If you expect yourself to be perfect on the GMAT, you’re never going to meet your expectations. And if you never meet your expectations, well then, your confidence in yourself won’t be very high.
Students who strive for perfection see every GMAT question they answer incorrectly as an affront to their vision of how they “should” perform. Thus, their confidence in their test-taking abilities tends to be low. On the other hand, students who view missed questions as opportunities to improve and a natural part of the learning process tend to feel more confident about their prospects.
Here’s the thing: perfection on the GMAT is not possible or even necessary. You don’t have to be perfect on the GMAT to earn high scores. And when it comes to confidence, expecting perfection from yourself is probably doing more harm than good.
So, do your best. Put your full effort in. But, remind yourself that you don’t have to be perfect to reach your GMAT goals.
Warmest regards,
Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep
