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Preparing for and taking the GMAT is a significant endeavor. Like anything else requiring high-level performance, the path to success may involve making moves that most people don’t think of.
In other words, mastering the GMAT involves more than learning GMAT-related concepts and developing skill in answering questions. Accordingly, it makes sense to work on the project from a variety of angles. One often overlooked but key aspect of GMAT success? Mindset.
Professional athletes, Fortune 500 CEOs, presidents, and Navy SEALs understand the power of constructive thinking and positive self-talk. After all, your mindset helps shape how you view the world. To achieve your goals, you want your mindset to be positive and confident.
Your mindset is a huge factor in everything you do, including your GMAT performance. Just as your GMAT-related skills are stronger in some areas than in others, how you think about yourself and your goals surely has room for improvement.
In this article, I’ll cover some common types of counterproductive GMAT-related thinking. In addition, I’ll discuss how to turn those thoughts into ones that can help you achieve your GMAT goals. By the end, you’ll understand the importance of mindset to your preparation process.
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
- Concern 1: Why Do I Need the GMAT?
- Concern 2: The GMAT Study Process
- Concern 3: Study Motivation
- Concern 4: The Difficulty of the GMAT
- Concern 5: Trouble with GMAT Quant
- Concern 6: Trouble with GMAT Verbal
- Concern 7: Making Mistakes
- Concern 8: Expecting Perfection
- Concern 9: Feeling Overwhelmed
- Concern 10: The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
- Concern 11: The Success of Other Test-takers
- Concern 12: Your Preparation Timeline
- Concern 13: The Quality of Your Work
- Concern 14: Responding to Failure
- A Constructive Mindset Helps You Turbocharge Your GMAT Prep
- Key Takeaways
- What’s Next?
Let’s begin by discussing how you think about having to take the GMAT.
Concern 1: Why Do I Need the GMAT?
Problematic Thinking: Why do I have to take the GMAT for business school if I’m great at my job?
Constructive Thinking: The GMAT is a necessary hurdle to overcome and an opportunity to demonstrate my skills.
Focusing on why you must take the GMAT is unproductive. If your target schools require the GMAT, worrying about why does not help you get the score you need. In fact, that stress may make the prep process more difficult.
Instead, think about how you’re going to hit your goal score. In your life, you’ve overcome many hurdles to get to this point. I’m willing to bet that some of them seemed insurmountable at the time. Yet, you got past them, and you can do the same on the GMAT.
Business schools use the GMAT as a way to measure your skills to determine if you’re up to the rigors of graduate-level work. So, show those skills off! Treat your GMAT prep as a way to put your best foot forward on your application. Work to earn a score that demonstrates just how capable and prepared you are.
Yes, the GMAT is a hurdle you must overcome, but with proper prep, it can be a way for you to make your application stand out.
TTP PRO TIP:
Treat the GMAT as an opportunity to show off your skills.
Next, let’s discuss how to think about the difficulty of the study process itself.
Concern 2: The GMAT Study Process
Problematic Thinking: GMAT preparation is too difficult.
Constructive Thinking: Hitting my score goal is worth the time and energy it will take.
Your GMAT score can be a significant asset in your business school applications. All else equal, an applicant’s score may be the determining factor in being accepted. So, given the test’s importance, it’s worth putting in what’s needed to earn a competitive score.
To begin, it is important to be realistic about how long the process will take. Many test-takers underestimate the time required, become frustrated, and give up prematurely. This is your opportunity to remain steady and dedicated to obtaining a high GMAT score. As a result, putting in the time and operating with patience and tenacity pays off in the long run.
Many people preparing for the GMAT must fit study time around full-time careers and family lives. Thus, if you are exhausted by the end of your day, consider waking up earlier and studying with a fresh mind. In addition, to keep your mind and body balanced, you can incorporate exercise into your day. Even a 20-minute run makes a difference: endorphins can lift your mood and help reduce stress.
