![\"Manhattan](\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2017\/09\/simple-tricks-stay-calm-during-gre-chelsey-cooley.png\")
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You can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free. Crazy, right? <\/i><\/b>Check out our upcoming courses here<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n <\/i><\/b>Do you get the test-day jitters? Even when you\u2019re taking a practice GRE? <\/span>So do I, even though I\u2019ve been taking the GRE for eight years. <\/b>Here are a few things I\u2019ve learned over the years about how to stay calm during the GRE and get a great score.<\/span><\/p>\n Nervousness is a normal, biological reaction. It doesn\u2019t mean that you aren\u2019t ready for the test, and it doesn\u2019t mean that you aren\u2019t going to do well. The feeling of nervousness\u2014the butterflies in your stomach, the sweaty palms, the racing heart\u2014is a signal that your body is releasing adrenaline. That\u2019s not a good thing or a bad thing, it\u2019s just a fact of life. When you notice that you\u2019re feeling a bit on edge, don\u2019t read too much into it. Calmly remind yourself that it\u2019s a normal feeling, and even people who score a perfect 340 feel nervous beforehand.<\/span><\/p>\n The physical sensation of nervousness is very similar to excitement. In fact, it\u2019s sometimes hard to tell the difference between the two! You can take advantage of that using a trick called <\/span>anxious reappraisal<\/span><\/a>. When you\u2019re feeling anxious before your test, say the following simple phrase <\/span>out loud<\/span><\/i>: \u201cI am excited.\u201d Do it a dozen times if you need to! Studies have shown that doing so can reduce your heart rate and make you feel less anxious.<\/span><\/p>\n As humans, we <\/span>constantly<\/span><\/i> engage in mental \u201cself-talk,\u201d whether we realize it or not. The content and form of your self-talk has a powerful effect on your performance. Before the GRE, cheer yourself on with a mental pep talk. During the test, think of a simple mantra you can recite to remind yourself of all the work you\u2019ve put in\u2014mine is \u201cYou\u2019ve got this.\u201d When a problem goes well, congratulate yourself! And when a problem goes poorly, don\u2019t call yourself names. Try these phrases instead: \u201cOkay, on to the next \u00a0problem.\u201d \u201cNo big deal.\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s do better next time.\u201d The great thing about this trick is that it works even if you don\u2019t really believe what you\u2019re saying! Just try it out.<\/span><\/p>\n You can often tell that someone\u2019s feeling anxious without even talking to them. They might sit or stand with a \u201cclosed\u201d posture, with their arms and legs drawn inwards. They might appear to be tense or rigid. Their facial expression may appear worried. Anxiety causes predictable changes in your body. However, it also goes the other way: changing how you sit or stand can change how anxious or confident you feel. Check out <\/span>this article<\/span><\/a> for some tips on powerful, confident body language. On test day, try the \u201cWonder Woman\u201d pose for a minute or two during your break! Then, as you work through the GRE, don\u2019t let yourself slump or curl up in your chair. Instead, keep an open, confident, relaxed posture.<\/span><\/p>\n Your brain needs oxygen. Your brain also loves simple rituals that remind you to stay calm and focused. Combine both of these factors into one behavior, and try taking a deep breath at the start of every single GRE problem. This is a huge part of my own test-day ritual; taking a few seconds to breathe reminds me to let go of the previous problem and focus on the task at hand.<\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t normally drink coffee. (I might be the only person on earth who actually <\/span>quit<\/span><\/i> caffeine during graduate school.) That said, I\u2019ve tried drinking coffee right before a practice test or an important meeting, and it\u2019s usually turned out to be a mistake. It\u2019s true that caffeine is a performance enhancer, but it also increases your heart rate and can cause anxiety. If you don\u2019t know exactly what effect it has on you, don\u2019t risk it. On the other hand, if you\u2019re a total coffee addict, make sure you have time for your morning latte on the day of the GRE, and consider bringing a caffeinated beverage in a thermos to drink during your 10-minute break. The larger lesson here is that changing your routine on the day of the test will probably amplify your nervousness, while sticking to your usual routine will make you feel calmer. <\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s the short takeaway. <\/b>Nervousness, before and during the GRE, is completely normal. It doesn\u2019t have to affect your score at all, and you can even take advantage of it by reframing it as excitement. There are also simple steps you can take to avoid the worst of it, and to set yourself up for success. Don\u2019t think of test-day anxiety as your enemy! If you go into the test knowing that you\u2019ve worked hard and prepared well, you\u2019re ready, whether you feel nervous or not. ?<\/span><\/p>\n See that \u201cSUBSCRIBE\u201d button in the top right corner? Click on it to receive all our GRE blog updates straight to your inbox!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Chelsey Cooley<\/a> You can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free. Crazy, right? Check out our upcoming courses here. Do you get the test-day jitters? Even when you\u2019re taking a practice GRE? So do I, even though I\u2019ve been taking the GRE for eight years. Here are a few […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[474284,6,449765,733451,733445,154333],"tags":[1362370,321],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-10670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-studiers","category-gre-strategies","category-learning-science","category-life-hacks","category-study-tips-2","category-taking-the-gre-2","tag-gre-anxiety","tag-test-day"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10670"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10706,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10670\/revisions\/10706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10670"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=10670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n1. It\u2019s just a feeling, not a bad omen.<\/b><\/h4>\n
2. Framing matters!<\/b><\/h4>\n
3. Change your self-talk.<\/b><\/h4>\n
4. Hack your body language.<\/b><\/h4>\n
5. Breathe!<\/b><\/h4>\n
6. Consider your caffeine intake.<\/b><\/h4>\n
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\n![\"Chelsey](\"https:\/\/cdn2.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2015\/11\/chelsey-cooley-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Chelsey")
<\/a>\u00a0is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Seattle, Washington.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/i><\/b>Chelsey always followed her heart when it came to her education. Luckily, her heart led her straight to the perfect background for GMAT and GRE teaching: she has undergraduate degrees in mathematics and history, a master\u2019s degree in linguistics, a 790 on the GMAT, and a perfect 170Q\/170V on the GRE.\u00a0<\/em><\/i>Check out Chelsey\u2019s upcoming GRE prep offerings here<\/a>.<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"