How did you handle pressure during the GRE?

[Mocha001]

Hi everyone. I was so nervous when I took the GRE last month. I tried to breathe and be relaxed as much as possible.

But, I was just way too overwhelmed.

Especially when I started the verbal section, the first a couple of questions were pretty tough and I was freaked out.

How did you handle the stress?

Maybe my second time taking the test can be a little better.

I try to do yoga and try to stay calm, but you know, it is always hard.

[eklavya]

Hi everyone. I was so nervous when I took the GRE last month. I tried to breathe and be relaxed as much as possible.

But, I was just way too overwhelmed.

Especially when I started the verbal section, the first a couple of questions were pretty tough and I was freaked out.

How did you handle the stress?

Maybe my second time taking the test can be a little better.

I try to do yoga and try to stay calm, but you know, it is always hard.

yoga? hehe.. that was pretty funny. to handle the stress, simply assume that there is no stress. i mean, how many times in your life have you taken similar/more important tests? eat well, sleep well, and ask jesus to be your wingman. you'll sail easy.

myself, was in europe partying a week before my gre. came to the states, but studied nada before the test. simply walked in, and took it. wasn't too bad. i excelled on quantitative. verbal? meh. but i got what my top univ asked for.

[Bukharan]

I am normally not too nervous when taking generalised tests. However, when I was taking GRE my heart was racing insanely fast.

I breathed. I almost forced myself to breathe deeply and slowly. It worked.

Also, if you have a tendency to be nervous - SWITCH OFF that goddamn timer! Immediately after you start the test! Pros for doing that outweigh all cons.

[bilarslan]

Remembering your experience from big exams you took before could help. I also become excessively nervous before such crucial exams and cannot usually sleep well the night before. But the day before GRE, I recalled university entrance exam which I took very sleepy and nervous but still became successful. As a result I slept like a baby. I agree with bhikhaari as he says

to handle the stress, simply assume that there is no stress.

.

[emmm]

I'm not sure I recommend this approach, but I knew I would not study seriously for the GRE unless I took it and saw a real baseline score that I did not like. So I scheduled it for the day after finals, went it, took it, and decided I did not need to take it again. Going in with a "this is not the real thing" attitude made it hard to be nervous.