How a Growth Mindset Can Change Your GMAT Prep
The truth is that you can always strengthen your core abilities and develop qualities that may not feel natural today. Much of what it takes to foster a growth mindset is learning to see yourself with clarity. For example, if you believe you are naturally strong in verbal but weaker in quant, or the other way around, step back and examine your history with each subject. Ask yourself how much time you have spent practicing, how much structured exposure you have had, and whether you have given each area your full effort. In most cases, you will find that the gap between the two is not explained by innate talent but by the different levels of time and attention you have invested.
It is equally important to see others clearly. If you learn that a peer has achieved a high GMAT score, resist the instinct to feel discouraged. Instead, look to understand what went into that outcome. Even if their path seems effortless from the outside, you can be confident that preparation played a role. No one is born with the ability to answer GMAT quant questions quickly and accurately. At some point, that individual worked to build the skill set required. By studying their approach and borrowing what works, you put yourself in a position to achieve a similar outcome.
Another part of fostering growth is understanding how learning works. Progress is never a straight line. Some periods will feel smooth and rewarding, while others will feel difficult and even frustrating. The more you recognize that the difficult phases are often when your brain is doing the most growth, the easier it becomes to persist. Rather than resist those moments, you can embrace them as essential to building lasting ability.
At the highest level, it helps to remember something simple and logical: ability is developed through practice and sustained effort. You have grown in many areas before, and you can grow again. Each study session, each review of a missed question, each moment of persistence adds up.
By adopting a growth mindset, you begin to see mistakes, setbacks, and challenges not as barriers but as opportunities to learn. That perspective will not only help you master the GMAT but also serve you well in other demanding areas of life.
If you have questions about your GMAT preparation, I encourage you to reach out.
Warmest regards,
Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep
