CHAPTER 15

Take Control of Test Day

In the earlier parts of this book, we looked at the content covered on the various sections of the GMAT. We also discussed the test expertise you’ll need to move through those sections. Now we turn to the often overlooked topic of test mentality: that is, how to get into peak mental condition for the GMAT.

MENTAL CONDITIONING

Your frame of mind has a lot to do with the level of success you achieve. Here’s what’s involved in developing your best mindset for the GMAT.

Test Awareness

To do your best on the GMAT, you must always keep in mind that the test is unlike other tests that you’ve taken, in terms of both the content and the scoring system. If you took a test in high school or college and got a quarter of the questions wrong, you’d probably receive a pretty lousy grade. But due to the adaptive nature of the GMAT, missing only a quarter of the questions would give you a very high score. The test is designed to push test takers to their limits, so people rarely get every question right. In fact, you can get a handful of questions wrong and still score in the 99th percentile.

In other words, don’t let what you consider to be a subpar performance on a handful of questions ruin your performance on the rest. A couple of missed questions won’t, by themselves, spoil your score. But if you allow the frustration of those questions to unnerve you, you could end up compromising your performance on other questions or on the section as a whole. Missing a few points won’t ruin your score, but losing your head will.

The test is designed to find your limits, so it should feel challenging. If you feel you’ve done poorly on a section, don’t worry—you may have done just fine. Keep in mind that the questions that you are likely to struggle on most will be the hardest ones—the ones that hurt your score least if you miss them. To reach your highest potential score, you must remain calm and focused. Simply do your best on each question, and once a question or section is over, forget about it and move on.

Moreover, don’t try to guess which questions are unscored (experimental questions). This kind of speculation has gotten countless test takers into trouble. They have a hunch that a certain question is one that doesn’t count and then don’t take it seriously. You cannot know which questions are experimental, so treat each one as if it counts. That way, you’re covered no matter what. Likewise, don’t worry if a question you get seems “too easy.” This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re doing poorly; it might be experimental. Or it might happen to align well with your individual strengths. Or perhaps you are just well prepared, have great strategies, and are beating the test! Do your best, get it right, and move on with confidence.

Stamina

The GMAT is a grueling experience, and some test takers simply run out of gas when they reach the final questions. To avoid this, you must prepare by taking several full-length practice tests (not skipping over any sections) in the week or two before the test so that on Test Day, that four-hour test will seem like a breeze—or at least not a hurricane.

Your online resources include full-length CATs for just this purpose. If you finish the tests included with this book, a further option is to download the testmaker’s GMATPrep™ software, which contains full-length exams and is available free from mba.com. One drawback to the software is that it does not include explanations, so you will want to rely on your Kaplan materials, which include thorough explanations, for the bulk of your study. However, the GMATPrep™ CATs should give you a good indication of your score range.

Confidence

Confidence in your ability leads to quick, sure answers and a sense of poise that translates into more points. Confidence builds on itself, but unfortunately, so does self-doubt. If you lack confidence, you end up reading sentences and answer choices two, three, or four times until you confuse yourself and get off track. This uncertainty ruins your timing, only perpetuating a downward spiral.

If you cultivate a positive GMAT mindset, however, you’ll gear your practice toward taking control of the test. And when you have achieved that goal—armed with the techniques and strategies explained in this book—you’ll be ready to face the GMAT with supreme confidence.

Positive Attitude

Those who approach the GMAT as an obstacle and who rail against the necessity of taking it usually don’t fare as well as those who see the GMAT as an opportunity. Those who look forward to doing battle with the GMAT—or, at least, who enjoy the opportunity to distinguish themselves from the rest of the applicant pack—tend to score better than do those who resent or dread it.

Take our word for it: developing a positive attitude is a proven test-taking technique. Here are a few steps you can take to make sure you develop the right GMAT attitude:

STRESS MANAGEMENT

The countdown has begun. Your date with the test is looming on the horizon. Anxiety is on the rise. You have butterflies in your stomach, and your thinking is getting cloudy. Maybe you think you won’t be ready. Maybe you already know your stuff, but you’re going into panic mode anyway. Don’t worry! It’s possible to tame that anxiety and stress—before and during the test.

Remember, some stress is normal and good. Anxiety is a motivation to study. The adrenaline that gets pumped into your bloodstream when you’re stressed helps you stay alert and think more clearly. But if you feel that the tension is so great that it’s preventing you from using your study time effectively, here are some things you can do to get it under control.

Take Control

Lack of control is a prime cause of stress. Research shows that if you don’t have a sense of control over what’s happening in your life, you can easily end up feeling helpless and hopeless. Try to identify the sources of the stress you feel. Which ones can you do something about? Can you find ways to reduce the stress you’re feeling from any of these sources?

Make a Study Schedule

Often the mere realization that you’re procrastinating on your GMAT study can cause stress. To help you gain control over your preparation process, make study appointments with yourself on your calendar—and then keep these appointments with yourself! Without setting aside time to study for the GMAT, it’s easy to keep putting it off due to looming work deadlines, business school applications, or other commitments on your calendar. The hardest part of studying is getting started, so get started soon and start small. Even committing to working on five problems a day will produce a pleasant feeling of accomplishment and momentum, leading you to be able to make longer and longer commitments to your Test Day success.

