Feel out of touch and lost

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Feel out of touch and lost

by crack_attack_gmat » Sun Oct 17, 2010 4:26 am
My first attempt on my GMAT got me only 570 ( Q 43 and V 26) on Nov 30, 2009.

I have spent the last 2 months and a half studying very seriously. I was planing to take my test around Oct 15 to Oct 20. But due to unavoidable personal circumstances, I had to travel in the week of Oct 7 through Oct 15. I had earlier scheduled a GMAT appointment for Oct 9 which then had to be cancelled just two days prior to Oct 9. I lost the $250.00 fee. It was just crazy.

Now I am back home but I feel like i have lost all my wheels and focus. I am just not same in my focus and dedication to take the test. I feel stupid and dumb sitting here thinking about how I had to cancel just 7 to 10 days prior to my test, and I repeatedly compare how motivated and strong I felt then vs now.

My motivation, resolve, focus has all disappeared. I am just not the same person I think. After coming back home, I feel like I dont remember anything I studied so far. For example the last SC that I solved was on September 5 - almost 2 weeks back. It is a very unsettling feeling that I have lost all the momentum that I had gained until I cancelled the test. I am targeting a 720+ score, like most other test takers.

I have to take the test now or never. Time is also running out and I wanted to be done with all my application my mid Dec.
I want to study but I also want to run away from this room that I am holed up.

What should I do to put my thought, focus and motivation back together and how much more do I need to study to get to around 720.


My practice test scores were:

==============================
Some time in the 2nd week of September, 2010:

GMAT Prep 1: 640 ( Q45, V32)
GMAT Prep 1: 660 ( Q47, V35)

==============================

Manhattan GMAT CATs::

September 27, 2010:---- 680 (Q47, V35)
September 28, 2010:---- 640 (Q36, V41)
September 30, 2010:---- 640 (Q43, V35)
October 4, 2010:------- 650 (Q44, V35)

==============================
43Q, 26V ( try 1 570)
Need 780
Source: — GMAT Strategy |

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by Brian@VeritasPrep » Mon Oct 18, 2010 2:00 pm
Hey crack_attack:

First, I think I speak on behalf of the whole community here when I say that we wish you the best of luck with what sounds like some potentially-difficult circumstances. I'm sure that the GMAT wasn't the only thing impacted by that situation and I hope that you're doing okay on the whole.

As it relates to the GMAT, I think it's similar to many heavy-training situations in which taking a week or two off feels really strange when you've been in a groove up to that point. Like an athlete having to sit out for a week or two based on injury, taking a week or two away from GMAT prep may make your first few days back feel difficult because you've lost some of that momentum.

I also think, however, that your "muscle memory" for the GMAT will come back pretty quickly once you've put a few days into it. It sounds like you're only a couple days back into your routine, so my guess is that you're in the reacclimation phase, which should go quickly if you had been regularly studying for a couple months before having to take a break.

My advice - take a few days to study with absolutely no pressure...just do small sets of GMAT problems without timing them and without worrying too much about how you're doing, but instead just get used to things like "a phrase separated by a comma...that looks like a modifier so I should see if it accurately describes what it's next to", etc. That way you can get your familiarity with the test back without feeling stress about it...my guess is that you'll remind yourself that you're pretty good at and kind of enjoy the GMAT, and within a few days you'll be ready to jump-start things with something like a practice test this weekend to kick off GMAT Study 2.0.
Brian Galvin
GMAT Instructor
Chief Academic Officer
Veritas Prep

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