How to be at your best at GMAT studies

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How to be at your best at GMAT studies

by varun0629142 » Sun Nov 25, 2012 8:17 pm
Hi All,

I have my exam on the 27th Dec and I feel very very stressed out. As I am doing a topic on the quant,my mind starting about the other topics that I have to cover and I get very stressed out. LOL it has taken away my sleep as well. I study very long hours, please help me how can I remove this mental block and study freely and How to focus on the thing which I am doing. Might be I am thinking how to go about coordinate but if it doesn't appear in the GMAT sort of things.

Many Thanks
Varun
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by David@VeritasPrep » Mon Nov 26, 2012 3:50 am
I got a PM for this one:

Varun -

I am not sure if you mean that you are hoping to learn that certain things are not on the test like coordinate geometry...which of course is a subject covered by the test.

What I would like to help you with is your anxiety. Please remember that your test is a month away and that this is not like the Olympics, if you do not get the score that you want this time, you can sign right back up to take it again in 31 days. Of course it is not ideal to have to take it again, the additional studying, expense, etc. But it is very important to understand that this is not like the Olympics. It is not a 4 year wait and an attempt to qualify again in order for you to get back. You just sign up again an you are in. So do not put that type of pressure on yourself. As, Brian Galvin,my friend here at Veritas always says - this is one GMAT test not THE ONLY GMAT test that you can take. Just realizing that can take some pressure off and that can help.

Also, you need to at least try to enjoy this process a little bit or you will drive yourself crazy. You have to at least allow yourself to get into the topic you are studying and enjoy a little that you are now going to be better at fractions and geometry and some things compared to most of the world.

You cannot be thinking about the next subject and worrying over that while you are studying. You are right now like the guy who broke up with his girlfriend because he was afraid that she might break up with him some day. He gave up the thing that he loved just for the fear that he might lose that thing. If you make yourself too nervous because you want to score well then the very nervousness will keep you from scoring well!

Here are some articles that might help you. These are all on test (and in your case studying anxiety)

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2012/07/ ... n-the-gmat

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2012/10/ ... n-the-gmat

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2012/07/ ... ime-is-now

https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2012/06/ ... n-the-gmat


And one more thing: as you practice, remember that mistakes = learning. So long as you learn from each mistake you make you are improving.

If you find that you make a lot of avoidable errors - which are often called silly mistakes let me know and I have some thoughts on those I can share with you.

Relax a bit - it is not so heavy! Others have done this. Read a few success stories here on BTG see that others were nervous, too and they succeeded!!
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by vomhorizon » Mon Nov 26, 2012 4:22 am
Being tense, nervous, scared, paranoid etc Really doesn't help the CAUSE. The quality of your prep in the next few weeks will determine your overall performance (how well you can do compared to where you stand now). On one end you are trying to narrow the gap between your desired score and your actual performance level, and on the other hand all these factors (stress, lack of sleep, anxiety, etc) are taking you away from that goal..You have to manage both these issues otherwise you will continue to take one step forward and two back. Read the articles that David has posted and take this as a challenge. REMEMBER if you are determined the only WINNER in this battle between you and the GMAT is YOU. The best the GMAT can do is trip you, but if you are determined and stay the course YOU WILL WIN..and the best part is YOU ONLY NEED TO WIN ONCE, and can try as many times as you want...Take this as a Challenge and Enjoy! I was spending a lot of hours on Gmat prep the first couple of months (6-7 hours a day, 6 days a week) but was having NO FUN..Now i am in round 2 of my 3 round prep, and spending 2-3 hours a day, but taking a few topics at a time and really going into the crux of the matter and am ENJOYING the material as i realize what the ways the GMAT tries to format questions, What the common WRONG answer traps are etc... Relaxing and taking it easy may not give me the desired result in the desired time (but their are also no guarantees spending a million hours WILL), but at least i will have fun with my prep...and that is when we learn the MOST (when we enjoy what we study)..
"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful." - Eric Thomas

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by varun0629142 » Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:44 am
@David.

many thanks for the lovely brief. Typo error with regards to coordinate as I mentioned. I mean that for e.g When I am studying coordinate, I worry about other topics and get anxiety to the highest level. I want to enjoy my prep time to the fullest.

Thanks