One of the most important preparation techniques you have to carry out before any test is to practise. So after spending weeks or even months practising for a test, a good score should already be in the bag, right? Not necessarily. Being mentally prepared for a test is actually as important, if not more important than being well practised. You will be surprised by how much easier you can score if you have the correct mentality to take a test. This is no exception to a GMAT test. Read on to find out how to mentally prepare for a GMAT test:
1) Don’t think that GMAT Quant is a piece of cake
Many students generally think that the quant is an easy section to score, so they choose to spend less time preparing for it, thus leading to a decrease in their overall score. In reality, while GMAT quant is easier, it is also slightly trickier. You need to focus hard to avoid making silly mistakes in this section.
Generally, throughout the whole test, you will encounter GMAT questions that include incorrect answer choices that were deliberately included to exploit possible misinterpretations of what the question is asking. Although with regular practice you will be able to avoid these deceptive choices, if you don’t mentally prepare yourself for the trickiness of the test, you may not bother to take enough time out to carry out practice questions.
2) Arm yourself with a systematic approach to data sufficiency questions
Don’t show up to your GMAT test venue choosing to ignore data sufficiency questions. Arm yourself with a systematic approach to data sufficiency questions.
• Read the data sufficiency question carefully
• Analyse the information needed to arrive at the correct answer
• Look at each of the two statements independently of the other
• If looking at the two statements independently does not give you the answer, combine the two statements
Do remember not to assume anything that’s not written in the question. Take note also that when the 2 statements convey the same exact information, the correct answer choice will be either D or E.
3) Take the Analytical Writing Assessment seriously
Don’t assume that you can just breeze through the Analytical Writing Assessment section. Take the time to review the list of essay questions to be asked in the exam and think about how you would respond to some of the selected questions. You should also then spend some time going through sample essays to get an idea on structuring the essay.
4) Prepare yourself to concentrate for 4 full hours
Don’t think that after enough practise, you can simply show up for your GMAT test and expect a good score. You have to be prepared to concentrate for 4 hours straight. This means that choosing the time of your GMAT test is also important. If you are a morning person, choose the morning slot as that’s when your mental alertness is at its peak. On the other hand, if you are not a morning person, you should choose an afternoon slot instead to ensure that you will be able to do your best for your GMAT.
Author Resource:
Joel Lee is an independent test preparation consultant (http://icon-plus.com/ ) specialising in GMAT preparation. Apart from helping candidates to improve their scores through a customizsd GMAT course, he actively contributes to websites related to GMAT Test.
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