GMAT Anxiety Affecting Your Score? Real Tips from Real Students

“I don’t know what happened, but I lost focus, and I couldn’t think.” This is a nightmare situation for most students who must take an important exam, such as the GMAT. This condition is called GMAT anxiety, which causes test-takers to blank out or make mistakes during the test. Unsurprisingly, students who score 40-70 points less on their test often report feeling test anxiety, memory blackouts and general loss of control over their thoughts during the exams. A GMAT student who described himself as an “anxious test taker” reported on a student forum that he scored 715 on a mock exam and 585 on his actual GMAT exam. The reason was his GMAT anxiety, which derailed his preparation and his ability to think calmly during the test. GMAT preparation stress can have a devastating effect on your score. 

To be fair, GMAT preparation stress is entirely normal and even expected in some cases. You may have put in months of preparation, spent money, and even planned your career path after taking the GMAT. However, you don’t have to put up with it just because it’s normal. You need mental preparation for GMAT in order to beat anxiety and excel in your test. In this blog, we shall explore some GMAT anxiety tips from real students. 

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What is test anxiety?

Text anxiety is a type of anxiety resulting from the fear of an impending exam and performing well in it. Test anxiety isn’t just a case of butterflies in the stomach.

Students who go through it report feeling restless and sleepless. They overthink their performance and often fall sick ahead of their exam.

In other words, the body interprets the exam as a threat, accelerating its fight-or-flight response. This becomes an impediment for the student who may black out, rush through the exam and make careless mistakes.

Exam anxiety is somewhat natural and inevitable, but only in its mild form. A mild case of text anxiety can be beneficial, as it can prompt the brain to become more focused and efficient. However, severe test anxiety can affect the student physically, emotionally and mentally.

Also Read: Can You Use CAT Preparation for GMAT Exam?

What is GMAT Anxiety?

GMAT anxiety is explicitly seen in students who plan to take the GMAT exam. It’s basically the same as test anxiety, and students face the same symptoms, but in many cases, the stress is intensified because the stakes are higher than a regular exam.

Factors such as finances, planning a big move abroad, concerns about career opportunities, and the pursuit of scholarships can often exacerbate anxiety.

GMAT preparation stress can worsen not only due to the exam’s general difficulty but also due to its format. The GMAT is also a computer-adaptive test with strict time constraints, which can interfere with reasoning and decision-making.

More students who have generalised anxiety report feeling anxious at the exam centre as they watch other students take the test with ease. Some of them also feel particularly bothered by the sound of clicks that go on in the room.

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What Causes GMAT Test Anxiety?

Test anxiety is caused primarily by a mix of fear of failure, perfectionism, negative experience, and a general lack of preparation. Other factors also include high-stakes consequences, poor test-taking skills, general anxiety, and external pressure from parents. Here are the top causes of GMAT test Anxiety:

High Stakes, High Expectations

GMAT is a high-stakes exam with a lot riding on it: the expenses, your career plans, the hopes and aspirations of your parents and well-wishers. Therefore, every decision feels weighted because you think it will have far-reaching consequences on your life. You feel scared of making mistakes, which ironically leads to more mistakes.

Lack of Preparation

This one is a no-brainer. Your level of preparedness is directly proportional to your confidence. Last-minute preparations are often disastrous and lead to panic, fear and anxiety, which affects your cognitive skills.

Past Negative Experience

If you have had a bad experience with standardised tests, you may feel anxious about GMAT, fearing a repeat of the incident.

Perfectionism

Perfectionism can cause a fear of failure, and fear is not good for your brain during exams. Even if you are well-prepared, your perfectionism makes you set unrealistic targets. The fear of falling short of that target makes your anxiety shoot up and causes trouble for you during the exam.

External Pressures and Expectations

Sometimes, seeing your friends prepare and do well can impact your confidence, especially if you are struggling. Even seeing or reading about student success stories can ironically demotivate you because you are reminded of your own struggles and how it easy it seems for others to succeed.

Sedentary Lifestyle

Lack of physical activity can impact other areas of your life, such as sleep quality and mood, which in turn affect your cognitive skills. Long periods of inactivity can also lead to inflammation, causing anxiety and depression. ​One of the best ways to control GMAT anxiety is by maintaining an active lifestyle, eating and sleeping on time, and keeping a calm mind-set.

