Responding to Failure When Studying for the GMAT

Life is a series of trials that result in varied degrees of success. Not every hit will be a home run. If you don’t succeed, you have an opportunity to improve by learning from what didn’t work. In the case of the GMAT, you can have a “do-over.”

If your plan hasn’t worked, your first duty is to identify what you can change to get different results. There are a few common reasons why people’s GMAT preparation plans don’t work. First, some people underestimate how much preparation is necessary. As a result, they don’t spend enough time studying, or they don’t cover enough exam content. Second, some don’t fully realize that the GMAT is a reasoning test. Accordingly, they focus on learning rules and concepts without building skill in finding correct answers. Third, some don’t make effective use of practice test results to direct their training.

Of course, your plan could account for all of the above and still not get you to your goal. If so, you can be sure that there are other methods to help you achieve your GMAT goal. I have seen people use everything from daily heavy reading to hypnotherapy to succeed in their GMAT quests. To the question “What can I do now?” there is always a fresh answer. Every positive study move you make brings you closer to your goal.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep