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GMAT and Mental toughness

by gmat_guy666 » Tue Oct 14, 2014 9:16 am
Hello All ,

I need some good advise from the experts here . I have been preparing for gmat for more than 6 months now and have gone through all the concepts pertaining to GMAT .

I took veritas mock today and scored 620 . ( Q43 V 31 ) . No doubt , I am disappointed with the performance . But , what I realized after reviewing the test is that the questions I got wrong were of easy to moderate levels . I also zoned out for ~15 to 20 minutes in verbal section . I could not focus on the RC ( passages ) or the CR questions during that miserable phase;but started to get my focus back when I was at question # 35-36 . I got the feeling that the exam is now finally going to end .

Here is the interesting part - after , taking 30 mins break I attempted all the questions ( timed) that I got wrong in the test and when reviewed the result , I got 9 out of 10 questions right in Quant and 8/13 questions in verbal . This clearly implies that I do not lack concept; It is my brain that doesn't perform optimally during the test .

How do I overcome the lack of focus while taking tests ? I have realized that it is not just practice that makes you perfect , there is something more needed .I am pretty sure a 720+ test taker never feels the way a mediocre test taker ( 500-650) does during the exam .

How do I optimize my brain function . Is there any smart drugs that you guys recommend to keep my focus for 4 -5 hours ?Any Brain supplements? unfortunately , Exercise and sleep are not enough . If I can teach my brain how to remain focused for 4 hours ; I am pretty confident of hitting the 680+ mark . So I need some really valuable suggestions from experts and smart test takers .....Please share .
Last edited by gmat_guy666 on Tue Oct 14, 2014 9:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Oct 14, 2014 9:21 am
You've hit on a VERY important topic, gmat_guy666.

The GMAT is a test of your math and verbal skills AND (just as importantly) it's a test of your test-taking skills. So, taking several practice tests is an important part of your prep. This will help you build your test-taking skills (time management, ENDURANCE, anxiety, etc.)

Also, it's important to note that long/difficult/boring CR and RC passages can really kill one's concentration, and it's easy to starting "zoning out" (as you did). In these instances, it's crucial that you engage 100% in the passage. So, rather than approach a passage with dread ("yeesh, this is going to be a killer"), try to feign interest ("Excellent! This passage is about protozoa!! I can't think of anything more exciting!!!!"). It may sound silly, but it helps. The greater your engagement, the better your results.

You can find additional tips to help you better engage with the passage in this free video: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... on?id=1123

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Brent
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by [email protected] » Tue Oct 14, 2014 9:36 am
Hi gmat_guy,

There could be any number of physical, psychological or environmental issues affecting your performance. Accounting for these details can help to improve your mindset and overall performance.

Here are some things to consider:
1) What time of day are you taking your CATs?
2) Where are you taking your CATs?
3) Are you using a Desktop Computer or are you hunched over a laptop?
4) Did you eat breakfast?
5) Do you take advantage of the 8-minute breaks? What do you during those breaks?
Etc.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
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by gmat_guy666 » Tue Oct 14, 2014 9:52 am
Hi Rich , I implement all the test taking strategies ,

Here are some things to consider:
1) What time of day are you taking your CATs? 10AM or 1 PM Slot
2) Where are you taking your CATs? Home
3) Are you using a Desktop Computer or are you hunched over a laptop? Laptop . I sit in a comfortable position .
4) Did you eat breakfast? yes , I take nutritious food before sitting for the exam . EGGs, bread, coffee. I even exercise early morning .
5) Do you take advantage of the 8-minute breaks? What do you during those breaks?
yes , Take some deep breaths , drink water .

Somehow - I keep losing focus . any other suggestion ?
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by David@VeritasPrep » Wed Oct 15, 2014 4:28 am
5) Do you take advantage of the 8-minute breaks? What do you during those breaks?
yes , Take some deep breaths , drink water .
Here is one problem. You must eat during the breaks. Experiments have shown that the portion of the brain engaged during difficult decision making uses only glycogen. It is the only part of the body that only uses glycogen. Meaning that it needs to be fed constantly.

In the New York Times article "Do you suffer from Decision Fatigue?" researchers found that test subjects who were exhausted from decision-making - and therefore incapable of focusing any longer - were given a snack of unflavored yogurt. This snack contained some sugar - as does milk and all forms of yogurt. In less than 15 minutes the test subjects were back to normal. The researchers continued to investigate and experiment and determined that a snack that contains some sugar (about 100 calories such as a small granola bar of a few pieces of chocolate) was enough. More than that is not necessary.

I have had a couple of tutoring students somehow forget to bring snacks to the exam center and the results were as you describe. Completely exhausted at the end.
Here is the interesting part - after , taking 30 mins break I attempted all the questions ( timed) that I got wrong in the test and when reviewed the result , I got 9 out of 10 questions right in Quant and 8/13 questions in verbal . This clearly implies that I do not lack concept; It is my brain that doesn't perform optimally during the test .


Did you have a snack during this 30 minutes?
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by David@VeritasPrep » Wed Oct 15, 2014 4:41 am
How do I optimize my brain function . Is there any smart drugs that you guys recommend to keep my focus for 4 -5 hours ?Any Brain supplements? unfortunately , Exercise and sleep are not enough.
It is true that these things are not enough. Fortunately there are a couple of other things you can do.


