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Nerves Got the Better of Me =/

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Nerves Got the Better of Me =/

by Joe22 » Thu Sep 03, 2015 6:03 am
All,

So I took the GMAT yesterday and scored substantially lower than my practice scores. In the past Month, I've gotten a 620 (MGMAT), 620 (GMAT PREP) and 660 (GMAT Prep). With 37-39 (Quant) and 38-41 (Verbal). The very first time I took a GMAT test (3 months ago) I scored a 560 and I took that cold. However, yesterday I scored an abysmal 540 27 (Quant) and 37 (verbal). I've taken all tests under test-like conditions.

I think it was the nerves and the fact that I didn't eat much the day of the exam because of an upset stomach. I also went to play basketball earlier in the day in order to calm down, but after playing I felt extremely lightheaded. During the entire quant section, I was feeling light headed like I was going to pass out. Verbal I felt fine.

I think the score has to do with my not being in optimal condition, so I plan on studying at a relaxed pace this next month (1-2 hours a day) and just taking it again in a month. My goal is a 650, but I'd be happy with anything even close to 650.

Thoughts?
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Thu Sep 03, 2015 7:23 am
Definitely nerves - a very common phenomenon.
As part of your preparation, I suggest that you work on adopting the proper mindset/attitude on test day. To this end, you may be interested in reading the following articles:
- https://www.gmatprepnow.com/articles/min ... -destroyer
- https://www.gmatprepnow.com/articles/jun ... g-big-gmat

Also, if you're interested, we have a free video on the topic on overcoming test anxiety: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gener ... es?id=1252

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
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by [email protected] » Thu Sep 03, 2015 8:54 am
Hi Joe22,

From what you described, you put some significant physical 'stresses' on yourself before taking your GMAT and that very likely impacted your performance.

I have a few questions about how you took your CATs:
1) Did you take the ENTIRE CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?
2) Did you take them at home?
3) Did you take them at the same time of day as your Official GMAT?
4) Did you ever do ANYTHING during your CATs that you couldn't do on Test Day (pause the CAT, skip sections, take longer breaks, etc.)?
5) Did you ever take a CAT more than once?
6) Did you typically limit your food intake and do some type of physical activity before taking a CAT?

Thankfully, Test Day is a predictable, standardized 'event', but it sounds like you might not have properly thought through the details and trained for it.

What practice resources did you use?
When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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by Bara » Sat Sep 05, 2015 11:59 am
Yes: sounds like nerves.

It's GREAT that you played basketball to try to help: but have you done this prior and it worked? Have you felt nervous on tests before? There is not a one-size-fits all way to eliminate a person's anxiety. But if you don't deal with it, likely it will cross pup again.

Anxiety is a real, trackable, AND treatable thing...and something that if you want to overcome, you need to approach with the same curiosity and engagement that you'd approach a quant or verbal question.

Your situation isn't unique. Many people go through what you're going through so you have to do YOUR homework to figure out what is going to work for you.

Ours is the only company that has anxiety relief as part of our protocol to work with GMAT test takers. We implement mindful and holistic tools like hypnosis, visualization, Neuro-linguistic programming, sound therapy, EFT, EMDR and more to get students out of their own way to feel focused, calm, confident and in their best self while taking the test. We are, intact, to test takers what trainers and SPORTS PSYCHOLOGISTS are to athletes.

So I'm here to tell you: there is no silver bullet. There are many choices. And it's your job to figure out what will work best... H Once you figure it out. You'll be able to get rid of the anxiety quickly. SUPER quickly. Here are a few things you can start with:
  • Identify if you've felt this way in the past and what did you do about it?
    Do you often get a stomach ache before an exam, presentation or something 'important'?
    Does not eating 'help' with your stomach ache?
    If you have had issues in the past, has the expression of the anxiety/nervousness gotten worse?
    Where are your go-to habits for feeling comfortable, relaxed and/or calm?
    How do you want to feel and when have you felt that way?
Our Full Potential Manual has many exercises and techniques to dispel jitters. Link here:https://www.amazon.com/Full-Potential-Se ... bara+sapir

Our Full Potential Audio has 5+ hours consisting over over 35 exercises to help with this. The sample itself is helpful (and a half hour) on our site. Listen to it! It's designed to help you get out of your own way.https://testprepny.com/full-potential-audio-program/

If you're in the Bay Area, I'll be giving a talk, actually at Barnes and Noble Saturday, 10/10 2pm at the Emeryvile Barnes & Noble...(which I'll post somewhere else here). We'll likely tape it and put on our website. Link to this event is here:https://www.facebook.com/events/754332904677069/

I've posted several places on here various techniques to help with nervousness/anxiety of this which might also be useful.

Let us know how you proceed through all this!

Good Luck!

Best,

Bara
Bara Sapir, MA, CHt, CNLP
Founder/CEO City Test Prep
Maximize your Score, Minimize your Stress!
GMAT Badass and Test Anxiety Relief Expert
SPEEDREADING: https://citytestprep.com/mindflow-workshops/
ANXIETY RELIEF: https://citytestprep.com/mindfulness-therapy/
BOOK: https://tinyurl.com/TPNYSC
TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McA4aqCNS-c
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