Another component to having ample energy is sleep. Getting enough sleep is paramount to performing to your potential during the day. If you are a working professional, consider these GMAT preparation tips to maximize your study time.
Effort comes in many forms. Be mindful of how you treat your mind and body. Deliberately putting in the time necessary to study for the GMAT is also important. So, dedication and perseverance — not tricks — drive great scores.
TTP PRO TIP:
When the preparation process seems difficult, focus on why you’re preparing.
Next, let’s talk about how to find the motivation to begin studying for the GMAT.
Concern 3: Study Motivation
Problematic Thinking: I really don’t feel like preparing for the GMAT.
Constructive Thinking: As I get further along, studying will feel more natural, and I can gain much from the experience.
Before you decided to take the GMAT, you may already have been busy. Then, maybe you learned that it can take months to prepare. Perhaps it seems difficult to imagine yourself spending hundreds of hours preparing. Be that as it may, you can rest assured that others in similar positions have prepared well and earned great scores. Here are some ideas to help you do the same.
One issue people have with preparing is scheduling. If you don’t see how you can fit GMAT preparation in, try finding room for an occasional hour. In doing so, you start wrapping your mind around how to make time.
The more you prepare for the GMAT, the more natural the process becomes. Studying starts making sense as a (temporary) part of your life, and finding the time and energy becomes easier. Stay in preparation mode with a flexible attitude. In particular, on days when you don’t feel like studying, do at least some preparation. On days when you are in the mood to study, go all out! Over time, you may well see the days when you want to prep become the majority.
Furthermore, it can be motivating to realize that the value of GMAT preparation extends beyond the test. Many people find that Critical Reasoning improves their logical and analytical skills, and other areas of the test can bring similar rewards.
So, embrace your preparation, get excited about taking the GMAT, and master the exam.
TTP PRO TIP:
Having trouble getting started? Start small and build from there.
Let’s now examine how to motivate yourself to overcome the test’s difficulty.
Concern 4: The Difficulty of the GMAT
Problematic Thinking: I can’t master the GMAT. It’s a hard test.
Constructive Thinking: I’m going to beat this test!
It may not be easy, but you can master the GMAT. You may have to put in a great deal of work, but you can do it. Therefore, to help ensure a high GMAT score, be smart in your studying approach and preparation process, and give yourself ample time. If that’s 4 months or more, that’s okay.
During my years working with GMAT students, I have seen people drive their scores up hundreds of points. The keys? Time and effort. When they started, the test seemed hard to them. By the time they finished, having hit their score goals, the GMAT had become their playground. You can do the same.
TTP PRO TIP:
Beat the GMAT with time, effort, and a smart study plan.
Next, we’ll cover how to approach the GMAT Quant section, even if you don’t consider yourself a math person.
Concern 5: Trouble with GMAT Quant
Problematic Thinking: I can’t do GMAT math.
Constructive Thinking: I can master anything I set my mind to.
Math, particularly the math on the GMAT, can be daunting for many people. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be! With a well-designed study plan, you can break GMAT Quant into manageable topics and master one at a time. As a result, you will find that you can learn to handle math questions with confidence.
Humans are not born knowing much other than how to breathe, but with hard work, we can master an extraordinary range of skills. Mastering GMAT Quant is no different.
Specifically, you can implement the following simple steps when approaching GMAT Quant:
- Review the basics: Arithmetic and Algebra need to be fresh in your mind. Take your time reviewing or relearning this material.
- Pace yourself: Read problems carefully and methodically, understanding each portion as you go. Avoid the tendency to become anxious when thinking about math.
- Proper Practice: It may seem trite, but proper, deliberate practice really does make perfect — or close to it. Repeatedly going through the exercise of approaching and answering a Quant question helps you become more comfortable.
Believe that you can master GMAT Quant. You have no room for negativity during preparation for the GMAT. Positive thinking and self-belief can take you a long way. You can get detailed GMAT Quantitative tips and strategies from this article.
TTP PRO TIP:
Master GMAT Quant with a methodical approach, one topic at a time.
