David Tennant Always Scores an 800 on the GMAT
Wibbley-Wobbley, Timey-Wimey
My first experience with the GMAT was unpleasant. I walked out of the Pearson Vue Testing Center feeling like I had been worked over for 3.5 hours, and to top it all off, I had eked out a respectable 700 (Q43, V42, AWA 6). A good score, but unfortunately below average at my target schools, which went along nicely with my below average GPA. It was a very frustrating feeling. It was basically like I was being told, nice job, but, you know, it doesnt seem like youll be able to cut it in our program as an overall below average candidate. Or at least thats what I imagined the CBS admissions committee would say when my app came across their desk.
So for the next few weeks I spent a lot of time thinking about what went wrong and I eventually realized that my biggest problem was that I had let the test get to me. Or, more specifically, I let the clock get to me.
Something about having those seconds ticking down just at the periphery of my vision made me forget my entire game plan midway through the quantitative section. Im not sure exactly which question or group of questions it happened on, but at some point the clock turned its eye on me, Sauron-like, and worked its dark magic. I then proceeded to fall squarely into the deadliest of traps: I thought I had to solve the hardest problems on the test to get a good score, no matter the cost. And by the time I realized my mistake, it was already too late. The clock had won and knew it, triumphantly ticking away second by second, well aware that I was now impossibly far behind. It was only then that I recognized my true enemy was not the test material, but that malicious timer, casually positioned in the top right corner, watching my every move and plotting to take me down.
Pictured: GMAT Timer
But we know how that ends; weve been there, done that, got matching t-shirts. This post is supposed to be about THIS test, THIS time around. And the biggest difference in round two was my mindset towards timing and REALLY letting go of those problems I had no business messing with.
A few weeks before my test, I stumbled upon one Chris Berman, an excellent actor, funny writer, and insightful GMAT advisor. I highly recommend everyone read his free articles (about 6-7 total and each one is very entertaining and enlightening), but I especially recommend you read him if you struggle with letting go, like I did. Oh hey, heres a handy link to his articles. Youre welcome.
To paraphrase the piece of advice I found most helpful Do not waste your valuable, valuable time on questions you have no chance of solving. He suggests that you treat those tough problems as opportunities to get some time back. For example, if you find yourself struggling and time is ticking on, recognize that you are struggling, quickly make your best guess and keep on trucking. The test will reward you for your decisiveness.
Eh, just go read his stuff, he has a lot more to say and he says it way better than I can.
Thats it though, that was my big change on the second test. As far as studying went, I focused much less on content and much more on keeping my mind right and beating that clock. If youre really curious about the test day, Ill walk you through it below, but if you just wanted the highlights, you already got them and may want to stop here, as theres not much more I can offer and this post is already running way too long.
Twas the Night Before G-Day
This whole Friday, unlike last G-Day Eve, I did zero review. I woke up. I went to work. I came home. I ate dinner with my girlfriend. I caught up on my Breaking Bad. I got everything ready for test day. I brought a small container of 70% cacao dark chocolate disks for the caffeine and sugar hit, and I also packed a can of illy coffee that I never actually drank. I set my alarm. I relaxed. I went to sleep early.
G-DAY
I hauled my butt out of bed at 5:00 am, but my brain struggled to wake up with me. I gulped down two cups of coffee and started to feel like I was semi-human. My amazing girlfriend made me a high-protein breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, toasted sourdough bread and Greek yogurt, which really brought me back to life. And just before I walked out the door, I read a couple of my favorite Berman articles, one final time.
As I drove to the test center, I maintained extreme focus, determined to hit the GMAT with my best shot. I walk into the testing center ready to lay down the law and the GMAT immediately countered with a pleasant lady offering me a seat and asking me to take a number as they were about to start checking everyone in for the 8:00 am test. My roll was sufficiently slowed, and I struggled to spot an open seat as I worked my way through the packed room to pick up my number 12B. Slowly, the kind lady worked her way through the queue of people, and although I arrived twenty minutes early, I didnt hear my number called until twenty minutes after my appointed test start time. I mentally shook my fist at the clock and imagined shouting, TIIIIIIIIIIMEEEEEE! us being arch nemeses and all that.
It was at this point that I pulled an ace out of my sleeve, thanks to my natural ability to look just like the nice test ladys brother-in-law. Because of this similarity, she recognized me from the first time around and wished me extra luck. HA! I dont think the GMAT expected me to get the test administrator on my side that early in the game, and this may have saved me additional seconds during my 8-minute breaks as she was very prompt in logging me out and back in. This was a strong start.
GMAT
AWA was up first, but it was a piece of cake (H/T to chineseburned from GMATClub for handing me the easy button there).
Next up, Integrated Reasoning, which was more challenging, but I treated it as a warm up for quant and practiced using my quant section mind set. It felt much better than my first IR experience on GMAT 1, but we will have to see how that one shakes out on the official report in less than 20 days.
Break 1 Speedy response from the proctor. #brother-in-law
THE QUANT: Here it was, that one moment Eminem raps about EVERY time I listen to Lose Yourself. I started strong; first twenty questions even felt easy. But just as I was getting comfortable, I slipped up. I was very lucky to catch myself before I did too much damage, but the timer had done it AGAIN. Where did five whole minutes go? I wasnt super far behind, but I was scrambling for the last half of the test to rectify my mistake as the questions got progressively more difficult. I cursed the timer for the millionth time and did my best to stay ahead of it.
Break 2: Hmm, the proctor was not quite as quick here, did she not remember I looked like her brother-in-law? I was disconcerted and hoped my luck was not turning.
Verbal: Ah, verbal, my old friend. Now it was just a matter of staying focused and not thinking about what came next, the end of the GMAT. It got very difficult very quickly. Around question 10 I started to struggle and that would be the case throughout the rest of the section.
Survey: The last part was the survey, which is easily the most torturous part of the whole side-show. They expect you to click through and actually read these questions that you care nothing about, all while your heart pounds in your ears and your adrenaline courses through your veins. Luckily, many of my answers were pre-loaded, so I didnt follow them closely except for the one that asked if I wanted to report my scoreugh, YES I DO. My finger almost failed me as I struggled to click the mouse, but then, there it was, casually sitting there like it owned the place: Q47, V42, Overall 730. Ill admit it, both fists jumped straight in the air. More than anything else, I felt a giant wave of relief. I gathered myself, held my hand up for about 2.37 eternities waiting on the proctor to come and get me (#brother-in-law had apparently lost all power at this point).
I palm-readerd out of there and picked up my print out. It was STILL THERE. 730. Written in ink. All official-like and not a misread.
I levitated to the elevator, floated down to the first floor, glided through the glass doors and hopped in my truck. And then this little piggy rocked out all the way home.
Final Thoughts
After the euphoria subsided somewhat, I thought back to the test and that glaring mental mistake I made, yet again, in the quant section. It was almost like the test tries to lull you to sleep, get you in automatic mode and then BAM, five minutes disappear into the ether. Thats why, if you take anything away from this post, I hope its this piece of advice that was first given to me by the famous Mad-Eye Moody. Im paraphrasing somewhat, but basically he says, in life, and especially regarding the GMAT you must maintain
