Anxiety on a test is nothing new and you've likely experienced it prior to sitting down to take your CAT. Think back: did you have anxiety for other tests you've taken in the past? Final Exams? The SAT/ACT?
Taking tests is not only about what you know, it s about how you take tests and your mindset in the moments you engage with the exam.
Yes, breathing and physical exercise can help diffuse it, however, if you're finding that you're having issues STILL, which is common when you have anxiety you might want to pull out some more potent tactics to allay this ugly green monster.
Simply put: you need a plan.
Learn from the masters. Just as a sports psychologist will work with an top athlete to help them achieve their own personal greatness you need to be your own coach (or hire one). Because we work with this kind of thing all the time (and have a book coming out soon by Nova Press that goes into deep detail about it), I can assure you that getting over anxiety is both doable, AND the easiest part of your GMAT study plan. We've seen folks just like you, who froze before a test, improve up to 230 points in a weekend ONLY by dealing with their emotional well being prior to going into take the test.
You can start at the beginning of your study (which is really most pleasant) OR the night or day of your test. This will all have a positive impact on your psychological state. In any case: start NOW.
'You have to win in your mind before you win in your life' - John Addison
First of all, let me lay out the specifics. Taking the GMAT, or any 'game' we play in life has an inner and outer game.
The "inner game" of the GMAT takes place within the test taker's mind. The outer game is the test and all the logistics that surround it. The inner game of the GMAT will be that voice in your head producing either negative emotions such as fear, self-doubt, lapses in focus, limiting concepts and assumptions, and in your case, the 'deer in head lights syndrome' or, ideally, if you have worked through your issues, the calm, excitement, focus, and belief in yourself which becomes effortless when you are in "the zone."
So how do you achieve 'flow' or get into the 'Zone.'
There are hundreds ways we help students achieve this and the key is to find which way works for you. Some potent ones include:
- Using visualization methods. Do you remember a time when you felt calm and confident? Relive it in your mind like a movie. Go through each moment as if it were unfolding in front of you. And RELIVE the calm and really feel it throughout your entire body.
- Use visualization to imagine yourself going into the test. And impose upon it the physical and emotional feelings of what that would Ideally be like.
- Finding music that takes you from that place of fear into a place of calm
- Identifying what makes you calm and transferring that to the test taking experience through neuro-linguistic programming methods
Whether you do this work alone or with a professional, it is often best done in quiet spaces and when you have time to be with your thoughts.
There is no shortcut to getting out of your own way. You just need to do it. The good thing is, once you do figure out what will work for you, then you have these skills for life.
If it's any help, check our a sample from our GMAT Full Potential Audio Series - -this a five hour plus audio program, created to optimize test-taking potential by enhancing retention, concentration and confidence for the test and for life.
https://testprepny.com/full-potential-audio-program/
And any questions, feel free to reach out to me directly. Good luck! You can do this!