Focus on Your Strengths

Make a list of areas of strength you have that will help you do well on the test. We all have strengths, and recognizing your own is like having reserves of solid gold in the bank. You’ll be able to draw on your reserves as you need them, helping you solve difficult questions, maintain confidence, and keep test stress and anxiety at a distance. And every time you recognize a new area of strength, solve a challenging problem, or score well on a practice test, congratulate yourself—you’ll only increase your reserves.

Imagine Yourself Succeeding

Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a relaxing situation. Breathe easily and naturally. Now think of a real-life situation in which you did well on an assignment. Focus on this success. Now turn your thoughts to the GMAT and keep your thoughts and feelings in line with that successful experience. Don’t make comparisons between them; just imagine yourself taking the upcoming test with the same feelings of confidence and relaxed control.

Set Realistic Goals

Facing your problem areas gives you some distinct advantages. What do you want to accomplish in the study time remaining? Make a list of realistic goals. You can’t help feeling more confident when you know you’re actively improving your chances of earning a higher GMAT score.

Exercise Regularly

Whether it’s jogging, biking, push-ups, or a pickup basketball game, physical exercise will stimulate your mind and body and improve your ability to think and concentrate. A surprising number of test takers fall out of the habit of regular exercise, ironically because they’re spending so much time prepping for the exam. A little physical exertion will help you to keep your mind and body in sync and to sleep better at night.

Eat Well

Good nutrition will help you focus and think clearly. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables; low-fat protein such as fish, skinless poultry, beans, and legumes; and whole grains such as brown rice, whole-wheat bread, and pastas. Don’t eat a lot of sugary and high-fat snacks or salty foods. Note that on Test Day, you can’t bring food or drink into the testing room. But you can keep a healthy snack in your locker to recharge you between sections.

Sleep Well

Every GMAT problem requires careful critical thinking. Unfortunately, that’s the first mental skill to go away when you are sleep deprived. Get a full night’s sleep as often as you can during your preparation, especially as Test Day approaches.

Keep Breathing

Conscious attention to breathing is an excellent way to manage stress while you’re taking the test. Most of the people who get into trouble during the GMAT take shallow breaths; they breathe using only their upper chests and shoulder muscles and may even hold their breath for long periods of time. Conversely, test takers who breathe deeply in a slow, relaxed manner are likely to be in better control during the session.

Stretch

If you find yourself getting spaced out or burned out as you’re studying or taking the test, stop for a brief moment and stretch. Even though you’ll be pausing for a moment, it’s a moment well spent. Stretching will help to refresh you and refocus your thoughts.

STRESS MANAGEMENT QUIZ

Don’t be alarmed: this is not a GMAT quiz. It is important to your score, though. Imagine that there are two people with equal GMAT knowledge, skill, and practice. Why might one still outperform the other? The biggest difference will likely be that one manages stress and anxiety better than the other.

This quiz is a chance to reinforce and expand upon the ideas and advice you’ve read so far in this chapter. Have fun with it and think about how to apply the correct answers to your own life and study schedule.

  1. What is Test Day stress?

    • A feeling of anxiety felt only by those aiming for a top score

    • Any factor, physical or psychological, that impedes my performance on the GMAT

    • A consequence of poor preparation

    • A constant fear of not getting into my first-choice school

    • Something that only poor test takers experience

  2. It is most helpful to my Test Day success when my friends and family

    • push me to study more.

    • tell me how much more I have to learn.

    • compete with me over test scores.

    • have positive attitudes about my ability to achieve my best score, and help me get my mind off the test whenever I am not studying.

    • care little about my performance and prevent me from getting sufficient time to prep.

  3. In the weeks leading up to the exam, how can I reduce stress?

    • List my weaknesses and create a study schedule to overcome them, one topic at a time

    • Get some exercise

    • Limit self-deprecating humor and keep a positive attitude

    • Get sufficient sleep

    • All of the above

  4. In the final days before my exam, I should worry about all of the topics that I still have trouble with or haven’t hit, rather than congratulate myself on how far I’ve come.

    • True

    • False

  5. The night before the exam, what can I do to reduce stress?

    • Try to learn topics that I have not mastered yet

    • Go to my local bar with my friends, drink a few pitchers of beer, and try to get my mind off the exam

    • Briefly review the topics that I mastered but haven’t looked at in a while, and get a good night’s sleep

    • Stay up all night, memorizing the grammar and math concepts

    • Panic

  6. On Test Day, what can I do to reduce stress?

    • Make sure I know where the testing center is and allow plenty of time to get there early

    • Eat a nutritious breakfast

    • Dress in layers to be ready for any temperature in the testing room

    • Expect a lot of paperwork before the test begins

    • All of the above

  7. During the exam, if I don’t know how to answer a question and I begin to panic, I should

    • keep rereading the question until I determine the correct approach, no matter how long it takes.

    • bite my fingernails and moan.

