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Anxiety over quant

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Anxiety over quant

by cfleck » Sun Jan 11, 2015 10:05 am
I've been studying for the GMAT for about 2 months now, and am scheduled to take it on February 17. I've been following the Beat the GMAT 60-day study guide, but giving myself more time on some topics with which I struggle. I'm supposed to take the second CAT to see where I've made improvements and where I need to continue to focus, but when I hit the quant section, I freeze. It's like the last 2 months (and all of my high school and college courses) disappear and I go blank. I know it's a mental block because that's where I feel weakest when it comes to the test. I'm terrified this will happen on test day.

I plan on just working as many PS and DS problems as I can get my hands on to get more comfortable and try to build my confidence. I was just curious if anyone has any other suggestions?
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by [email protected] » Sun Jan 11, 2015 1:46 pm
Hi cfleck,

Does this reaction happen on EVERY Quant question or only on certain types of questions? Some Test Takers have bad reactions to "wordy" questions, but many word problems are actually quite easy - they're more about taking notes and doing some basic arithmetic than anything else. For others, Geometry can be upsetting, but Geometry is really just about knowing which formulas apply.

Can you describe your reaction in a bit more detail?

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by MartyMurray » Sun Jan 11, 2015 4:41 pm
cfleck wrote:I've been studying for the GMAT for about 2 months now, and am scheduled to take it on February 17. I've been following the Beat the GMAT 60-day study guide, but giving myself more time on some topics with which I struggle. I'm supposed to take the second CAT to see where I've made improvements and where I need to continue to focus, but when I hit the quant section, I freeze. It's like the last 2 months (and all of my high school and college courses) disappear and I go blank. I know it's a mental block because that's where I feel weakest when it comes to the test. I'm terrified this will happen on test day.

I plan on just working as many PS and DS problems as I can get my hands on to get more comfortable and try to build my confidence. I was just curious if anyone has any other suggestions?
One thing you could do is apply a bike riding analogy I use. When one is riding a bike there are uphills and downhills. The thing to do is keep pedaling.

The same thing applies with these questions. You just keep at it. Do something. Take a step and take another.

Often the questions on the GMAT look totally freaky. I mean they are creative and often that window opens and the quant question you see looks significantly different from any you have seen previously. It's not like a normal math test on which the questions may tend look a lot like the homework. So, yup, you freeze up.

So the thing to do is remind yourself that this has happened many times before and most of those times you were able to solve the question. So there's nothing to freak about.

You can take the attitude that you will either solve it or guess. No biggie. Just go at it and see which it is going to be.

So you can start doing something, anything. If it's a word problem, start figuring out relationships between variables or sets. If it's a freaky sequence problem, maybe figure out the first few terms and look for a pattern. Don't agonize over what the clock says or how the problems look. Just start doing something, making progress,and then keep "pedaling". You will unfreeze for sure.
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by manyaabroadtpr » Wed Jan 14, 2015 12:14 am
Hi cfleck,

As you have just one month left to go for your GMAT, to overcome your fear for quant we would advice you to give as many practice tests as possible in real test taking environment and solve only the quant section.After giving the test, go back and score your solutions.Analyze your performance thoroughly.Doing this will make you realise how well you could have performed if you had attempted your test without panicking.This will definitely help you in overcoming the fear you have for quant. Also, try to identify faster and smarter ways to solve the same problems.

Hope the above information helps. In case, you have any further queries, please do let us know and we would be happy to help.
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by VivianKerr » Wed Jan 14, 2015 2:08 pm
Hey Cfleck,

Does your anxiety come from worrying about not finding a way "in" to the problems, or just managing your pacing across the entire section. I think there are two powerful takeaways you need to keep in mind:

1. No individual Quant question is going to "make or break" the exam for you. If a question is stressing you out too much, skip it! Don't spend 4 minutes stressing over a problem you're never going to get right anyway.

2. You can approach EVERY DS and EVERY PS question the same way. If you have a step-by-step strategy for both DS and PS, then in my opinion the Quant section gets WAY less stressful. Get extremely organized in how you use your scratch paper and how you break down questions. When you do enough problem in the same set manner, you program yourself like a robot. You'll have a knee-jerk reaction to seeing the TYPE of problem, so hopefully you won't feel as "stuck."

Here's the basic strategy I'd recommend:

Problem Solving Strategy

Step 1 - Write down what the Question is asking

Step 2 - Extract the Given Information

Step 3 - Examine the Answer Choices

Step 4 - Choose your approach and Solve:
"¢ Do the Math
"¢ Backsolve
"¢ Pick Numbers
"¢ Guess strategically

Step 5 - Double-check your Answer ("Am I done?")


Data Sufficiency Strategy

Step 1 - Write Down the Question-Type ("V" or "Y/N")

Step 2 - Extract the Given Information

Step 3 - Write down what is NEEDED for Sufficiency

Step 4 - Analyze the Statements Individually

Step 5 - Combine, as needed
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by Bara » Thu Jul 23, 2015 9:33 pm
Deer in headlghts. I get it. And we hear about it all the time. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much you know, but how well to are able to withstand high -stakes pressure! The following is based on work created by Richard Bandler, one of the co-founder/creators of Neuro-linguistic Programming.

Fear, panic and strong emotions have an internal spin that you can feel. Close your eyes and trace the path of the energetic pull. Most fear goes up the front of the body and down the back, but some people have it go in the opposite direction, and others, a follow a different path. However it moves, it's likely in a circular motion.

Notice which way you feel the spin, and once you're able to identify it, reverse it.

While you keep it spinning, imagine you can take it out of your body and in front of you. Now think of a time you felt inappropriate laughter, the kind of giggling that comes up and out of you, and is unstoppable. Now throw that laughter into the reversed spin.

Now think of someone you love. It could be a friend, a partner, a family member, a pet. Feel the love bigger and brighter, and throw it into the spin.
Think of a place you've been where you've felt completely at ease - - or a place in nature where you go to and feel peaceful. Throw it in the mix.

Really you can throw anything positive into the mix including:

- a memory of a time you felt confident
- the feeling you had when a friend or loved one was really present for you
- the moment you received an award or accolades for your work
- etc..

Once you've thrown in 3 - 4 things, check in to see if you feel the fear/anxiety.
Likely you can't. This can be done in 2 - 3 minutes, initially, but in 10 seconds after the first time.

Any questions about this, get in touch with me.

Remember - - tests don't always measure what you know, they measure how well you take tests!
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