GMAT preparation is beating me

[thirst]

After a relatively effective start to my GMAT studying, I have fell flat on my face. Over the past 2 weeks, my studying has hit a screeching halt. If I were burnt out, I should have more than recovered by now. But I am finding myself dragging on my feet. Is there anything I can do to get back on track? My test is on 1/6.

[beatthegmat]

Normally I would recommend a quick vacation of 2-3 days, but since you are so close to your test date I recommend grinding through.

I know you are burnt out, but focus on what you want. If you really desire to go to business school, focus on this goal and know that it's only a few more days of pain in order to get through this important hurdle.

Dig deep and eyes on the prize! Good luck!

[thirst]

thanks for the comments, i will push through! wish me luck

[swashbuckler]

Hi Thirst,

Quick question for you...is there any reason why you need to stick with the test date? If you think you're in danger of burnout maybe you should postpone the test for another time.

I was faced with a similar dilemma last week. I'd booked my test for 6/1 to ensure I made the deadline for my chosen school. But in a recent practice test there was no way I was going to achieve my score.

So I decided to postpone and attempt the test again in April 09. Once I'd made my decision I can honestly say I've really enjoyed the festive holidays with my wife and young daughter instead of being completely stressed out.

[Bara]

All good advice.

If you find that you're having issues that are not specifically content based, you:

1) have resistance or
2) have resentment or
3) are recalling previous test-taking or judgement-inducing situations and aren't working from a place of strength or
3) need to reframe and move through your block or
4) need to gain new tools to catapult you into being a 'Jedi' test taker.

Our GMAT audio course is the only thing on the market that helps you gain momentum and have peak performance for study and taking the test.

Information is here: https://testprepny.com/pages/products_gmat.htm

And feel free to call for more information.

[thirst]

Hi Swashbuckler,

My problem is that I was ready 2 weeks ago but earliest test date available was 1/6. I think it's more that I am just not a very good student and don't really like studying. So after achieving my target scores in practice test, I lost motivation to study. At the minimum, I didn't have the urgency to keep pushing. But I have started to get back on my feet the past couple of days. I do fear that I will not score as well my practice tests though.

Thank you for your advice though.

[thirst]

My journey so far included a Kaplan course that I started on 11/17 or so, and have been studying on and off since them. Mostly using their online material. I did also buy the MGMT SC guide, as I have heard positive feedback and SC is my weakest section.

I scored a 670 (45Q, 35V) on Kaplan diagnostic pen/paper exam
(# incorrect = 5 on Q, 9 on V)

I have taken 4 of the Kaplan CATs and the Ultimate Practice Test (which is administered at the actual testing facility).

My scores for the CATs are as follows (for CAT 1, I did not finish the last 4 questions on quant)
11/28/2008 48Q 44V 720 overall (# incorrect = 5 on Q, 12 on V)
11/29/2008 49Q 31V 670 overall (# incorrect = 9 on Q, 19 on V)
12/5/2008 50Q 34V 680 overall (# incorrect = 6 on Q, 16 on V)
12/16/2008 45Q 52V 720 overall (# incorrect = 9 on Q, 8 on V)

12/20/2008 UPT 750 overall (UPT did not provide scaled scores only told me that I scored 99th percentile on quant and 99th percentile on verbal).
(# incorrect = 7 on Q, 8 on V) Of the 8 mistakes on V, 6 were SC

I took a final GMATPrep test today, 1/3/2009 and scored a:
49Q 40V 730 overall (# incorrect = 8 on Q, 9 on V) of the 9 mistakes on V, 6 were SC. sigh, SC the bane of my existence.

So now my actual test is a few days away. I plan on embarking on a 5 hour study session with a friend preparing for the BAR tomorrow. Monday will be a light day of studying. My test is at noon on Tuesday.

I plan to eat a light lunch around 10am on Tuesday, will be bringing some Nature Valley granola bar (I like that it is very hard and I can exert some energy biting into it), a can of coke, and gum to chew on discreetly during the test. During the break, I plan to run in place in the bathroom, do some stretching and if no one is around I will do some pep-talking and scream out-loud.