The GMAT exam is knocking at the door! Are you well prepared for it? Are you ready to implement all your well-planned strategies on the exam day? Are you nervous whether your plans will bear fruit or not?
Why don’t you watch these amazing GMAT-related videos that we have in store for you: ‘Steps to prepare for your GMAT in 6 months, What are the specific skills required to crack GMAT? and ‘What is a good GMAT score?’
Bird’s eye view: we’ll tell you about the do’s and don’ts you would like to follow before your crucial GMAT exam.
First things first: the do’s
- It would be really good if you make a daily routine of studying and follow it till the exam day because that will help your mind and body to concentrate on the big day.
- Warm up with a few questions (actual GMAT questions) the night before, or before you leave for the exam next day, to get into the exam mode but don’t think too much about the answers.
- Try to have a good night’s sleep – don’t sit through the whole night and watch your favourite TV series or a movie.
- The morning of your exam, please stick to your daily routine, for example, if you have a habit of drinking black coffee, then have a cup and try not to change your routine. But if you are a teetotaller, then don’t try to strike an adventure with a coffee cup. You don’t want to experience withdrawals during the exam, neither do you want to face unusual queasiness(pun).
- Arrive early, at least half an hour early, so that you can choose your seating arrangements. Many people are particular about these minor things because they are not minor to them.
- Carry water and something to eat before you leave for the exam. Most importantly, carry your ID card, passport and other much-needed credentials.
- Just tell yourself that you will not ponder over each question much and just keep answering because if you think hard, you might get confused and run out of time at the end.
- Tell yourself that you will answer all questions since you know the exact pattern of the GMAT (if you leave questions unanswered, you might be penalised). Just be confident and less anxious.
- Taking breaks will help you recharge your brain so don’t sit in the examination hall during breaks thinking you need to focus; instead just go for a walk or eat something.
Now: the don’ts
- The crucial point: don’t forget to check the GMAT programme database a day before so that you know the GMAT score recipients. You need to fill the recipient's names in a form before you begin writing the exam so go prepared with the names since this is a crucial step for your exam.
- Don’t keep cramming before the exam. If you are unable to solve some practice exam materials, don’t try hard to understand them right before the exam day. It’s not a good idea to try some new question patterns right at the end.
- Tell yourself that you have been working hard all these months so no way you are going to stuff your brain with a lot of questions the night before the exam. You can probably do something that you normally do on any other usual day.
- Try to find out the location of your exam centre the day before the exam, if possible a few days earlier.
- Don’t think you can go to the exam centre without eating. That’s a gross idea because you don’t want your brain to run out of glucose.
Hope this helps. Please remember to call your GMAT teacher (if you have one) once you complete your exam, and once you are done with the exam, don’t keep thinking how well or how poor you performed – just go out and spend some time with friends or family or alone.
All the best!
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