cautionary tale

[tb5003]

I've always been good at standardized tests, and so I didn't worry too much about the GMAT, which I took earlier today. The first time I did a practice test (one of the ones you download from the GMAT website) I got, I think, 48Q and 51V. I didn't bother taking the verbal again, but took the quantitative section several more times. I think I got 47 once, and 49 once, and then 50 a couple of times (of course that didn't really count, because some of the questions repeat and by then I knew the answers). These scores seemed fine; I wasn't worried about trying to improve.

Then, last night, the night before the exam, I made the mistake of drinking a lot of vodka, enough so that when I woke up I still felt quite drunk. I didn't have too bad a headache, but I couldn't really walk straight or think all that clearly. My wife said she could smell alcohol coming out of my pores. I pulled myself together as best I could, and went out to get some juice. When I went into the grocery store near my house, I thought at first that they had changed the store's layout, but then realized I had entered through the exit door. I had the juice and a cookie, tried again too pull myself together, and went to the testing center, where before doing my palm print I went to the bathroom and nearly vomited. I returned, drank some water, and began the test.

The writing sections went very smoothly, but toward the end I felt dehydrated, and during my break I had a cup of water (after a trip to the bathroom for diarrhea).

I must not have been as dehydrated as I thought, because about thirty minutes into the quantitative section I began to feel pressure in my bladder. This got worse and worse as the minutes passed. I found it very hard to focus on the questions, which seemed difficult (I took that as a good sign). I knew you could miss a lot of them and still get a nice score, and I felt that if I could just hold out I would be fine. I got to the last question with only forty seconds or so left, and couldn't make enough sense of it to eliminate even one choice.

I went to the bathroom again (more diarrhea). Then I started the verbal section. Reading the sentences and passages seemed like torture. The first, the only time, I had taken the verbal test, I finished with twenty minutes to spare. This time, I took nearly the whole session to finish. I didn't have a strong feeling I had missed any questions, but I did feel completely drained.

How did I do? Hmm... not as well as I hoped I would!

[rkafc81]

not the best idea to get wasted the night before the exam...

[traveria_turner]

OMG! Reading this post was hilarious! I'm sorry but I could not stop laughing! Sorry that you had such a bad experience, but I must say, this was very detailed and animated! Definitely no drinking the night before the GMAT!

[acatlaw55]

you are an idiot

[greystealth]

just cocky I think