A GMAT Tutor Struggles With Test Anxiety, Vol. 3
by Mike Maietta
UPDATED FOR THE NEW GMAT IN 2024
Let me tell you about a GMAT test-taker we’ll call M&M – partly because he thinks about chocolate candy whenever he sees a GMAT ratios question like this one, and partly because the porcine founder of this company secretly hopes that a candy manufacturer will sponsor our GMAT blog one day.
A Tale of GMAT Stress
During high school and college, M&M was a straight-A student who excelled at standardized tests. He did well on his first two GMAT attempts but ended up a bit shy of his ideal GMAT score.
A few years later, M&M got himself back into GMAT test-taking shape: he “re-studied” all of the GMAT quant content, honed his GMAT RC and CR technique using LSAT® tests, practiced a ton of official GMAT questions, took several official GMATPrep practice tests, and then finally scheduled another GMAT test appointment.
M&M was nervous. Like many GMAT test-takers, he felt like he had a lot riding on his GMAT score and was afraid that he wouldn’t improve. He tried to talk himself out of the anxiety. He even used some breathing techniques and meditation to combat the stress – exactly the sort of things that good GMAT tutoring companies often recommend.
Still, his heart was racing when he walked into that GMAT test center. A pesky voice in his head kept saying, “You have no room for error on the GMAT today… so don’t f*%k it up!”
Now might be a good time to mention that, prior to his retake, M&M had been a GMAT tutor for about three years, and he served as one of GMAT Club’s resident GMAT verbal experts for most of that time.
OK, fine, I’ll dump the 3rd-person horsecrap. I’m M&M. And even though my GMAT students often do really well on the exam, I’m prone to struggling on the GMAT when I put too much pressure on myself, much like this veteran GMAT tutor and this one.
Anyway: how did I do, after all that additional test-prep and years of GMAT tutoring experience? Well, compared to my previous GMAT attempt a couple of years earlier, my GMAT score improved by exactly… drumroll, please…
ZERO points!
Debilitating GMAT Perfectionism
What happened?
Well, I felt like I had to be perfect, and I was terrified of failure. That fear caused me to tense up -- to “grip the wheel” too tightly -- and flounder on GMAT questions that should have been relatively painless for me. In a desperate effort to avoid mistakes, I struggled to let go of GMAT questions when I wasn’t 100% sure of myself.
So like many of my GMAT students – and like a certain other GMAT tutor I work with – I wasted time chasing questions that were really hard for me and carelessly rushed on a few easier ones.
In retrospect, I wanted to walk into that GMAT test center feeling completely in control. I wanted to feel that I could confidently tackle ANYTHING that popped up on the screen. I had studied the crap out of the GMAT content and done a ton of really hard GMAT practice problems because I was afraid of not knowing how to do something.
In the words of Alan Watts, “Running away from fear IS fear.” I was trying to avoid feeling stumped on the GMAT when I should have just accepted that I would inevitably get stuck -- at least a couple of times -- regardless of how meticulously I prepared.
Letting Go of Test-Day Expectations
After that unsuccessful attempt to boost my score, I naturally wanted to try again. But I also knew that any extra GMAT studying would have simply fed into my fear. With this in mind, I registered for another retake and tried out a different kind of test prep.
Rather than fueling the flames of my test anxiety, I decided to focus on self-care: eating well, sleeping well, getting exercise, and keeping myself healthy and balanced. I even planned a nice, relaxing four-day weekend right before my GMAT test.
Of course, my fabulous long weekend didn’t go quite according to plan. With each minor inconvenience and unexpected complication, I became more and more worried that I was blowing it -- that I wouldn’t be at my best on my GMAT test day. Then, the night before the test, I was woken up several times by my neighbor’s oscillating fan, which rhythmically crashed into the wall next to my head all night. (Ya gotta love NYC apartment living!)
When morning arrived, I was in a tizzy: my “relaxing” weekend had been a bust, I hadn’t slept well the night before the test, and I was about to limp into battle with the mighty GMAT. I considered canceling the appointment altogether but figured I’d decide during the hour-long trek to the GMAT test center in Brooklyn. I agonized over the decision throughout the journey, enumerating the pros and cons over and over again in my mind.
Finally, 15 minutes before my appointment, I found myself standing between the entrance to the test center building and the entrance to the subway. Should I take the GMAT, even though the conditions weren’t perfect? Or should I go home to Astoria with my tail between my legs and try again another day?
“F*%k it,” I decided. “I’m here, so let’s go for it.” I walked into the GMAT test center knowing that the test wouldn’t go very well because the conditions were not ideal.
Then a funny thing happened. I had given up on trying to control everything, and the pressure -- and my drive for perfection -- seemed to diminish. I no longer expected a great GMAT score, so I wasn’t nearly as paranoid about making mistakes. Instead of second guessing my every move and timidly tip-toeing through the GMAT trying to avoid a misstep, I “let ‘er rip” -- when I wasn’t 100% sure about an answer, I shrugged it off and moved on to the next question.
The result? My best GMAT score to date: a 790 (50Q, 51V).
Three Ways to Reduce Your GMAT Anxiety
So what did I learn from this process?
You have to KNOW, not fear, that you will get stumped. (Yes, this is a modified -- and less morbid -- quote from the movie Fight Club.) Instead of worrying about getting GMAT questions wrong, KNOW that you will get GMAT questions wrong… and that you can still get a great GMAT score even if you do.
The conditions don’t have to be perfect. Yes, taking care of yourself in the weeks leading up to the test is important. But if you’re too concerned with making everything just right for test day, you’ll probably just stress yourself out. Your GMAT test-day conditions will never be 100% perfect -- and they don’t need to be. So don’t obsess over your sunglasses.
Try to face your fears. Many exceptional test-takers struggle to improve their GMAT scores. Not being able to “beat” a test is new -- and frightening -- territory for many GMAT test-takers who have always been great students. Coming to grips with your fears -- or at least acknowledging them -- might just help you overcome them.
In summary, if you’ve worked your a$$ off to prepare for the GMAT, then try your best to trust yourself and “let ‘er rip” on test day. Many of us like to feel in control, but “letting go” a bit might be the key to getting your best GMAT score.
WANT to learn more about test anxiety?
Do you have test anxiety? Read our Beginner’s Guide to Test Anxiety.
Another story about an experienced tutor who overcame test anxiety on his GMAT exam.