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GMAT
Graduate Management Admission Test
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Get Adequate Sleep the Night Before
If you have spent any significant amount of time preparing for the exam,
then you will know that your score will benefit more from some extra
sleep than it will be from a few last-minute cram preparations
Make Sure You are Comfortable with the Computer Tutorial
The exam will begin with a tutorial on using the computer. We do not
recommend rushing through it. If you
have adequately prepared yourself for the exam, you will suffer no
short-term memory loss in the few minutes it takes to complete this
tutorial. You do not want to find that, having rushed through this
tutorial, you panic when the timed test begins and you're suddenly not
sure how to scroll through the long passages in the verbal section.
Finally, this tutorial provides an excellent way for most test-takers to
calm their nerves before delving into the actual test questions
Keep Moving
Keep moving through the test and try to
finish each section. The best strategy is to pace yourself so that you have
time to consider each test question and make your best answer choice. You
may not skip questions, and randomly guessing answers to questions at the
end of each test section can significantly lower your scores.
Try to Relax
Yes, this is easier said than done – even for admissions consultants who have
already taken the exam, and even graduated from business school.
Nonetheless, worrying and stressing over the exam will do nothing to
boost your confidence or increase your ability to answer the questions
correctly.
Keep in mind that the exam is only
one component of your total application package. Admissions committees at
the most selective business schools normally give your academic
qualifications, including grades and other non-exam components a
weighting of between 30% and 40%. That means that you may still be a very
competitive applicant, even if your exam score falls somewhat below the
median of those applicants historically accepted to your top-choice
schools.
Don't Waste Time
This advice probably seems self-evident, but we mention it because we've
had clients tell us how they wasted time by revisiting the help screen or
requesting extra scrap paper after they had already begun their test.
These activities, if undertaken once the section has begun, will only
take valuable time away from working on the questions.
Think Very Carefully Before Doing Any
of These
Before you cancel your score or quit
the exam, ask yourself whether you are sure this is what you really want
to do. It has been our experience that most test takers who cancel their
scores or quit the exam do so irrationally. You probably know from your
previous test experiences that you often turn out to have done better on
an exam than you thought you would while you were taking it.
It is human psychology to dwell more
heavily on the questions you believe you answered incorrectly rather than
on the (hopefully) more numerous questions you probably answered
correctly. Try to keep this in mind when the GMAT/GRE CAT asks if you
want to cancel your scores or see them immediately. It is our frank
advice that, unless you felt deathly ill during the exam, you should not
cancel your scores
Become Familiar with the Testing
Facility
Find out where the nearest bathroom and water fountain are located before
you begin the test. You are allotted only two 5 minute breaks during the
exam, and will want to be able to locate those facilities when you need
them. It is also not a bad idea to figure out ahead of time how to get to
the test center and to arrive there well before your scheduled time on
test day.
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