HELP!!IF only I could..

[tejal777]

Hi guys one major problem i am facing is concentration/focus/stamina whatever you choose to call it.I feel my scores are being greatly affected by my inability to sit for longer periods of time namely after say 40 mins.
This is the scenario.When i am taking practise sets(I have reached 610 in the last test need to get till 680-700)I skip the AWA section and jump to quants.Till the first 1/2 hr my concentration is great i know when to skip and when to hang on and get through the ques.As I approach the later part i just want to get the test over with as fast as possible so I rush through the last couple..it is not that im lacking in time..i am simply ready to not sit.After a break of say 15 mins.(I usually end up starting the verbal late)I sit with a refreshed but an irritated mind.Hence my verbal is way lower than score even though I know I can do so much better with a lil more concentration.With this attitude RC's are obviously a mess where i just get lost mid way as my concentration wavers.
You guys have suggested not to sit for more than 2 hrs. when we are studin'...Ofcourse I cant even get to that but how does it work?shouldt we be studin' in 3-4 hr slots?
Help guys!Strategies needed ASAP

[commit.gmat]

i just want to get the test over with

you seem to have answered your own question. What is important to you? Finishing the test quickly? or getting a good score in the end? If you want to reach your target score, you can not go in with this attitude.

It is true that they suggest not to sit for more than 2 hours at a time, but this is for 'studying' only, not for test taking. There is a good reason behind the suggestion; we'll get exhausted by 2 hours (at least most of the people) and beyond that we can not retain much of what we studied.

But this is of course not true for test taking. While taking the test, try to simulate the real testing conditions. Make it a point to sit through 4 hours. Do not ever skip the AWA sections. Even though sitting for 4 hours may be a pain initially, it has it's own rewards.

There is only one simple strategy. Simulate the real test. Try to start the test at the same time every time as your real GMAT test, if you have already scheduled it. If your GMAT is scheduled at 1 PM, start your sample test also at 1 PM. That way you are getting used to that time of the day. If you haven't scheduled your test already, schedule it for your best time of the day. That is, if you are morning person and have more energy in the morning, schedule the test at 8 AM.

If you feel you are losing energy, keep some good snacks close by. Bananas, protein bars or energy drinks should help.

I remember a quote...

We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons. - Jim Rohn

[tejal777]

Thank you for your views.But yes i Do know that I have to sit through it but knowing something does'nt mean you'll be able to do it!!I am looking for some tips and strategies which will help me achieve my goal.From my side when i study I try not to get up for 2 hrs even if it kills me..how can i make my life easier?

[priyankur.saha]

Hello tejal777, probably you could start you study with the subject that is most abominable to you and then sequentially choose your favorite subjects as you move on towards your laggard zone. Sometimes I do the same thing when I feel bit coarseness. Anyway this is my personal opinion; however, MGMAT instructors could devise better plan.

[StaceyKoprince]

Great comments, commit - you are totally right. And I also like priyankur's suggestion, although as you get closer to the test, you may want to start with quant and then move to verbal to mimic the real test sequence.

Part of this is just doing it. Elite athletes work extremely hard to build up their endurance; it takes times.

So, right now, you've found you can concentrate well for about 40 min. Let's set your first goal at 1 hour. Before your next study session, spend 5-10 minutes figuring out exactly how you are going to spend one full hour - what questions you are going to do, what review you are going to do, etc. Then explicitly tell yourself two rewards you're going to get IF you concentrate for that whole hour. The first reward is a better GMAT score. The second reward is whatever you want - you can have ice cream, you can take a half hour break before you study for another hour, you can give yourself a check mark in your notebook and when you reach 20 check marks, you can take a day off from studying and do something fun instead. Whatever motivates you! Write down those two rewards and set them on your desk or tape them on the wall in front of you. When your mind wanders, look at one of the rewards to remind yourself to get back on track.

Keep doing this until you can concentrate well for an hour. Set your next goal at 1h20m (without a break for this length of time!). Keep going until you get to 2 hours. Once you get to 1h40m, though, you can take a 5-min break -- 5 min only!! -- in the middle, and once you get to 2h, you can take a 10-min break (ONLY!) in the middle. Set a timer to keep track of your break time.

When you take practice tests, you must take the essays. I know it's painful, but that's how you build your stamina. It is also important, as commit noted, to have "energy food" available on the breaks. You should also get up, walk around, stretch (I will always stretch and sometimes do jumping jacks in the waiting room on breaks during the real test!). Anything to get your energy up and your blood flowing.

Also, get good enough at doing the essays that you can get a "good enough "score without using full mental energy / brainpower. This allows you to save more energy for the main event - and it actually takes practice, so don't neglect those essays.

Let us know how it goes - you can even use this thread here for motivation. Report in once a week as to how your stamina-building is going and what new time you can sustain!

[tejal777]

thnks everyone I'll be regularly posting my progress..

When you take practice tests, you must take the essays.

One of the reasons why I'm not doing the essays is that even without doing it I am barely reaching 620.If i sit to do the essays with my current pathetic stamina level I am sure I won't even reach mid-way through Quants.Won't it be better to start doing it after a little while?

[mucool]

Its like driving a car at high speeds. The first few times you hit 80mph its scary. But once you've driven at 80mph, then 60mph seems SOOOO much slower and easy to manage.

Also, try to learn some deep breathing exercises as well. Oxygen is the #1 thing the brain needs and that should help

[JonathanSchneider]

Agreed, mucool. I'm a huge believer in deep breathing. I'm an even bigger believer in controlled, even breathing, with deep breaths as needed. (We don't want our breathing to become a distraction, after all; we want it to be a natural thing that helps to keep us in the zone.)

And yes, write the essays. You don't want to achieve your idea of stamina only to realize you have to tack an hour on the front end. Better to do that from the start -- be realistic whenever doing a CAT.