Make sure that you are not "multi-tasking" research shows that just knowing that you have an email waiting for you to read diverts your attention enough to lower you IQ by 10 points! How much lower than that is the IQ of the person who is actually switching between studying and texting, email, twitter, etc?

When you do several things at once you train your brain that you do not want it to focus. You train it in fact to not focus.


Which brings us to the thing that is MUCH BETTER THAN ANY AVAILABLE DRUG OR SUPPLEMENT.

Here is an excerpt from an upcoming article that I wrote for the Veritas Prep blog:

"In the last several years I have read many books and articles on topics like the ability to focus and how to be more productive and happy - The crazy thing is that every author researching these topics has mentioned meditation and mindfulness. You cannot be focused, you cannot be productive, and it turns out that you cannot even be happy if you do not learn to pay attention to where you are and what you are doing.

Mindfulness really just means that you are paying attention to where you are and what you are doing (yes, it does sound a little like Yoda from Star Wars). So if you are walking your dog that is what you are focused on, not the things at work you failed to complete today. And if you are at work then give your full attention there and do not worry about the fact that you need to walk the dog later!

"Meditation" simply means that you are taking mindfulness to another level. You are focusing on one thing and noticing when your mind wanders. It is a simple as that. You can meditate on the sunset and really notice the colors as they change. You can meditate on a song and really hear the notes. You even can meditate on your toothbrush or your dish scrubber as you go through your daily routines.

One of the most common meditations is to sit quietly in a comfortable chair (or walk slowly if you prefer a walking meditation) and focus on your breathing. Simply say "IN" as you breathe in and "OUT" as you exhale. Do not try to prevent yourself from thinking about other things. Just notice when your mind does wander and bring it back to the breath again. So you are sitting in a chair and softly saying "IN" and "OUT" and suddenly a thought comes into your mind "I should be studying for the GMAT!" Just notice the thought and bring your focus back to the breathing. Then a thought pops up "I am wasting my time sitting here" again just acknowledge it and bring your attention back the breathing. Do this for just 5 minutes and believe it or not you will probably have better focus throughout the rest of the day.

In her ground-breaking work "The Willpower Instinct" Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. writes of a student who had LOTS of trouble focusing. He was concerned that meditation would be impossible for him - this is because he thought that meditation required an empty mind for long periods of time. His meditation was really bad! He was constantly having thoughts pop up and had to keep bringing himself back to the breathing. He felt like he was "failing" at meditation!

Yet this student found that just 5 minutes of what anyone would consider very bad meditation had great results for him. The rest of the day he was much more focused. You can try five minutes of meditating each day right? Maybe first thing in the morning?

The scientific research shows the impacts that small amounts of meditation actually have on the brain. From "The Willpower Instinct" page 25)

"¢ Just 3 total hours of meditation (so 5 minutes a day for 6 weeks) led to scientifically significant improvements in attention and self-control!

"¢ Just 8 weeks of daily meditation led to increased self-awareness and increased gray matter in the areas of the brain that control your ability to focus.

"¢ Just 11 hours total of meditation led to changes in the brain that were visible on brain scans.

"¢ Meditation actually increases blood-flow to the areas of the brain that help us to focus and to have self-control! "


Meditation is like weight lifting for the brain. It is a must for test-takers who need more focus.
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by gmat_guy666 » Wed Oct 15, 2014 6:05 am
David , This was great! Very interesting points that won me over as your follower .

I am digging all your old Articles ;it seems you have already published tons of articles related to test taking strategies . I am going to make photocopies of them and read one by one.

I'd love to read more articles like this. Where can I find all your articles in one place ? Right now , I just google your name ;It would be great if you could send me few links . Thank you again for valuable suggestions .
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by David@VeritasPrep » Wed Oct 15, 2014 6:35 am
I do have all of my articles in one place with a table of contents. I will PM you with the link.

Glad to help!

David
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by prachi18oct » Wed Oct 15, 2014 7:49 pm
Hi David,

I faced the similar problem during my GMAT last week. I zoned out in verbal for some time and then it took me a heavy toll as I goofed up to get a 27 in verbal. I was at Q31 in verbal, when the last RC appeared which was pretty lengthy (all the 4 RCs were very long; 4-5 paragraphs). I kind of started loosing focus but then I tried to pull strength and answered last 10 questions. I guess I was late enough to realize that or maybe after that I answered wrongly. Not sure what went wrong.I scored a meager 640 with Q49 and V27, although I was scoring around V35-36 in all mock tests. I need to build a test taking strategy and build up stamina to face the 4 hour long test. Please advise.
Also, Can you PM me the link with all your articles.

Thanks in Advance!
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by BestGMATEliza » Mon Oct 20, 2014 11:15 am
I think one important way to combat lack of focus is building your mental endurance by taking A LOT of full length practice tests (including IR and AWA), to help you train your brain to focus for the full 3.5 hours it has to. Most people aren't used to fully concentrating for that long of a stint, so it is important to train yourself to do so. I think of it as training for a marathon, for your brain.

Other things that might help you with concentration and brain power include: making sure you are getting a full 8 hours of sleep every night. You can also eat foods that are link to higher brain power such as oily fish, whole grains, pumpkin seeds and blueberries. Try to integrate more complicated reading material, such as scientific journals or the economist, into your every day reading so you are more practiced with it and it won't cause you to space out when you see it on the GMAT.

Hope this helps and good luck!
Eliza Chute
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