ALLOW YOURSELF TO GET INTO AN EMOTIONAL EXCHANGE WITH ANYONE—A SIBL...

5. Allow yourself to get into an emotional exchange with anyone—a sibling, a friend, a parent, or a sig-nificant other. If someone starts something, remind him or her that you have a GMAT exam to taketomorrow and need to postpone the discussion so you can focus on the test.Test DayOn the day of the test, get up early enough to allow yourself extra time to get ready. If you have a morningappointment, set your alarm and ask a family member or friend to make sure you are up. Even if yourappointment is later, make sure you don’t sleep longer than you usually do. Too much sleep can actually makeyou feel tired all day.Eat a light, healthy breakfast, even if you usually don’t eat in the morning. If you do usually eat break-fast, eat whatever you normally eat. Remember that sugary things are likely to let you down during the exam.Protein, which can be found in eggs and cheese, is more apt to keep on giving your brain fuel throughout thetest. If you do not normally drink coffee, don’t do it today. If you do normally have coffee, have one cup. Morethan that may make you jittery.If you have scheduled an afternoon test, eat a light but satisfying lunch. Be sure not to stuff yourselfbefore going in. Digestion drains blood from your brain, so it is best to eat at least an hour before exam time.Again, it’s best to eat protein because that will give you sustained energy. Stay away from sugar—you canalways promise yourself a sweet treat after the test.Give yourself plenty of time to get to the testing center and avoid a last-minute rush. Plan to get to thereat least ten to fifteen minutes early.Once you are settled at your computer, you will have as much time as you need to run through the test-ing procedures. They will be identical to the ones you have practiced in PowerPrep®. Your timed exam willstart only when you are ready to begin. Just before you begin the actual test is a good time to visualize suc-cess one more time. Remember to breathe. Inhale fully into your abdomen and exhale at least as fully. If youfeel your body tensing up, practice your relaxation exercises by tensing and releasing muscle groups to helpthem relax. Breathe.Once the exam begins, quickly skim the directions. You will already know what to do, so a quick scanof the directions to make sure nothing has changed is all you need.Remember not to spend too much time on questions you do not understand; you want to answer everyquestion presented to you. On the other hand, take your time on the first ten to fifteen questions. You wantto answer them correctly so that the computer will place you in the highest possible range.

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S T U D Y S K I L L S

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You can hide the onscreen clock if you want to, but do check it periodically in each section to see howyou are doing on time. You don’t want to suddenly realize you have only five minutes and a lot of unansweredquestions.If you find yourself getting anxious during the test, remember to breathe. If you need to, take a minuteor two to slip into your relaxation visualization or your visualization of success. You have worked hard to pre-pare for this day. You are ready.After the GMAT ExamCelebrate! Reward yourself for a job well done.

I n a N u t s h e l l

As you go through this review book, as you make your study plan, and as you prepare to take the GMAT exam,always remember why you are doing these things. You are doing them for your future and for your dreams,whatever they may be. Whenever you hit a snag, when you feel weary and unmotivated and are tempted togive up, remember why you committed yourself to this path. Call up the vision of yourself, with an MBA orother business school degree in hand, living your dreams. Only you can make that vision a reality, but thisbook is here to help you take your first step. Read on.