Next, let’s demystify the GMAT Verbal section.
Concern 6: Trouble With GMAT Verbal
Problematic Thinking: I am just not a Verbal person.
Constructive Thinking: Like GMAT Quant, GMAT Verbal is logic-based, and I can become amazingly good at Verbal.
Many people find GMAT Verbal challenging at first and don’t see a path to mastery. Often, they perceive it as different from anything that they have succeeded at before.
As I have shown many students, the perception of Verbal as something only “other people” can handle is incorrect. In fact, GMAT Verbal is similar to Quant in one key way: finding correct answers requires noticing details and using tight logic. Is that something you can learn to do? Of course it is.
Think of GMAT Verbal this way: to correctly answer Critical Reasoning questions, you just have to know some basic logic and learn to notice key issues in arguments. You may already have many of the necessary skills. Similarly, getting Reading Comprehension questions right largely comes down to noticing what passages do and do not say.
There is no mystery here, no special ability that some people have and others don’t. With learning and practice, you can learn to see which answers make the most sense. As a result, you will be able to make the Verbal section part of your GMAT success story.
A wide range of simple yet effective strategies for mastering GMAT verbal can help you become a veritable Verbal maven!
TTP PRO TIP:
GMAT Verbal requires attention to detail and reasoning skills, and you can work to improve those.
Next, let’s discuss the most productive way to handle mistakes.
Concern 7: Making Mistakes
Problematic thinking: I keep making mistakes.
Constructive thinking: I can learn from my mistakes and improve.
That we can learn from our mistakes is advice we’ve heard since we were children. As adults, this advice remains just as sound.
For the GMAT, one way to turn mistakes into opportunities is to analyze each question you miss. First, track the reasons why you missed it and identify the proper approach. Then, redo the question and answer similar questions. If you miss a certain question type repeatedly, spend time carefully reviewing that subject. Take more practice tests to confirm that you’ve corrected your tendency to make those mistakes.
You can turn mistakes into opportunities for improvement by using some basic analysis and by learning to live in the moment, expending all of your energy on the current step. Remember, deliberate practice makes perfect, especially when preparing for the GMAT. Thus, learning from your mistakes is one of the skills you can master for improving your accuracy on the GMAT.
TTP PRO TIP:
Treat mistakes as opportunities to learn how to improve.
Let’s now discuss how a perfectionist mindset can be counterproductive.
Concern 8: Expecting Perfection
Problematic Thinking: I have to be perfect every day.
Constructive Thinking: If I can improve even 1% each day, I’ll make great progress.
We all have days when we feel on point. We have it all together, and everything runs like clockwork. On the other hand, we sometimes have days when we have to work a little harder to accomplish our goals. And that’s okay.
Striving for perfection isn’t a bad thing. However, when you have many balls in the air, it’s okay to go easy on yourself. In order to grow, you must be willing to be imperfect, and, at times, fail. The healthiest way to approach this? Realize that between success and failure is a space where you are at your best that day. If you can identify the areas where you can improve some, you are already succeeding.
Remember to set realistic, quantifiable standards that can truly help you grow and succeed. Think about this quote from Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg: “Done is better than perfect.”
TTP PRO TIP:
Not every study session is a breakthrough. Make incremental improvements, and they build over time.
Next, let’s examine how to handle feeling overwhelmed by the study process.
Concern 9: Feeling Overwhelmed
Problematic Thinking: I feel overwhelmed by everything I have to do.
Constructive Thinking: I can take it step by step.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, you are likely experiencing anxiety or irritability, worry or doubt, or full-blown panic. As a result, you may find it difficult to prepare for the GMAT. Accordingly, it’s important that you learn to manage the feeling of being overwhelmed.
We often hear the term “multitasking.” If you are multitasking, you may be doing too many things and juggling too many thoughts. Therefore, you should compartmentalize your to-do list and address one thing at a time. Handle what is happening now and plan for what will happen in the future.
