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Not in the mood to study. Possible Burnout?

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Not in the mood to study. Possible Burnout?

by ITman10 » Wed Apr 04, 2012 10:02 am
Hello folks,

I have a re-take planned in exactly 2 weeks. My 1st GMAT write was mid-February. I took 2 weeks off then went full-force into studying. In the beginning of March I enrolled in 2 prep programs. Since then I've been going pretty hard - putting forth about 2-3 hours a night and about 3-4 hours a day on weekends...overall, about 20 hours a week. I've seen some modest improvement in my habits and CAT scores up until a few days ago.

I took my 4th CAT this past Sunday since I began in early March. The CAT was challenging but I thought I handled it well because I did my best to use the new strategies I adopted from class. When I got my score I was disappointed, but figured I can review the questions and work from there. However, when I was reviewing the questions it seemed like I was reading foreign language. So, I went to the books and went over material. When I did that I got frustrated and said "I need a day or two off!"

To wrap it all up, that 1-2 days off looks like it's spiraling into 3-4 or even my worst fear...1 week. This is NOT what I think I need since my exam is not too far in the offing.

My question is: Am I experiencing a burnout, since all I've been doing was eating, sleeping, thinking, about GMAT? Am I discouraged? Or both?

Any insight is much welcomed at this time!

Warmest Regards,

-Joe
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by Pharo » Wed Apr 04, 2012 1:18 pm
Hey man! Relax and take it easy :)

Just remember this : Time always passes and these frustrating study times will pass as well! Just make the best of it! It is almost the last mile before the race finishes. You made it all the way here, are you going to quit now??!

That is how I made myself study in university .. I hated studying :P

But it feels good to accomplish something. Just bear with it and remember; if you give it your all, you will not feel bad about it later! :)

Now go on and study. For hard math questions, post them here so i can solve them too! :)
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by Bill@VeritasPrep » Wed Apr 04, 2012 2:32 pm
I think anyone who's trained hard for something (GMAT/LSAT/MCAT, the bar exam, triathlon/marathon/etc) has run into overtraining at some point. What's always helped me get back into the swing of things is easing back into it. When I was finally ready to get back to training, I told myself "okay, I'm just going to the gym for 30 minutes, just to see how it goes." Once you take that first step back, it gets easier to pick it up. Start with a set of problems that you feel confident about. Work through them, review your mistakes, and call it a day. The next day, go longer.

With your condensed timeframe, obviously you can't ease back into quite as gradually as you might like, but you certainly don't have to back to 3 hours a day right away.
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by ITman10 » Fri Apr 13, 2012 5:30 am
Thank you for the kind input! I did exactly what the both of you mentioned and I felt more at ease.

With my GMAT just days away I'm starting to feel some pressure. I know there are a lot of topics on anxiety and pressure so I'll try to keep it short.

The 1st time I took the GMAT I felt absolutely no pressure to do well. I didn't tell anyone (maybe only 2 people max) that I was taking it. This way no one will know if I did poorly...but if I did fairly well it would be fine if people found out haha.

Anyway, this time I didn't get away with it. All of my family knows I'm taking it. Frankly, that's all they talk about whenever they see me..."Good luck on the GMAT! Tell us how much you improve! Be sure to call us when you finish...we'll be waiting by the phones for your call!" Although these are wonderful, caring, supportive gestures, they add to the pressure since they tell all of my extended family and friends that reside east of the Himalayas.

Normally, I'm as cool as a cat when it comes to exams. But since I opted to retake without needing to and told some people that I can crush the GMAT more than the 1st time, I'm starting to feel that pressure.

Ultimately, it's just a test and I'll move on. I scheduled the test day afternoon off so I can relax and do some leisure activities when it's done. All I know is that I learned and know more now than I did going into my 1st attempt. Time for tip-off!

Any pressure relieving tips are welcomed!

Warmest Regards,

-Joe B.
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by Bill@VeritasPrep » Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:21 pm
Here's an article you might find helpful: https://www.veritasprep.com/blog/2011/04 ... y-anxiety/
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by JanM » Sat Apr 14, 2012 5:46 am
Just do not be to hard on yourselve. 20 hours per week besides working is very good. If you wish to take it slow a couple of days thats ok but what I would sugest for next time is not to stop completley but to go over some basic topics that are not to hard and just do 30 min to 1 hour perp day...by doing this you will not loose the feeling that you have to sit down to study and your routine will continue. If you do absolutely nothing for 2 days it will be hard to get back on the horse.

As I see you should try doing some more practice exams in order to get comfortable with them. Do not make yourselve to much pressure on these test exams as this will also affect your scores negatively.

good luck
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