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Worried Test taker

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by soneee » Thu Aug 01, 2013 2:58 pm
Hi everyone.

I am registered to take the GMAT on September 12th, 2013. I have been studying about 7 hours a day including weekends, since July. I am also registered for Veritas Prep classes which take place every tuesday and thursday for 3 hours from July 30th- Sept 5th. Even though I have been preparing for this test unlike any other test I have taken, I still find myself lost 90% of the time.

In high school I was never been good at math and now I find even the simplest problems hard. My biggest fear is that I see easy problems on the GMAT and will think those are hard, when they are extremely basic. Regardless of how much I practice I still forget concepts or find myself making silly mistakes because of the pressure for time.

I recently took a practice test without any prior knowledge about the test, as it was a requirement for the Veritas Prep Program. I scored so low (290) I immediately got discouraged and was positive I would not be able to pull through with even a "decent" score. I was not able to finish the test and left many questions blank.

After seeing that horrid score I have never felt so disheartened to go on. I am very hardworking and my whole life it has taken me quadruple the amount of time to learn something in comparison to others. I am not going to give up but I do not want to see a low score come test day.

Does anyone have any advice for me? I could really use any suggestions that could help me excel in my quest for a good score. Has anyone else felt this way?
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Source: — GMAT Strategy |

by nipunranjan » Sun Aug 04, 2013 1:27 am
Hello,
Well it's easier said then done but you should try to keep calm. Concentrate on one question at a time. Build your stamina and concentration span. Try solving maths on paper and not in mind. Pray. Do some yoga or meditation. hang out with friends. Talk about your problems with your parents and friends. Hope things will turn out well. All the best :)
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by [email protected] » Sun Aug 04, 2013 3:09 pm
Hi soneee,

Some people are not "natural" Test Takers, so it takes more time to train them. I'd suggest that you re-evauate yourself after taking a few class sessions and practicing what you've learned. At 290, you're making LOTS of silly mistakes, so it shouldn't take too much effort to get those points back. You'll have to change the way that you do things, work on your organization/memory and improve your pacing, but the GMAT is a standardized test, so you can train in the best ways to beat it.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Mon Aug 05, 2013 6:46 am
First of all, you took the practice test "without any prior knowledge about the test." Presumably, much of the content was quite foreign to you, especially Data Sufficiency questions, which take a while to grasp. PLUS, it's probably safe to assume that you weren't practicing any time-management strategies. Given all of this, a 290 is not surprising.

Keep in mind that this 290 is your baseline score. Your SCORE will improve. In fact, now that you've attended a few classes, I bet you'd already score much better. In fact, you might consider taking another practice test this week. Seeing some kind of score increase could help motivate you.

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
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