GMAT Prep: Attitude is critical

Due to some recent student interaction that is disturbingly similar and concentrated with respect to my total student body as well as a conversation I had this morning with my wife in regard to a few students in her Psych 101 class, it is time to resurrect an old post on the importance of your attitude during GMAT prep. Take a moment to click that link and read the story told therein.

Now, admittedly, upon reread, the story is pretty vague. What I was attempting to get across is that your perception of what you can do is a tremendously important variable in the type of score improvement you can yield with a GMAT test prep regimen.

I am often asked, “How much can I expect my score to increase after taking this class?” This is a valid query to pose, but one that simply cannot be answered with any precision. A score increase is a factor of several variables. Here’s a simplified equation:

Final GMAT Score = Diagnostic Score + Target Score + Quality of Prep + Quantity of Prep + Attitude

I call this a simplified equation because many of these variables are comprised of several other variables. Take, for example, Quantity of Prep. On its surface, this appears to be a straight forward, easily quantifiable metric. However, you can further break down quantity by total hours of study time spread over a total days of study time. A good rule of thumb is 120 to 150 hours spread across about three months. Then, of course, you can look at how many days per week and how many hours per day and the typical duration of a study session (note the implications of the word “typical”). At this point, it is easy to see how Quantity of Prep inevitably influences Quality of Prep. Like I said… it’s a simplified equation.

Despite the inherent complexity of the preparation levers mentioned above, let us focus on the final one listed: Attitude.

Coincidentally, in my last post about how Benjamin Franklin would kill the GMAT I included a quote by Henry Ford that says, “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” The inimitable and profound truth in this statement cannot be overstated. I have seen, and am currently seeing, way too many students engaged in depressing self-fulfilling prophecies that involve their steadfast disbelief in their ability to learn something. Topics range from the micro, like learning how to set up the ever-useful chart for combined work problems, to the ultimate macro: the GMAT itself.

I have said before in uncountable forums that one’s success on the GMAT is borne of tenacity above all else. And tenacity, as it happens, is built on the back of a positive attitude. So, the next time you find yourself engaged in self-deprecation and making defeatist proclamations, STOP! Remind yourself, instead, that you are highly educated, highly intelligent, and eminently capable of beating the GMAT, for it is the truth.