Breathe deeply and remind yourself that you are steering this ship. You have the ability to give yourself permission to relax – and then do so. If stress or anxiety proves to be too much, take a break to clear your mind. A short walk, or more intense exercise such as a run, can do wonders to realign your concentration.
TTP PRO TIP:
Approach studying for the GMAT as a series of manageable steps.
Let’s now consider how our expectations can shape our outcomes.
Concern 10: The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Problematic Thinking: I’m not good at standardized tests. They’re just not my thing.
Constructive Thinking: I know I’m an intelligent person. With a little hard work and determination, I can excel on the GMAT.
The idea of a self-fulfilling prophecy has merit here. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “self-fulfilling prophecies occur when a prediction brings about its own fulfillment.”
In other words, if you expect it to happen, it could happen. Believe that you are an intelligent person who can master this test. Think of the times you’ve succeeded in the past and know that you can succeed on the GMAT. Work with facts rather than assumptions or doubts.
When you feel “stupid,” negative self-talk can set in. Don’t let it; keep your self-talk positive. Try using affirmations when you feel you aren’t going to succeed at the GMAT. If you catch yourself thinking in a negative manner, stop yourself. Transform your thinking into positivity. In essence, you can literally change your mind.
TTP PRO TIP:
Expect GMAT success, then work to make your expectations a reality.
Next, let’s consider how to use other test-takers’ success to your advantage.
Concern 11: The Success of Other Test-takers
Problematic Thinking: Other people must be so talented. They all earn high GMAT scores.
Constructive Thinking: I’ll figure out exactly what they did and replicate their process. If they can do it, so can I.
Let’s be clear: you are you, and not anyone else. However, you have just as much potential as anyone else. It’s all about sharing best practices and learning to implement them. This applies to most anything in business and certainly to preparation for the GMAT.
The saying that there is “no need to reinvent the wheel” applies here. Thus, if other test-takers have identified effective preparation methods, applying those methods is an efficient way of maximizing your studies.
If you know someone who earned a great GMAT score, then by all means ask for helpful preparation tips. Additionally, you can find online GMAT discussions, where test-takers are sharing strategies and tips. The important thing to remember here is that it’s okay to need and ask for help.
All GMAT test-takers have the same goal: scoring high. If you can garner useful GMAT tips from successful test-takers, you should.
TTP PRO TIP:
Other test-takers’ successes can help you build a great study plan.
Next, let’s discuss how to think about the length of your study process.
Concern 12: Your Preparation Timeline
Problematic Thinking: My coworker prepared for two weeks and crushed the GMAT. I’ve been preparing for two months and still am not ready.
Constructive Thinking: All people who take the GMAT prepare for different amounts of time. So, I can’t worry about how long it took my co-worker to prepare.
While it is smart to implement others’ successful preparation methods, you must go at your own pace. Some self-imposed pressure can be healthy, but don’t let stress become a distraction or obstacle in your learning process.
If your coworkers have shared solid study habits with you, then by all means, take note. However, don’t attempt to replicate entire preparation approaches that others have used. Everyone has a different speed at which they absorb and retain information. Additionally, people come to their GMAT preparation at different levels of readiness. Only you can determine how long it will take for you to learn — and retain — what you must in order to hit your goal.
Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Don’t let unreasonable comparisons of your preparation to that of others get in the way of your success.
TTP PRO TIP:
Your prep process is your own. Don’t worry about how long others took.
Let’s now consider how to evaluate the prep work that you do.
Concern 13: The Quality of Your Work
Problematic Thinking: My work is acceptable.
Constructive Thinking: Have I really done the best I can?
While you don’t want to put unreasonable pressure on yourself, you do want to strive for your best performance. If you are honest with yourself, you will know whether you are doing your best.
Just as you shouldn’t settle in life, you also shouldn’t settle for suboptimal effort in your GMAT prep. The feeling of burnout may raise its ugly head, but resist the temptation to get lazy with your study habits.
