Thanks, Ted.
It's really great that you mentioned this book. While this test-taker may NOT have anxiety, it's still a great opportunity to bring it up, and elaborate more - - because there might be others on the forum who would very well benefit from learning what other resources are available in this arena.
The book you mention,
Taking the Anxiety Out of Taking Tests, and many others, are great resources for folks who read information and solutions for reducing fear, increasing relaxation, and improving study then follow the directions. This book, and those like it, walk the test-taker through the causes of anxiety, and then the exercises, such as breathing, visualizing, and affirming, to help you alleviate it's debilitating effects. So if you are good at 'reading' then 'doing,' go for it.
If you prefer to
experience change in a more immediate way, there are several easy and empowering things I'd recommend, including taking up a yoga practice and/or exercise routine, spending time outside at least once a day for a 15 - 30 minutes, ideally in a place with a beautiful view or in nature, getting solid nights of sleep, eating well, and so on. Performing one's best is about balance. Then there a host of more holistic methods to improve your performance if you know what is ailing you. It's all about behavior modification and doing what you can to not have your buttons pushed–the wrong way.
For an instructional and immediacy to the exercises like those the Barnes & Noble book describes, I would recommend upgrade your listening to classical and relaxation music, to explore the Monroe Institute product line and our own Test Prep audio series. Monroe has created an audio line which incorporates binaural beat technology which helps align your brain to the task at hand (simply put).(A description of this powerful process can be found here:
https://www.monroeinstitute.com/content. ... tent_id=38 and their store can be found:
https://www.monroeinstitute.com/store/home.php?cat=3) Their products fall under 'general' titles rather than being GMAT-focused.
We've incorporated similar binaural beat technology and added to it a variety of performance-enhancement methods, including sound therapy, guided visualization, meditation, neuro-linguistic programming, and more, to create the
only GMAT test support audio course around: The Full Potential Audio (tm) Series:GMAT.
You can listen to our half-hour sampler for free at:
https://testprepny.com/pages/products_gmat.htm. Ours is the
only product of its kind that offers 33+ exercises for GMAT test takers to ignite the 6 aspects of peak performance: Focus/Concentration, Retention/Recall, Relaxation, Anxiety Relief and Stress Management and Confidence Building.
Whatever you do to master the material and learn from your weaknesses, do it, and remember to address your whole self: it isn't just your intelligence entering the test: it's your entire emotional and physical history of test-taking, good and bad.
