GMAT Strategy

This may be an off the wall post, but to those of us addicted to this terrible nasty habit I don't think it is. I had my first GMAT prep class today and it was 3 hours long. We did get a 10 minute break about halfway through but I'm trying to train my brain to forget about smoking while inundated with GMAT material.

I pose this question to anyone who is a smoker - were you able to make it outside - smoke - and back to your station without losing any precious time? Unfortunately these are the things that I'm preparing for.

People always ask me now - Why don't you just stop.. and I say "well that's not going to happen until after the GMAT... can't focus on two things at once!"

:-/

Hi,

I'm not sure you're allowed to leave the break room to go outside and smoke. Can anyone confirm?
Also, the break goes really quickly, since you have to sign in and out everytime you enter and leave the exam room. You also have to factor in the time to open your locker, get the cigarettes, go to the washroom and maybe eat something...

So, unless you finish the questions early and they actually allow you to leave the break room, I don't see how it can be done.


mr T

yes, you can make it work.
I went for a smoke, and to the bathroom.
unfortunatly i lost about 1.5 minutes by the time i got back to the test.
If i cut out the bathroom i would have been fine.
i guess it also depends on how fast you can inhale a cigarette...

aahh the patch! Good idea... i don't start shaking or anything like that.. and im confident that I can make it through... but once your brain starts telling yourself "i need a cigarette"... it's a lost cause... the patch is definitely a good idea though... maybe i should change my thought process and instead of saying "i'll stop after the GMAT".. i should say "i'll cut down FOR the GMAT"

artyglav I could make sure that I inhaled a cigarette fairly quickly if it came down to that lmao although losing 1.5 minutes in Verbal would be very sucky...

how about www.BeatTheBadHabit.com

I am an ex smoker and I can testify that sometimes it is worth to have a cigarette and start the quant or verbal section 1 minute late than no cigarette and not being able to focus at all. I stopped cold turkey the day after my wedding, 2 years ago, and never touched it again. I seriously don't miss the taste and the smell, especially since I started biking intensively and got back in shape!

Cigarette is the devil!

Good luck my friend.

Carllecat... Didn't think of it that way... I guess it wouldn't be the end all be all if I was a minute late. I would definitely be more calm during verbal where you definitely have to focus. Thanks for the input!

wow.... I hate to admit this but I have my test next month and I am afraid that I may attempt the stunt of going out for a smoke...lol...
On a more serious note though, I really think it would be a bad idea... I mean you really don't want to put your future on line for a smoke break. My dear fellow smokers please think it through and try to do some practice tests without the smoke breaks.

Oh yes definitely practice WITHOUT the smoke break, but a great point was brought up. If you're someone who is addicted, think about how much the thought of a cigarette takes over your brain when you really need one. I know for me, once that thought gets into my head, it consumes me. I've tried to test myself before to see if I could go a full day w/o a cigarette and by those last hours I couldn't think of anything else.

If I were to lose 1 minute but was able to have a smoke that would put my mind at ease. I've decided though that as of this coming Sunday, I'm going to cut back BECAUSE my future is too important!

This is an old post, but since I was an ex-smoker, I feel compelled to respond.

A little background on my smoking history: I've smoked for about 10 years before officially quitting this January. Before quitting, I smoked anywhere from one to two packs a day depending on the level of my stress. I took frequent smoke breaks throughout the day and if I had a choice, I would not go for more than an hour or two without a cigarette. If I didn't have a cigarette after two hours I would get agitated, tempermental, and I can't think of anything but smoking. Because of my addiction, I would try to avoid doing any activities that prevented me from smoking for more than two hours. In other words, I would rather not watch a movie, or *gasp* fly for a vacation if I had a choice. My wife tried to make me quit numerous times by showing me photos of "smoker's lungs" or by telling me stories of people dying from smoking. However, her scare tactics were counterproductive. Whenever I saw these photos or heard of these stories, it raised my stress level and the first thing that came to my mind was ... I need a smoke. It was a vicious guilt cycle.

How I quit: I tried quitting smoking a few times last year. I've tried patch, gum, Chantix, electronic cigarettes, but nothing worked for me. I thought that I would never be able to break free from my terrible addiction and I just have to accept that I would die at an earlier age than I would like. However, towards the end of last year, I stumbled upon a book called "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr. (https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Way-Stop-Smo ... 933&sr=8-1). The book had raving reviews and I figured, it's only $8 for the book, which is less than a pack of cigarettes, so I gave it a shot. It took me about a week to read the book and by the time I finished, I had no desire to smoke anymore. No doubt, the first day was the hardest for me as my mind was consumed by the thought of smoking. However, after day one, it progressively got easier. Day 3 was when I truly felt liberated.

So, if you had thought of quitting smoking ... give this book a shot. You have nothing to lose. If you learn better by seminars or videos, you could see if they have one near by: https://www.theeasywaytostopsmoking.com/. I haven't been in one, but read great reviews of them.

I just signed up for the Veritas course starting next weekend, and the course runs from 10am - 5pm. Honestly, if I hadn't quit smoking, I don't think I could even handle the thought of being in class for so long. Also, just the thought of taking the GMAT exam is a lot of stress for me ... I have to figure out how much time I need to go to the bathroom, drink some water, eat something light and nutrious, relax, and have a smoke all within the 8-minute break. I guess that's why I hadn't thought about going to MBA until now.

Sorry for my long post. As you can see, I am very glad that I quit smoking. This thread would be a great success if I could motivate and/or possibly get one person who read this thread to quit smoking.