ISB Essays for class entering on 2012 will be available in Mid May 2011 on goISB website. Visit:  http://goisb.com/blog/2011/isb-essay-questions-2012/ for details.

You have been preparing for GMAT so hard it begins to resemble Germane Methods for Accentuated Torture! With so much of prep behind you, what you are now telling yourself is “Sh*t! I know I am going to freak out when I sit in front of the Test Screen and screw up my chances of getting even a 600”. If you are already feeling like this or think that there is a statistically significant probability that you will in the near future, read on. (Else, go back, hit the prep books till you begin to freak, then come back to this blog and you will notice the relevance).

The Day Before

You are now as prepared as you are ever going to be. Don’t try to cram that extra bit of wisdom on the day before. Also, doing the last mock test on the day before is not a bright idea. Take the last mock (preferably the official GMAT Prep test) a couple of days before. Based on the results, work out some more exercises in the area where you have lower scores. This should give you the confidence that you know your strengths and weaknesses and have worked specifically on the latter for a couple of days before the real test. Ensure that you get a good 8 to 9 hours of sleep on the day before the GMAT. Also ensure that you know where exactly your test centre is and how to get there. Spending some time to get to know this will be worth your while on the test day.

On the Day of your GMAT

You are well rested, armed with all the required papers and documents (place them is you bag the night before) and know exactly where the test centre is. You simply can’t be doing better than this. The rest of the day depends on when your test is scheduled.

Test Scheduled for Morning

You need to be up at least three to four hours before your scheduled time. You need to plan to reach the centre at least 30 to 45 minutes before the test. It is always better to reach the venue earlier and use the time to take in the surroundings and get acclimatized than to be rushing there in the last minute, not quite sure if you are going to make it. That would be a bad start.

If you are a late riser, then either schedule a test for the afternoon, or start getting up early as per the plan for the test day at least a week before the actual day. This will help your brain wake up along with your body on that most important day. Now, spend about an hour running through your cheat sheets and a few easy and medium level problems. This is just warm up exercises for your brain. Just as you would not warm up for a marathon by running a marathon, don’t try to overdo your warming up by trying to crack all the complex questions you can find. Understand that this is just to get your brain jump started.

Allow me to let you in on a little secret – GMAT is as much about your mental and physical endurance as it is about preparation and intelligence. The four odd hours are going to sap your energy. So, for the morning test taker, it is important that she has sufficient carbohydrates in her. Choose your favourite carbs breakfast, but don’t be gluttonous. But at any cost do not miss your breakfast.

Test Scheduled for Afternoon

All the spiel about getting to the centre on time and doing warm up exercises holds good to you too. However, there is a slight change in the diet recommended. Have a hearty breakfast… because you are going to have a very light lunch. The last thing we want is you falling asleep in front of the test screen. Here again, a light lunch with your favourite carbs would be a good idea.

At the Test Centre

Did you always wonder why there are those two breaks? ‘Let me just get on with it and finish off the whole thing in one go!’ That would be a bad idea. Those two breaks are useful to refill on your energy and to give your body and mind a few minutes to relax before getting back to the pressure of tackling one question a minute or so. Ensure that you carry bananas, dark chocolate and some fruit juice or water (buy and keep in your bag the night before). Banana and dark chocolate help replenish chemicals that get depleted during periods of mental activity (like taking the GMAT!). I would recommend that you avoid any caffeinated energy drinks. Trust me, the chocolates and banana will do the trick. Also use the break to stretch and walk around within the locker area. This will relax your body. Use the break to the last minute to relax your mind and body and you will do much better in your next section.

Now, all there is left for me to do is wish you the very best. Enjoy your test day!

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Here are some common myths about the GMAT

Myth 1: GMAT tests your business knowledge

Fact: GMAT is a test of basic quantitative and verbal abilities and your analytical writing skills. The problem solving or reading comprehension questions don’t require you to possess knowledge about any particular business or domain.

Myth 2: GMAT tests advanced math skills.

Fact: The math skills tested on the GMAT are quite basic. The math questions appear difficult because of the way in which they are presented to test the logical and analytical abilities. The actual math is the basic math which you learned in the seventh or eighth grade.

Myth 3: All of the questions on the GMAT count equally toward your score.

Fact: The GMAT is a computer based adaptive test. GMAT always begins with a question of average difficulty. If you answer that correctly, the algorithm will throw a slightly tougher question. If you answer it wrong, it will give you an easier question. Therefore, questions at the beginning of each section are crucial as responses to these questions decide the direction in which your score will go and hence these have a greater impact on your score.

Myth 4: Every B school has a GMAT score cut off.

Fact: All B schools evaluate applications holistically. So, there is no cutoff for GMAT scores. If you scores are low then you need to compensate it with well written essays and application. There are several cases in which applicants with a higher GMAT score are not able to get an admit when applicants with low GMAT score get through just because of better profile and better presentation.

Myth 5: I can send my GMAT score to the school after the deadline if have already submitted my application.

Fact: No. This is a very common myth but it doesn’t work. B schools don’t consider applications if they don’t get the official GMAT scores by the application deadline. To be on a safe side send you scores to the B school at least 14 days in advance through mba.com

1) Now 11 less minutes will be provided to read the instructions and fill the background information

2) Both the breaks between any two subsequent sections will be short by 2 minutes each. That makes it 4 minutes short.

In our opinion the 4 minutes taken away from the breaks are crucial as GMAT takers use this to relax, calm down, refresh, and mentally prepare themselves for the next section. This surely will not make the stressed and tensed GMAT takers any happy even though they will have to fight the battle for 15 less minutes.