{"id":18751,"date":"2020-12-02T22:23:49","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T22:23:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/?p=18751"},"modified":"2020-12-22T17:56:50","modified_gmt":"2020-12-22T17:56:50","slug":"my-gmat-was-cancelled-now-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/blog\/my-gmat-was-cancelled-now-what\/","title":{"rendered":"My GMAT Was Canceled. Now What?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GMAT<\/p>\n

Update:<\/b> On April 14th, 2020, GMAC announced that an <\/span>online GMAT<\/span><\/a> will be available starting on April 20th. I\u2019ve posted some of the main details <\/span>in another post<\/span><\/a>. I\u2019ll be taking the exam on the 20th and will tell you what to expect and how best to get ready\u2014keep an eye on our blog on Tuesday April 21st.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Some of you will decide to take the online GMAT; if you\u2019re in this group, look for my post next week. Others will decide to wait until the GMAT is available again in testing centers; if you\u2019re in this group, read on.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

As you no doubt know by now, many GMAT testing centers are currently closed as a result of the pandemic.\u00a0<\/span>GMAC has announced that the test will move to a <\/span>take-at-home option<\/span><\/a> sometime in April. How do you keep getting ready for the GMAT in the face of this uncertainty?<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I had a class that ended on March 10th; many of my students had already booked their exams and are now finding themselves in the unenviable position of having to extend their studies for a potentially indeterminate length of time. I\u2019ll be sharing with you the same thoughts that I shared with them.<\/span><\/p>\n

First: We\u2019ll keep our blog<\/a> and other communication channels updated, but you can also go straight to the source: the <\/span>mba.com website<\/span><\/a>. Both our page and the official one will keep you up to date on test center closures (and, eventually, reopenings) and any other news that will help you to plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m really stressed out right now.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Me, too. Even in the best of times, it\u2019s stressful to get ready for these kinds of exams\u2014and of course you\u2019re even more stressed right now. (It\u2019s also normal to feel like you <\/span>shouldn\u2019t <\/span><\/i>be stressed out about this when there are much bigger things going on in the world…even though you are still stressed out about it.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a deep breath, as deep as you can. Breathe through your nose (so that it takes a long time) and let it out slowly. Loosen up your clenched abdominal muscles. Your plan has changed, yes, but you can still move forward in general.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll address various scenarios below but first I have a question for you: Do you have more time on your hands right now or less time? If your work or family commitments mean that you have a lot less time to think about the GMAT right now, I\u2019d recommend one of two paths: Postponement or Maintenance Mode.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s Postponement?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Put your GMAT studies 100% on hold until you have the bandwidth to think about this again. Don\u2019t give it a second thought\u2014you have my permission. I\u2019ve already recommended this to one of my students, based on that person\u2019s circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

And what about Maintenance Mode?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is for those who are too busy right now but think they will be able to pick back up in a month or so and don\u2019t want to lose the progress they\u2019ve made. Don\u2019t try to learn new material or even improve your existing skills; your goal during these weeks is <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> to get better. Your goal is simply not to lose skills.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you choose Maintenance Mode, plan to spend about 3 to 4 hours a week studying. Try a few of each problem type (timed!)\u2014this is a great time to re-do some problems from your error log. Do some skill drills out of Foundations of Math or Foundations of Verbal, as needed. Review flash cards.<\/span><\/p>\n

One more note: The world has changed and it makes sense to reevaluate your prior decisions in light of that. Think back to whenever you made the decision to study for the GMAT this year. If you\u2019d known then what you know right now, would you still have chosen to take the GMAT now? If the answer is <\/span>no<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>probably not<\/span><\/i>, then rip the bandaid off: Skip Maintenance Mode and go straight to Postponement. You can pick things up again later this year or next year.<\/span><\/p>\n

What if, instead, you have the same time\u2014or even more time\u2014to focus on the GMAT now? Read on.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was planning to take the exam this summer or fall.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Carry on. At the moment, you don\u2019t need to worry about planning anything any differently than you would have if you had taken the GMAT last year at this time.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was going to take the exam in the next month or two. What do I do now?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You likely fall into one of two broad categories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Category 1: I think I need more time\u2026<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019d already been thinking that you could use more time, then assume you won\u2019t take the exam before May or June and make a plan to lift your score or rededicate yourself to your studies, just as you would have done in normal times. It\u2019s common for people to push back their original test date.<\/span><\/p>\n

Category 2: I was feeling good; I was almost ready to go…<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

If, on the other hand, your score is about in the range that you want and you were almost ready to go, then we have to talk about how to stretch out your studies\u00a0for a few weeks. It\u2019s annoying. But humans have a pretty good track record of adapting. We\u2019ll figure this out. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As of this writing, GMAC has said that the test will be available online in mid-April, so let\u2019s assume you\u2019ll take the test in later April or early May. (Yes, it\u2019s possible that you will have to push this out again, but it\u2019s still a good idea to have a date in mind to give you something to work toward.)<\/span><\/p>\n

What do I do with the extra time?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The general study path for everyone is to work at improving your skills (and, therefore, your score) until you get yourself up into your desired scoring range. Then, spend the last 10 to 14 days training to \u201cpeak on game day\u201d\u2014like an athlete trying to peak on the day of the gold-medal match.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re not going to change that Game Planning period\u2014it\u2019ll still be your last 10 to 14 days. We\u2019re going to add your extra time to the \u201cLift My Score\u201d period.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say that you\u2019d originally planned to take the real test in 3 weeks but you\u2019re going to reschedule for 6 weeks from now, so you\u2019ve got an additional 3 weeks of study time. You\u2019ll still reserve your final 2 weeks for game planning, leaving you 4 weeks of primary study time.\u00a0<\/span>What do you do with that 4 weeks?<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are in Category 1 (need more time)<\/i><\/strong><\/h4>\n

First, think about why you need more time. If you\u2019ve found that your prior study hasn\u2019t been as effective as you\u2019d like, or you weren\u2019t studying as much as you\u2019d intended, use this as an opportunity to rededicate yourself to your studies. What wasn\u2019t working for you before? What can you do differently in the coming weeks to help yourself work better? Ask friends, fellow students, and teachers for advice as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next, two to four weeks is enough time to do one full Lift My Score cycle. One cycle consists of taking a practice test, analyzing it to categorize your strengths and weaknesses (more below), and then making a 2-3 week study plan based on your analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Start by, <\/span>analyzing the data<\/span><\/a> from your most recent practice test (if it\u2019s been more than 3-4 weeks, you may want to take another) and figure out what your priorities should be right now. Put everything into one of three buckets:<\/span><\/p>\n