GMAT Tip of the Week Exit the GMAT Test Center...Dont Brexit It

Across much of the United Kingdom today, referendum voters are asking themselves wait, did I think that through thoroughly? in the aftermath of yesterdays Brexit vote. Some voters have already admitted that theyd like a do-over, while evidence from Google searches in the hours immediately following the poll closures show that many Brits did a good deal of research after the fact. And regardless of whether you side with Leave or Stay as it corresponds to the EU, if your goal is to Leave your job to Stay at a top MBA program in the near future, youd be well-served to learn a lesson from those experiencing Brexit Remorse today. How can the Brexit aftermath improve you GMAT score? Pregrets, Not Regrets (Yes, Brexiterswe can combine words too.) The first lesson is quite simple. Unlike those who returned home from the polls to immediately research What should I have read up on beforehand? you should make sure that you do your GMAT study before you get to the test center, not after youve (br)exited it with a score as disappointing as this mornings Dow Jones. But that doesnt just mean, Study before the test! an obvious tip. It also means, Anticipate the things youll wish you had thought about. Which means that you should go into the test center with list of pregrets and not leave the test center with a list of regrets. Having pregrets means that you already know before you get to the test center what your likely regrets will be, so that you can fix them in the moment and not lament them after youve seen your score. Your list of pregrets should be a summary of the most common mistakes youve made on your practice tests, things like: On Data Sufficiency, Id better not forget to consider negative numbers and nonintegers. Before I start doing algebra, I should check the answer choices to see if I can stop with an estimate. I always blank on the 30-60-90 divisibility rule, so I should memorize it one more time in the parking lot and write it down as soon as I get my noteboard. Reading Comprehension inferences must be true, so always look for proof. Slow down when writing 4s and 7s on scratchwork, since when I rush they tend to look too much alike. Check after every 10 questions to make sure Im on a good pace. Any mistakes youve made more than once on practice tests, any formulas that you know youre apt to blank on, any reminders to yourself that when X happens, thats when the test starts to go downhill these are all items that you can plan for in advance. Your debriefs of your practice tests are previews of the real thing, so you should arrive at the test center with your pregrets in mind so that you can avoid having them become regrets. Much like select English voters, many GMAT examinees can readily articulate, I should have read/studied/prepare for _____ within minutes of completing their exam, and very frequently, those elements are not a surprise. So anticipate in the hour/day before the test what your regrets might be in the hours/days immediately following the test, and you can avoid that immediate remorse. Double Cheque Your Work Much like a Brexit vote, you only get one shot at each GMAT problem, and then the results lead to consequences. But the GMAT gives you a chance to save yourself from yourself you have to both select your answer and confirm it. So, unlike those who voted and then came home to Google asking, Did I do the right thing? you should ask yourself that question before you confirm your answer. Again, your pregrets are helpful. Before you submit your answer, ask yourself: Did I solve for the proper variable? Does this number make logical sense? Does this answer choice create a logical sentence when I read it back to myself? Does this Inference answer have to be true, or is there a chance its not? Am I really allowed to perform that algebraic operation? Let me try it with small numbers to make sure There will, of course, be some problems on the GMAT that you simply dont  know how to do, and youll undoubtedly get some problems wrong. But for those problems that you really should have gotten right, the worst thing that can happen is realizing a question or two later that you blew it. Almost every GMAT examinee can immediately add 30 points to his score by simply taking back those points he would have given away by rushing through a problem and making a mistake hed be humiliated to know he made. So, take that extra 5-10 seconds on each question to double check for common mistakes, even if that means you have to burn a guess later in the section. If you minimize those mistakes on questions within your ability level, that guess will come on a problem you should get wrong, anyway. Like a Brexit voter, the best you can do the day before and day of your important decision-making day is to prepare to make the best decisions you can make. If youre right, youre right, and if youre wrong, youre wrong, and you may never know which is which (the GMAT wont release your questions/answers and the Brexit decision will take time to play out). The key is making sure that you dont leave with immediate regrets that you made bad decisions or didnt take the short amount of time to prepare yourself for better ones. Enter the test center with pregrets; dont Brexit it with regrets. Getting ready to take the GMAT? We have free online GMAT seminars running all the time. And as always, be sure to follow us on  Facebook, YouTube,  Google+  and Twitter! By Brian Galvin.