There are a number of ways you can stay inspired. First, keep your mind sharp with a balanced diet and plenty of sleep. Next, keep your body in tune with exercise or yoga. Finally, remind yourself of your goals and reasons for taking the GMAT in the first place. You’ll be reinvigorated in no time.
Make sure that every effort is your best effort. Why be “good enough” when you can be your absolute best?
TTP PRO TIP:
Be honest about your efforts and strive for your best performance.
Next, let’s discuss how to handle failing to hit your GMAT score goal.
Concern 14: Responding to Failure
Problematic Thinking: My plan didn’t work. I guess the GMAT is not for me.
Constructive Thinking: I can devise another plan, and then another, if necessary.
Life is a series of trials that result in varied degrees of success. Not every hit will be a home run. If you don’t succeed, you have an opportunity to improve by learning from what didn’t work. In the case of the GMAT, you can have a “do-over.”
If your plan hasn’t worked, your first duty is to identify what you can change to get different results. There are a few common reasons why people’s GMAT preparation plans don’t work. First, some people underestimate how much preparation is necessary. As a result, they don’t spend enough time studying, or they don’t cover enough exam content. Second, some don’t fully realize that the GMAT is a reasoning test. Accordingly, they focus on learning rules and concepts without building skill in finding correct answers. Third, some don’t make effective use of practice test results to direct their training.
Of course, your plan could account for all of the above and still not get you to your goal. If so, you can be sure that there are other methods to help you achieve your GMAT goal. I have seen people use everything from daily heavy reading to hypnotherapy to succeed in their GMAT quests. To the question “What can I do now?” there is always a fresh answer. Every positive study move you make brings you closer to your goal.
TTP PRO TIP:
If your plan does not succeed, identify and resolve what went wrong before your next attempt.
A Constructive Mindset Helps You Turbocharge Your GMAT Prep
Mindset is key for succeeding at anything challenging, and the GMAT is no exception. The most important thing to remember is that the GMAT is not insurmountable. You can figure out how to get your mind into preparation mode, come up with effective approaches, find time to do the work, and hit your score goal.
If your first try doesn’t work, try, try again. You can study, improve, and conquer. You are the captain of this ship. By and large, it’s your future, and you have the tools to make it a success.
Key Takeaways
In this article, we’ve discussed how to turn problematic thoughts into a constructive mindset that can help you reach your GMAT goal. To sum up, here are 14 ways to get into a more productive frame of mind:
- Instead of worrying about why the GMAT is required, think about how you can demonstrate your skills.
- If you’re concerned about how difficult studying is, think about why you’re studying.
- If you’re having trouble starting the study process, start small. Find a bit of time to study and build from there.
- If mastering the GMAT seems daunting, remember that many others have been there and succeeded. You can do the same.
- If GMAT Quant seems impossible, tackle one topic at a time.
- If GMAT Verbal gives you problems, remember that it relies on skills you can develop: logic and attention to detail.
- When you make mistakes, treat them as opportunities for improvement.
- If you struggle with perfectionism, remember that incremental improvements compound over time.
- If you’re feeling overwhelmed, focus on your next step.
- If you expect to fail, you may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Train yourself to expect GMAT success, then work to make it happen.
- If other test-takers’ success makes them seem more talented, realize that they also studied hard. Adapt their techniques to work for you.
- If it seems like you’re taking too long to master the GMAT, remember that your journey is your own. Only you know how long you need.
- If you find yourself settling for acceptable work, remind yourself of your goals and strive for your best.
- If your first attempt does not go well, it does not mean that you can’t master the test. Figure out what went wrong, adjust your plan, and get to work!
What’s Next?
Interested in learning more about getting into the right GMAT mindset? Check out these techniques to improve your confidence, and learn how a growth mindset can help you learn from mistakes.
Looking for ways to handle GMAT-related stress? Consider trying these mindfulness techniques that can help improve stress and performance.
Curious about GMAT tutoring? Sign up for a free consultation to see whether working with a GMAT expert can help you optimize your GMAT prep.
