HOW GMAT & GRE TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS REALLY WORK

One of the biggest surprises in my 20 plus years of tutoring is we meet test takers all the time who qualify for extra testing time and refuse to apply for accommodations. So today I want to do a little bit of myth busting and talk about the reasons why you should apply and who qualifies. Now, any number of physical or mental conditions can qualify you for extra testing time.

So it could be something that's mental or psychological, anxiety disorders, ADHD, or dyslexia. It could also be physical — a visual impairment for instance. Even something like irritable bowel syndrome. If you can't sit in that testing room and focus for the full test, you may well qualify for accommodations.

Now, what I hear from test takers all the time: Hey, Charles, I don't want the unfair advantage. Really important thing -- it is not an unfair advantage. It levels the playing field. Those accommodations are protected under U.S. law. So if you do qualify, you're going to have to submit some really serious documentation and have a diagnosed condition.

But if you do have that condition, you deserve those accommodations and you should never hesitate to apply.

SHOULD YOU QUIT YOUR JOB TO STUDY FOR THE GMAT?

One of the fantasies we hear all the time from our students, wouldn't it be great if I could quit my job study for the GMAT full time? I'd do great. Bad news, guys, that usually doesn't work out -- three big reasons why.

First of all, your MBA application is going to be stronger if you're applying with a full time job already. I'm not saying you can't get in when you're unemployed. We see people do it all the time. I'm just saying it is going to give you a little bit of a hit on your MBA application odds.

Second, and more importantly, we see applicants who are unemployed put much more pressure on themselves than they often get anxious. If you already have test anxiety, you might actually struggle to perform at your best if the GMAT is your sole focus.

Third, we actually see students who are unemployed study less for the GMAT. The reason why is often you get out of rhythm. You don't have a nice, consistent daily schedule. You're sitting there in the morning going, I got all day in front of me to study -- I'll do it later. The procrastination sets in, and next thing you know it's evening. You're tired. You're not studying that much.

I'm not saying you shouldn't quit your job to study for the GMAT. I'm just saying, if you do it, please be careful.

CRITICAL REASONING: DON’T READ THE QUESTION FIRST

This video is about why you shouldn't read the question first on GMAT Critical Reasoning. At first glance, this might seem like a reasonable strategy. Let's say you read the question and see you're looking for a weakener. Well, that's good to know, right? Now when you read the passage, you can try to figure out the best way to weaken the argument, which should help you spot the correct answer, right?

Well, unfortunately, there's dozens of ways to strengthen or weaken any particular argument. And when writing the correct answer, test makers might deliberately pick a strengthener or weakener that isn't the first thing that you'd think of. So, if you go in there biased, you might miss the correct answer entirely.

Or you might get tempted by a wrong answer that superficially resembles what you'd been thinking of. So instead of reading the question first, start by anchoring yourself in the passage. Then, after reading the question, evaluate each answer choice based on its own merits, regardless of whether it resembles something you thought of ahead of time.

And if you can hold yourself to that process, you're in good shape to improve your CR accuracy.

CLOSE COUNTS IN RUSSIAN ROULETTE, NOT GMAT VERBAL

One of the things I hear from test takers all the time, I'm down to the last two answer choices on GMAT Verbal. That must mean that I'm really, really close to a breakthrough. Bad news for you guys, close counts in Russian Roulette, it counts in Horseshoes, it does not count in GMAT Verbal, and here's the reason why.

Generally speaking, the question writers come up with only one really great, tempting wrong answer. Then, of course, there's the right answer, and they kind of write three others. Sometimes they get one that's really tempting, usually not. So if you are struggling on a question, odds are really good that you're going to be down to the last two right answer and that really tempting wrong answer.

Generally speaking, when that's happening to you over and over, you're missing a lot of those questions struggling between those last two. It's a sign that you haven't understood the passage fully on reading comp or critical reasoning. So if this is happening to you, you're down to those last two, and a lot of the time you pick the wrong one, I want you to really focus on your process.

See if you can get better at understanding those passages. If you can do that, I promise good things will happen, and you'll be close a lot less often and write a whole lot more.

SIGNS YOU HAVE TEST ANXIETY

What are some signs that you might be struggling with test anxiety?

Well, it's normal to feel nervous when you take the GMAT or GRE. So how do you tell the difference between harmless test day nerves and damaging test anxiety? Bottom line — it’s when the pressure of the test is causing you to underperform.

In some cases, the symptoms are easily recognizable, such as racing hard or sweaty palms, but in other cases they can be more subtle. Even if someone doesn't feel consciously nervous as they step into the testing room, they may find themselves unable to think clearly. Fairly straightforward language may all of a sudden be difficult to comprehend. Questions they could normally tackle all of a sudden seem wildly complex.

So if any of that sounds familiar, or if you found your scores taking an inexplicable nosedive on test day, you might be suffering from test anxiety. And while there's many ways to deal with it, including mental performance coaching, mindfulness meditation, changes to your sleep and exercise schedule, the first step is to recognize that it's happening so you can tackle it head on.

WHAT TO FOCUS ON THE WEEK BEFORE YOUR EXAM

How should you spend that last week or so before heading into the testing room to take your GMAT or GRE exam? Well, your goal is to show up relaxed, confident, and mentally sharp. So here's some things to keep in mind.

First, good sleep is essential. Research has shown that getting seven to nine hours per night is really important for performing well on cognitive tasks and consolidating memories, so you really want to make sure you check that box.

Second, consistent diet is also important. Your goal is to maintain a consistent energy level, so avoid skipping meals, avoid relying too much on caffeine and sugar, and above all, no drastic changes.

Third, exercise is also be really important. Even if it's only 10 minutes per day to get your heart rate up, that can help reduce stress and boost your energy.

When it comes to studying, you want to avoid cramming. Your goal now is to just maintain the skills you already have, stay warm while keeping your batteries fully charged. And if you do all that, you're in good shape to perform your best on test day.

In preparing for a reading comp on the GMAT and GRE, what if you find yourself missing a lot of questions on the author's primary purpose? What can you do to improve? Well, here are three things to consider. First, if you're asked about the author's primary purpose, it's not enough to be a true statement.

Very often you'll find an answer choice with correct information about the passage that simply isn't the author's main idea. Second, avoid shortcuts such as assuming that the author's primary purpose must be stated in the first paragraph or the last paragraph because, in reality, the author's main thesis could be stated anywhere throughout the passage.

And last, keep in mind the difference between topic and primary purpose. The topic of a passage might be something like, the evolution of birds from dinosaurs. But the primary purpose of the author is probably something bigger picture, such as advocating for a theory, or evaluating the evidence for a certain claim.

Whatever the case, make sure you're differentiating between topic and primary purpose. If you keep those three pitfalls in mind, you'll likely find your accuracy improving.

When analyzing answer choices on the GMAT and GRE verbal sections, one pitfall test takers commonly run into is word matching. In other words, getting tempted by an answer choice simply because it repeats words from the passage. As you've probably noticed though, wrong answer choices often lift words and phrases directly from the text, so that alone isn't a good reason to pick an answer choice.

At the same time, you don't want to reject an answer choice simply because it fails to repeat words from the passage. It's perfectly possible that an answer choice addresses the question really well, but using different language than what you encountered in the text. So instead of word matching, try to engage with the answer choice.

Ask yourself, does the meaning it provides answer the question, regardless of how many words it repeats or fails to repeat from the passage? Now when the answer choices get really dense and wordy, that's easier said than done. But if you're following that process, you're on the right track to improving your verbal performance.

One question we often get from our students is, How much should I study each day when preparing for the GMAT or GRE? As a general rule, our answer is, Avoid marathon cramming sessions where you study to the point of exhaustion. If you were preparing for a biology or history exam, then six hour studying slogs might be a good idea.

But the GMAT and GRE aren't about regurgitating information. They're about honing a methodical approach, thinking on your feet, applying a fairly limited set of knowledge to a devilishly varied series of questions. The problem with marathon study sessions is they fail to develop those skills. In fact, if you get too exhausted, say by hour three, you might end up reinforcing the very bad habits you're trying to correct, such as making careless mistakes.

So instead of epic quant and verbal sessions, try short but intense bursts of studying that mimic the actual rhythm of the GMAT and GRE. That way, you can stay focused on the skills that really matter.

This video's about why you shouldn't try to maximize your efficiency on the GMAT or GRE verbal sections by forcing yourself to read really, really fast. So, it's understandable that someone might try this approach. After all, if you read any given passage faster, you'll get through the verbal section as a whole faster, right?

Not necessarily. First, if you're reading too fast, you won't absorb the information very well. Which will cause the questions to take longer, cancelling out any gains you might have made. And just as bad, you'll probably get more questions wrong. So, how should you improve your efficiency? Well, while there's many ingredients to good verbal process, one key idea is to engage deeply with what you're reading.

Because if you're well prepared for the questions, you'll not only get more right, they'll end up going faster as well. Bottom line, if you're concerned about your efficiency on the verbal sections, Resist the temptation to read too fast. Instead, try to engage deeply with the text to maximize both your accuracy and your efficiency.

