How to Prepare for the GMAT in the Week Before

A WEEK PRIOR TO YOUR GMAT

During the week before the GMAT, take no more than one or two full-length CATs. Try to follow the same schedule you would have on the day of the actual GMAT if you do decide to take any full-length practice exams. Try to prepare some unworked practice questions that you can use to practice this week. At this point, timed practice is crucial because you want your body and mind to become adjusted to the test's speed. Try doing some drills where you have two minutes to respond to each question or ten minutes to respond to five. It's crucial to make sure you review your work with the same amount of effort and don't just answer questions.

• DO Stay healthy. Make sure you exercise, eat well, and get lots and lots of sleep.
• DO Get a massage. If you can, try and get one two or three days before the test, but not the day before.
• DO Clean your living space. A clean and organized living space helps promote a focused and confident mind. A lot of people don’t think this makes a difference until they try it.
• DO Visit your test center. If at all possible, make a visit to the test center you’ll be taking your test at. The less you have to think about in terms of traffic and road conditions on test day, the fewer excuses your nerves will have to get wired.
• DO Check the GMAT Center’s website for what items you can and can’t bring to the test including any ID requirements. You don’t want to be surprised the day of the test.

DAY BEFORE YOUR GMAT

The theme of this day is rest, relaxation, and recreation. Give your brain a break from GMAT work. This will accomplish a couple of things. One, you’re less likely to get last-minute nerves about the test, and two, you’ll give your brain some time to get out of practice mode and into a cool state before the test. Don’t do GMAT work the day before the test. The one thing you can do is do a replica of your warm-up that you will do on the day of the test.

• DO Have fun with friends
• DO Eat your favorite dinner
• DO Watch a funny movie before bed
• DO Sleep at least 8 hours

DAY OF YOUR GMAT

I think it’s important to do a short warm-up before your test. The idea isn’t to get practice or to learn something new. The idea is to not have the very first GMAT questions you work on that day counting for your real GMAT score. Working just a few questions without checking the answer choices will help prime your brain for the questions and timing of the test. Working on a few questions without checking the answers also preps you for what the test will feel like as you can’t find out how you’re doing as the test goes.

• DO Wake up at least 2 hours before your test if you have a morning test.
• DO Eat your favorite breakfast, but don’t eat too much.
• DO Drink coffee if you usually do.
• DON’T Drink coffee if you usually don’t.
• DO Warm Up. Work 3 of each question type from each section of the test. (3 Critical Reasoning, 3 Reading Comprehension, 3 Sentence Correction, 3 Math Problem Solving, and 3 Data Sufficiency)
• DON’T Check the answers to your warm-up drill questions.
• DO Arrive 30 min before the test starts.

AT YOUR GMAT

• DO Bring everything your GMAT instructions tell you to bring.

If you’ve been doing good timed practice, you should have a good sense of the pacing of the test and how it should feel. Rely on this and the techniques you’ve learned for working with the different types and styles of questions. The ideal state is to be on autopilot. This means you’re just doing the work in an unemotional state. Remember, build a routine for the week before the test and you’ll be in your best mental state for the big day. Good luck!