Maybe a Nice, Relaxed Approach to the GMAT is a Good Idea?
UPDATED FOR THE NEW GMAT IN 2024
Disclaimer: this article contains a story about one of our previous students. This student took the “old” version of the GMAT, so the scores referred to do not match the scoring system on the GMAT Focus Edition, which was introduced in November 2023. However, the punchlines from these stories still hold true, so we decided to leave them intact in the hope they’ll help inspire you to achieve your GMAT goals. As appropriate, we’ve included percentile scores to help you contextualize the magnitude of these improvements.
Yeah, I know: your GMAT Focus Edition test score is really important to your personal and professional goals, and your test date is written on your calendar in huge red letters. Right now, you’re planning your entire life with that date in mind. You’re taking it extremely seriously.
That makes perfect sense. But let me tell you a story about not taking the GMAT seriously anyway.
Relax… It’s Just the GMAT
Once upon a time, there was a New Yorker named Mr. FP who was studying for the GMAT. (In case you’re curious, “FP” stands for “fat pants,” because he used that term in one of the most entertaining – and ultimately successful – MBA application essays I’ve ever read.) At the time, Mr. FP worked in a demanding finance job, and he struggled to find time for his GMAT studies. He scheduled his first GMAT test date for late December, but he wasn’t able to do quite as much studying as he had hoped.
Still, Mr. FP took two official, mba.com GMAT practice exams in the week leading up to his test date, despite the fact that he didn't feel 100% ready for the exam. On his first official practice test, he scored a 680. Not bad, right? The 680 was a pleasant surprise, considering Mr. FP’s lack of preparation and difficulties with some of the homework.
A few days before his exam, Mr. FP took the second GMATPrep test and only scored a 640. Not spectacular, especially since his goal was a 700.
At that point, it was clear that Mr. FP didn’t have a very good shot at getting a 700. He's a brilliant guy, but we agreed that he had specific GMAT weaknesses, and his practice tests weren’t going terribly well. But Mr. FP is a pretty laid-back fellow, and he took the situation in stride.
“Whatever dude,” he said, in our final GMAT tutoring session before his exam, “It’s my first time taking the test, and it’s too late to get my money back. So I’ll just take it as a practice test, and maybe I’ll learn something or whatever.”
And with that attitude, he stepped into the test center.
Sheer Luck, or A Great Approach to the GMAT?
Two days later, Mr. FP called me immediately after he left his GMAT exam, laughing so hard that he couldn’t even tell me what happened. Eventually, he spit out the news: he got a 720. And he thought it was absolutely hilarious.
By all reasonable predictions, Mr. FP shouldn’t have gotten a 720. He hadn’t studied enough for a score like that, and his GMATPrep test scores pointed towards something in the neighborhood of a 660. Neither of us would have guessed that he would surpass his own (relatively lofty) goal.
The moral of the story? I’m not certain that there is one.
Maybe Mr. FP is just a really, really lucky man. Or maybe he performed incredibly well because he was relaxed and didn’t take the GMAT overly seriously that day. We know that even the most prepared students can have catastrophic scores if they overthink everything due to stress. It’s even happened to some of our smartest tutors.
Whenever Mr. FP got rough questions, he didn’t let them rattle him—he just shrugged, made his best guess, and calmly moved on. Whatever he did that day, it worked.
You know that I'm in awe of the work ethic of many of our GMAT students. But maybe some of you try a little bit too hard sometimes. Just some food for thought.
Just how lucky was Mr. Fat Pants on the GMAT?
If you want to learn more about the probabilities underneath Mr. FP’s good fortune, check out this thoroughly nerdy post on the likelihood that you’ll get lucky on your own GMAT test day.