaha... get a good nights rest... eat a nice breakfast... i even did some quant problems before leaving my house but i did not look at the answers... didn't want to get down on myself if they were all wrong but just wanted my brain to start thinking GMAT...

No worries about sleep. I took the day off of work tomorrow and my test doesn't start until 11:30. I haven't been sleeping as much as I should over the last few weeks so hopefully it doesn't catch up with me. I'll have to remember to pack snacks and a drink for tomorrow as well.

I think it depends on person. Some people do better studying right up to the test and others don't. I personally reviewed questions the night before and even right before my 8am test! And did well. Good thing you've been sleeping well because the night before the test it can be hard to calm your jitters. I got like 4 hours of the sleep the night before but good thing the last few days I got probably 9 hours a night. Still, I would not recommend doing a CAT! Review your error log or problem sets if it makes you feel better. I personally would not be able to watch a movie before my test! So I think it depends on person. It's good to get rest, but if it's out of your comfort zone it could make you feel insecure.

Riprop wrote:Quoted for Truth.

The only things I'd really consider doing in your position are:

1: Looking at the BTG flashcards.
2: Looking through any notes that you've made along the way and/or Sahlil/Spidey notes.
3: Explaining a couple of problems in the Quant or Verbal forums to other users (I really think this helps cement how questions work conceptually).

But yeah, watch a movie.

Best of luck! Looking forward to you reporting an awesome score tomorrow!

Great advice! Could you link to Sahil/Spidey's notes as I don't know where they are located?

Good luck Eskimoroll, I'm sure you will do fine!

Hey, eskimoroll-

Rest assured, anxiety before ANY standardized test is normal, and those who recommend not taking the test are definitely right. This is just going to get your mind racing and increase anxiety. You have put in the study time you need, and now it's time to get your mind in order OUTSIDE of the test.

Think about what relaxes you; if its video games, as you say, definitely give the thumbs a workout. If its a comedy, or reading a magazine, or taking a drive, do that. Trust your instincts; this day has nothing to do with GMAT; it has to do with getting into a sharp, relaxed state of mind. If you do review test materials, give yourself a time limit (we recommend 60-90 minutes max). Of course, make sure to get a full night of sleep tonight.

If you find yourself unable to stop worrying about the test, here's a link about test anxiety from the Knewton blog written by our test developer Nate, who, as a concert violist, is used to dealing with performance anxiety. The final step is about test day itself:

https://blog.knewton.com/2009/12/18/four ... t-anxiety/

And here is a nice document from ETS about conquering test anxiety (not directly about the GMAT, but has lots of good mental techniques to quiet your inner critic):

https://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/PRAXIS/p ... nxiety.pdf

Great luck!
Alex

JGoode wrote:

Riprop wrote:Quoted for Truth.

The only things I'd really consider doing in your position are:

1: Looking at the BTG flashcards.
2: Looking through any notes that you've made along the way and/or Sahlil/Spidey notes.
3: Explaining a couple of problems in the Quant or Verbal forums to other users (I really think this helps cement how questions work conceptually).

But yeah, watch a movie.

Best of luck! Looking forward to you reporting an awesome score tomorrow!

Great advice! Could you link to Sahil/Spidey's notes as I don't know where they are located?

Good luck Eskimoroll, I'm sure you will do fine!

Spidey's: https://www.beatthegmat.com/spidey-s-sen ... s-t25.html
Sahlil's: https://www.beatthegmat.com/sahil-s-gram ... s-t26.html

Good luck, JGoode!

Alex_Knewton wrote:Hey, eskimoroll-

Rest assured, anxiety before ANY standardized test is normal, and those who recommend not taking the test are definitely right. This is just going to get your mind racing and increase anxiety. You have put in the study time you need, and now it's time to get your mind in order OUTSIDE of the test.

Think about what relaxes you; if its video games, as you say, definitely give the thumbs a workout. If its a comedy, or reading a magazine, or taking a drive, do that. Trust your instincts; this day has nothing to do with GMAT; it has to do with getting into a sharp, relaxed state of mind. If you do review test materials, give yourself a time limit (we recommend 60-90 minutes max). Of course, make sure to get a full night of sleep tonight.

If you find yourself unable to stop worrying about the test, here's a link about test anxiety from the Knewton blog written by our test developer Nate, who, as a concert violist, is used to dealing with performance anxiety. The final step is about test day itself:

https://blog.knewton.com/2009/12/18/four ... t-anxiety/

And here is a nice document from ETS about conquering test anxiety (not directly about the GMAT, but has lots of good mental techniques to quiet your inner critic):

https://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/PRAXIS/p ... nxiety.pdf

Great luck!
Alex

Thanks Alex! I ended up watching TV with my wife, playing video games, and flipped through a few flash cards. I leave for the testing center in like an hour and I feel pretty good. I'm staying positive and hopefully I'll have some good news to share with you guys tonight!

Riprop wrote:Spidey's: https://www.beatthegmat.com/spidey-s-sen ... s-t25.html
Sahlil's: https://www.beatthegmat.com/sahil-s-gram ... s-t26.html

Good luck, JGoode!

Thanks a lot Riprop, really appreciate the links. They look great!

Any news from Eskimoroll? Hope it went well man.

The test went well. I'll post a debrief in the I beat the GMAT forum sometime tonight.

Congrats! score?

NIXBTG wrote:Congrats! score?

750. Here's my full debrief. https://www.beatthegmat.com/making-love- ... tml#253005