Belajar GMAT / GRE adalah sport

Frequently asked question (FAQ): Do you know anything about test prep?

Yes, I know it’s a bit game.

I’m not really a golfer or a gamer, so I’ll use a running analogy. The first time you run a half marathon … it will hurt. But if you keep running half marathons it eventually will not hurt.

Question is, will you keep running half marathons? And how are you going to run them –sporadically and barely –with great difficulty and occasional injury? Because that won’t work. You have to run them regularly, methodically and with some care.

So what about the 100 m dash? Now, if you’re already good at marathons, then nothing. In other words, your half marathon and marathon practice don’t help because 100 m  is different.

So that’s basically what the GMAT and GRE are like — if you ask me. Like a bunch of sporting events you need to train for. You don’t actually have to win. You just need to be competitive. 

But actually, all the different question types (“events” ) on the test do have a lot in common. Such as the fact the correct answer is basically hidden among incorrect answers.  

Kind of like a game. 

Game day

And then there’s “game day,” i.e., the competition. When you actually take the test. So the point is to work backwards, using all the remaining time before game day, without burning out. 

If you’re reading this discussion (please feel free to leave comments) and you still have a few years before you’re going to go to graduate school, congratulations — you’re ahead of the game.  

But what I’m saying is these are two of the biggest test prep pitfalls: 1) you don’t have enough time to prepare 2) you somehow got burned out before game day. 

Remember, your training regime has to at least bearable, perhaps even fun.

If you are a computer game player, please keep playing this game. Obviously the score will go up. If you’re a golfer, this game is for you: it’s entirely in your head. Each time you’re out there hitting the ball — in other words, doing practice questions — and getting ready for your tournament, you’re asking yourself: What just happened? Why did I do that? 

Was I over-thinking it? Under-thinking?

Too wide? Too narrow?

And … GOL!

So GRE/GMAT isn’t really about what you know. Just how well you play. 

Have fun!