Anxiety Can Be a Big Source of Low GMAT Motivation

A significant obstacle that GMAT students face is anxiety. If you’ve ever suffered from anxiety, you know that it can be paralyzing. If anxiety creeps in during your GMAT preparation, it will negatively impact your motivation to study.

Let’s discuss two of the most common causes of GMAT-related anxiety and how to overcome them.

Cause #1: You Have Not Given Yourself Sufficient GMAT Prep Time

I can’t tell you how often I speak with GMAT students who need a 200+ point score increase yet are giving themselves only five weeks to study. Unfortunately, trying to obtain such a score increase in such a short period is like trying to push a boulder up a mountain; it’s just not going to happen. However, students will still try to make these situations work, and in doing so, they get overwhelmed with anxiety. Thus, they find it very difficult to make any progress at all in their GMAT preparation.

If you find yourself in this situation, your path is simple: reschedule your GMAT for a later date. While you may be taking the GMAT at a certain time to meet an application deadline, that deadline won’t matter if you don’t hit your target GMAT score. So, by giving yourself more time to prepare, you reduce any potential anxiety that could derail your motivation.

Cause #2: You Have Expectations of Overnight Success

One misconception about the GMAT is that you can study hard for a few weeks and score 715+ on test day. However, this type of “overnight success” is impossible for most GMAT students.

So, if you are just beginning your GMAT journey, do not expect to increase your score by 200 points in 2 weeks. By believing that such a score increase is possible, you are setting yourself up for failure. Then, when that miracle does not happen, you will likely feel demotivated. So, rather than rushing the process, take a gradual and structured approach to your GMAT studying. In the end, you will be happy that you took the time to do things the right way.

Reach out to me with any questions about your GMAT prep. Happy studying!

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep