Should I postpone my test set for next weekend?

[elana.s.shapiro]

My manhattan gmat course ended in July and since then I worked on the course material that I did not complete in time as well as practice tests. I have spent the past 3 weekends in the library basically none stop and so far I am not seeing the benefit. Timing is definitely a big problem for me on the test but I have improved. My scores however have varied, none reaching my goal. My work schedule for the rest of of September is crazy and I feel like I am really geared up to take the test but I am doubtful that I will achieve the score I am looking for. I asked someone at the mgmat office today how detrimental it would be if I did not meet my goal and schools saw the score. The response I got was that schools take your highest score so it wouldn't matter and a lot of people take the test again. Should I take it and see how I do and then go from there or should I postpone the test and keep studying until I feel like I can acheive my 700 + goal? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Right now I think I am going to just go for it. Maybe knowing that I can take it again and no harm will be done if I don't do so well will take the pressure off and I will do better than I think.

Thank you,
Elana

[StaceyKoprince]

It is true that most schools will look at your highest score, and many people take the test multiple times, so there isn't any real downside there. The one thing to think about: how will you feel if you take it and don't like your score? If you're the kind of person who can say, "Oh well, no big deal. It was good experience so that I know what to expect for next time" - then I agree, you might as well go for it. But you have to know that you're truly the kind of person who can shrug it off, or even look at it as a bonus (that you're better prepared for next time). If you're the kind of person who might get psychologically affected by a sub-par performance, then you should think about whether you want to take that risk.

I am curious / concerned about something you said in your post. You said you've spent the last three week-ends in the library non stop and your scores are varying. Are you taking a practice test every week-end? That might be overkill - it typically takes more time than 1 week to see a noticeable improvement. (I also want to mention that improvement typically is not linear - that is, most students don't see a steady rise. Instead, improvement typically comes in bunches - a jump followed by a seemingly "stagnant" period followed by another jump. You are learning and getting better during that stagnant period, but a lot of things have to come together in order to result in a score improvement.

I'm also concerned about the "non-stop" piece of it. Overloading your brain won't help either your performance or your stress levels. :) Generally speaking, our brains can only handle about 1.5 to 2 hours of intense studying in a row - then we need a substantial break (at least one hour; two is better) before continuing. Our brains actually continue to process stuff into long-term memory for hours afterward (and while we're sleeping that night); if you don't give your brain the opportunity to make those solid memories, then you won't see the desired results from all of your hard work.

One other thing: you mention that timing is a big problem for you. Timing is one of the biggest factors that causes big variations in performance - if you mess up the timing, it can have a significant downward impact on the score. Can you provide some additional details about the timing problems you're having?

[elana.s.shapiro]

Thank you very much for your thoughtful response. It gave me a new perspective on my decision and since I am not someone who can shrug it off, I am going to wait.

In terms of the timing, I start to panic a little as the time is ticking away and I if I was more confident particularly in my math skills it might not throw me off as much. I have the time markers written on my paper from the time management lab so I can try to stick to them but it is a challenge. However, with the verbal, which is my stronger area, I always want to spend the extra few seconds on each question to make sure I get it right but then I don't have enough time to finish the questions at the end and need to guess. I think I just need to practice more.

Thank you again.

[StaceyKoprince]

A mindset shift might help on the timing thing.

The better you're doing, the more pressed for time you will feel, because you will be earning harder and harder questions. So, it's actually good to feel that you are being pressed to work at top capacity. At some point, the test is going to give you something that's too hard - that's ALWAYS going to happen.

What that happens, your task is NOT to say: oh, I'm going to get this one right, too, no matter how long it takes! Instead, your task is to say: okay, the test just found my limit. I'm going to make an educated guess and move on because the last thing I want to do is run out of time at the end.

The absolute WORST thing for your score is to have multiple problems wrong in a row, and the worst place to have that happen is at the end - because you have no more problems via which you could try to raise your score after it drops. So just keep reminding yourself: My task is NOT to get everything right. My task is to get everything right that I can within a certain timeframe, and to have the presence of mind to let go when I can't.