GMAT Fun

I've never been stressed before about taking a standardized test. I had to take them every year while I was in school, so I have quite a bit of experience. I've always been good at taking these tests, and I was testing at a post-high school level in most subjects by the second or third grade. I got a 35 on the ACT and a 1590 on the SAT. Not that I'm a genius or anything, but apparently the way they ask questions is the way I think or something. So I really shouldn't have been nervous at all...

I didn't sleep more than 3 hours a single night last week. I think I ate at most one meal a day. I had one of the worst migraines I've had in months. Not exactly the best feeling in the world going into a rather important test, but I tried to ignore it. I tried to call home and talk to someone to calm down as I was driving to the testing facility, but no one was home. I almost didn't find the building. I finally got in, signed all the confidentiality forms, and put my purse in a locker. I was actually shaking by the time I sat down at the computer to start the test.

The first section of the test was the writing part...the part I had been most worried about. I think I wrote the two shortest essays they'll be getting; hopefully being concise counts for something. I just couldn't think of much to say about either of their topics. I'm a multiple-choice person, not essay.

The second section was quantitative. Math has always been one of my favorite subjects. My senior year in high school, I was taking a calculus class and an accounting class in the same hour just because I could. That was five years ago. Except for accounting, which is really more about spreadsheets than anything else, I was exempt from taking any math classes in college. You'd be surprised at how much you can forget in 5 years.

I wasn't worried at all about the verbal section. I never had many classes in writing or literature, but all throughout elementary school, junior high, and high school, I had a spelling, vocabulary, and grammar class every year. I was referred to as a "Grammar Nazi" by a roommate's professor after he saw a paper of hers I had edited. This part of the test was actually pretty easy...except for the fact that by this point I was trying not to fall asleep.

Because the test is taken on a computer, you can see your quantitative, verbal, and total scores right away. Before seeing my scores, I had to decide whether or not to report them. Basically, you can just decide it wasn't worth it (before seeing what you got!!), click a button, and the $250 you paid and the 4 hours you spent on the test are gone. I wonder if anyone really does that? I was actually somewhat tempted.

Top score is 800; most people get a 400-600. Average at NYU's MBA program is 700. I was hoping for at least a 750, based on my previous test results. After taking the test, I had no idea how well I had done. I got a 740. Nice to know I got so incredibly stressed over nothing. And now my big debate is whether or not to retake it...I know I could do better now that I know what to expect, and I could work on my math a little more. I wouldn't be stressed going into it, since there's no way I could be in any worse condition to take it.

I'm insane.