    • keep breathing, take a moment to get my bearings, and determine whether I should take a strategic guess or give the question another minute or two.

    • remind myself that if I miss the question, I will not get into business school, I will fail in life, and I will be forced to live with my parents forever.

    • choose an answer choice that I haven’t chosen much so far in that section.

  8. During the GMAT, I should avoid worrying about questions that I have already answered.

    • True

    • False

  9. What should I do next to make sure that I am prepared to overcome the natural stress that comes with taking a standardized test?

    • Find a good psychiatrist

    • Take control of my preparation by following a study schedule and cultivating a positive attitude

    • Forget about Test Day stress until Test Day, and then figure out how to deal with it

    • Decide not to take the GMAT

    • Nothing. This exercise has taught me all I need to know about Test Day stress management.

Answer Key

STRESS MANAGEMENT QUIZ

  1. B

  2. D

  3. E

  4. False

  5. C

  6. E

  7. C

  8. True

  9. B

THE WEEK BEFORE TEST DAY

Is it starting to feel like your whole life is a buildup to the GMAT? You’ve known about it for years, worried about it for months and have now spent at least a few weeks in solid preparation for it. As Test Day approaches, you may find your anxiety is on the rise. You shouldn’t worry. After the preparation you’ve received from this book, you’re in good shape for the test. To calm any jitters you may have, though, let’s go over a few strategies for the couple of days before the test.

In the week or so leading up to Test Day, you should do the following:

The Day Before Test Day

This advice might seem counterintuitive, but try to avoid intensive studying the day before the test. There’s little you can do to improve your score at this late date, and you may just wind up exhausting yourself and burning out. Our advice is to review a few key concepts, get together everything you’ll need for Test Day (acceptable photo identification, the names of schools to which you’d like to send your GMAT scores, directions to the testing center, a healthy snack for the break), and then take the night off entirely. Go to see a movie, rent a video, or watch some TV. Try not to think too much about the test; just relax and store up some energy for the big day.

ON TEST DAY

Test Day should contain no surprises. Test takers who feel in control of the events leading up to the test take that confidence with them into the testing center.

Leave early for the testing center, giving yourself plenty of time. Read something to warm up your brain; you don’t want the GMAT to be the first written material your brain tries to assimilate that day. Dress in layers for maximum comfort. That way, you’ll be able to adjust to the testing room’s temperature. In traveling to the testing center, leave yourself enough time for traffic or mass transit delays.

Be ready for a long day. Total testing time, remember, is three and a half hours. When you add the administrative paperwork before and after, and the two 8-minute breaks, you’re looking at an experience of four hours or more.

You will feel most prepared and confident if you have an understanding of how the logistics of Test Day will play out. Taking the full-length practice CATs in your online resources and those from mba.com will help you get the feel for the GMAT itself, but certain events are unique to the experience in the testing center. Here’s what to expect:

At the testing center, you will…

Here are some strategic reminders to help guide your work on Test Day:

What should you do if you…

After Test Day, you should…

CANCELLATION AND MULTIPLE SCORES POLICY

In late June 2014, the GMAT testmakers announced that test takers will now be able to preview their unofficial scores on Test Day before deciding whether to report or cancel them. Before this change took place, GMAT test takers had been given the option of reporting or canceling their scores immediately after taking the test but only before seeing their unofficial scores. Under the updated process, test takers may now see their unofficial scores—Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, Verbal, and Total—and are given two minutes to decide whether or not to accept them. If a choice is not made, the scores will be canceled by default. The testmaker instituted another change in July of 2015: if a test taker cancels a score, no one else will know. Canceled scores are no longer included in score reports. In addition, in accord with new rules that went into effect in March of 2016, test takers who decide to cancel their scores at the test center will be able to reinstate them for a $50 fee. Any scores dating from January 1, 2014 or later are eligible for reinstatement. Moreover, scores not canceled at the testing center can be canceled for up to 72 hours after the test date for a $25 fee.

We at Kaplan feel that these changes in policy are good ones because they give test takers more control over their testing experience and how they present themselves to schools. You can show up on Test Day with more confidence knowing that if you perform below your goals, you don’t necessarily need to submit your scores to schools.

To get the most out of the new features, the testmaker recommends that you know what score you are willing to accept so that when asked whether you wish to send scores or cancel them, you have already considered your answer. We at Kaplan would echo that advice and add the following: because you only get two minutes to decide whether to cancel, and this comes after four full hours of testing that may leave you feeling exhausted and not in the best frame of mind for making high-stakes decisions, it is imperative that you enter the test knowing your lowest acceptable score. Know that if you need to, you can always take the test again and show improvement; any school you submit your scores to will be pleased to see an improvement.

However, you should not take this new policy to mean that you should devote less time to studying for the exam. Remember that you can take the GMAT only once every 16 days and only 5 times within a calendar year. In addition, it costs $250 to take the GMAT, so canceling your scores comes at a substantial price. As always, the best option of all is to prepare sufficiently with comprehensive materials and realistic practice so that you can test just once and achieve the score you need.

TAKEAWAYS

 

If you cancel your scores …

If you do not cancel your scores …