Here is a quick rundown on how to manage your time on GMAT Quant. First, always read each question twice, because it is so easy just to misread the question. Second, think through your options for solving the question. Now, at this point you're not actually solving anything, you're just thinking through your potential solution path.

Third, ask yourself whether you have a plan that is going to get you to an answer in under three minutes. If the answer is no to that question, guess, move on. If the answer is yes, carefully solve through the question. By following this strategy, you'll shift your time away from wasting time on hard questions and toward solving three questions that you actually know how to do.

Now, life isn't perfect, and sometimes you end up tangled with a question that is harder than you thought it might be. At that point, all you can do is make a call, is it worth your time or is it not, and be prepared to guess as needed. Ideally though, you'll make those decisions early on, and you'll take charge of your quant section by deciding which ones to solve.

What should you do during your break at the GRE or GMAT test center? For most students, we recommend that you use the bathroom, get a drink of water, maybe have a snack and do some deep breathing. But most importantly, what we recommend is to treat the break as if it's about three minutes shorter than the actual allotted time.

Make sure that you have time to get back and be at the desk and ready to go by the time your next section starts. Sometimes there are delays in getting checked back into the test room, so you just want to give yourself some wiggle room to go through that process and get back in time for your next section.

Should you have caffeine on your GMAT or GRE test day? There's no one right answer for everyone, but here are a couple of things to consider. First, caffeine does improve mental performance for lots of people. It can increase your focus and reduce your reaction time, which sounds great.

On the other hand, caffeine can also make you feel jittery and anxious, and that's particularly true for people who are already anxious about their test, or who are just not regular caffeine users. One option that you have to reduce those jitters while still increasing your focus is to pair caffeine with something called L theanine.

L theanine naturally occurs in green tea, so you can just have that, um, or you can get an L theanine supplement and just have your coffee plus your L theanine. Most importantly, don't make any drastic changes on test day. If you are a regular drinker of caffeine, continue to drink it. If you are not, don't start on test day.

First, practice anything that you want to change on your homework, see how it works, and then go into the test room with your plan.

Let’s say that you’re in the middle of the GMAT or GRE, and you start to feel anxious or overwhelmed. There’s a tool that you can use to bring yourself back down to a calmer baseline called the “physiological sigh.” This is a pattern of breathing that consists of two inhales, followed by a long exhale.

In the words of Dana, one of our veteran GMAT and GRE tutors: “I use this all of the time myself in the test room, but also in other stressful situations, like a high stakes point in a volleyball game or before a grad school presentation.” Check out the video to see how you could benefit from testing out the “physiological sigh.” Thanks to @ hubermanlab for all the info on this. For more, check out the Huberman Lab podcast, which is an excellent resource for all kinds of performance tips.

We don’t just do tutoring…You might not know this, but we’ve quietly offered MBA admissions consulting for more than 15 years. Following the amazing feedback we received on our comprehensive, free GMAT video course on YouTube, we’ve started releasing videos on MBA admissions, too.

Do you ever wonder about any of these things? 1) How should you decide what MBA programs to apply to? 2) What are some common mistakes applicants make when selecting target MBA programs? 3) Why might an applicant with great credentials get rejected by a target school? 4) Why might an applicant with a less-than-stellar background win acceptance at a “reach” school? 5) How screwed are you in the admissions process if your GMAT, GRE, or EA score is too low? 6) When can you overcome a bad score? 7) When can you NOT overcome a bad score?

If you’d like answers to these questions and countless more, click on the above video to see our new and growing admissions series.

Ever had a GMAT nightmare? Have things ever gone horribly wrong and the test day experience didn’t turn out as you hoped? You’re not alone! In the spirit of the Halloween season, click on the above video to see Dana describe several true GMAT nightmares. Friendly warning: this post is mostly useless, and will not actually help you conquer the GMAT, Executive Assessment, or any other standardized test. But it will make you feel like you’re not alone if you’ve ever had a total screw-up on test day.

On her first crack at the GMAT, our former student “Amy” got a 420, with a 6 on the verbal section. After working with a tutor, she ended up with a 700 composite and a 40 on the verbal section. This is a unique scenario that won’t happen for every student, but a great tutor can help address underlying problems that are preventing you from doing well on the GMAT – even if it means going well beyond the content of the exam itself.

If you’ve watched our other GMAT verbal videos, you’ll know that we recommend using some sort of process of elimination on every type of verbal question. This is true whether you’re studying for the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, or LSAT. In this video, Dana will explain how POE helps you be as accurate as possible in a verbal question.