Some common physical symptoms of test anxiety include:

If you are wondering about how to stay calm during GMAT, there are some tried-and-tested tips you can use. We asked real students who spent months preparing for the exam on strategies for managing GMAT anxiety. Here are some of the best GMAT stress management tips to help you overcome anxiety and score well.

A lack of preparedness can only add to your panic. One student circumvented the problem through practice:“I tried simulating real test conditions often, taking the test at the same time of the day with timed sections and small distractions. Over time, I tricked my brain into treating the test day like a practice test day. This really went a long way in easing my anxiety.”

One student achieved great results simply by quitting social media a month or two before the exams. “I was tired of seeing content on GMAT preparation all the time. I was also feeling a lot of pressure seeing the success stories of students. Quitting social media also removed the FOMO I was feeling seeing all my friends chill when I was struggling with my studies,” he said.

One student said, “Meditation and breathing exercises really helped me calm down. I set a time frame within which I finished all my studies. Then I turned off my computer, shut my books and decompressed before going to bed with some deep breathing and meditation. I also got the app Headspace, which helps in guided meditation for stress.”

Another student shared the 5-5-5 technique: “I inhale for 5 seconds, hold the breath for 5 seconds and then exhale for 5 seconds. It instantly calms me down.”

A student beat GMAT test anxiety by keeping herself physically active. “I made sure I worked out 2-3 times a week, which was quite doable along with my busy study schedule. I particularly enjoyed Zumba because it also gave me a chance to connect with other people and dance. It was the best thing I could do for my anxiety.”

Sometimes, nature becomes your best friend when you are down in the dumps. “I went for nature hikes whenever I found time. It had a restorative effect on my mental health whenever I felt low. All I needed was some alone time amid green trees, and I was instantly well,” said a student who noticed a big GMAT score improvement when he started paying attention to his mental health.

One student used the “Anchor Technique” to lower her anxiety during the test. “It’s an NLP method where I touch my forefinger to my thumb as a signal to my brain to relax. It works every time. Whenever I feel that anxiety is taking over, I do the anchor gesture, and then my mind immediately calms down.”

“I started applying a ‘5-second reset’ between questions to clear my mind. It really helped me take a tiny break after each question and gave me a blank slate to begin working on the new one,” shared a GMAT student.

“I told myself, ‘If I am finding this question hard, it means I have done well so far’, since GMAT is an adaptive exam. You won’t believe how much it helped me. I basically flipped my anxiety to give me confidence. I would recommend this technique to anyone going through GMAT test anxiety,” shared a student.

Frequently Asked Question 

What is the 3-3-3 rule for anxiety?

The 3-3-3 rule is a grounding exercise that will calm your anxiety. The method involves observing your surroundings and identifying three things in a set of three. To practice it, you look around your surroundings and name three things you see, name three sounds you can hear and touch or move three things. While there is no scientific proof of its effectiveness, many test-takers report a reduction in their GMAT test anxiety when they practice it during stressful moments.

How can I reduce my testing anxiety?

Reducing your testing anxiety requires some groundwork before and during your exams. At the preparation level, you can reduce stressors by familiarising yourself with GMAT test patterns, taking a break from social media, practising meditation, working out, stepping out into nature, and following grounding techniques, and a mindset reset can help you reduce anxiety in the long run. On the day of the exam, practice deep breathing and the 333 method to calm your nerves.  

Is 645 the new 700 in GMAT?

 Yes. 645 is the new 700 in GMAT. The GMAT Focus Edition has revised the old scores from the 200-800 scale to the 205-805 scale. GMAC has recently test takers have attested that a score of 645-655 is the equivalent of the old 700+ score, placing it in the 88th percentile. This is due to the changes in the scoring system and format of the Focus Edition. 

Has anyone got 805 on GMAT?

Yes. Some people have got 805 on the GMAT. Two people, Julia and Shruta, have already shared their GMAT scores online, reporting a complete 805 on the GMAT, the maximum score possible on the test. While the score is achievable in theory, it is rare in practice and requires the test-taker to be adept in all three sections. Both Julia and Shrutav emphasised the importance of strategy and preparation, extending beyond mere content knowledge. 

What is the top 1% GMAT score?

The top 1% of GMAT scores begin around 735. It falls in the 735 to 805 category, which places it in the top 100th percentile. This score stands at the pinnacle of GMAT scores and test takers who fall under this bracket are sought after by top universities and B-schools.